So Cold

It is bitter cold today. I think the temperature might have topped out at 5 degrees today. That "warm" part of the day is when I went out to fill the feeders. I bundle up in boots, coat, hat, and gloves and still am shivering by the time I get back indoors in about 10 minutes. It was sunny today and that's what fools you into thinking that it must be warm but no, it isn't anything close to warm out there. I thought about going to the grocery for fruit but I have a little left and will wait for a couple days because it's supposed to get up into the 20s by Friday. (No birds, just filled feeders in the picture.)

The birds still visited even though it was frigid out there. The Downy Woodpecker has been making daily visits to the suet cakes and finally today she landed on the side facing the patio door so that I could take her picture. And the sun has moved enough so that the feeder was in the sunshine.

Not so much sun on the ground where the Sparrows were clustered feeding on the seeds that their compatriots had flung to the ground under the tube feeder but I was glad to see them anyway. They're so lively.

I've gained 10 lbs. since last summer and decided yesterday that gaining weight has to stop. So I'm focusing on not having un-WW-like snacks. Today I resurrected a recipe for apple "fries" with PB/yogurt dip. It's made with powdered peanut butter with the fat mostly removed and then I took out the honey and substituted an equal amount of Splenda to take out extra points so I can have this every day if I want to. Once I buy more apples, that is. I have a couple more but need to restock. The recipe says to cut the apple into "fries" shapes but I can't be bothered. Slices work for dipping.

Today's drawings started out with beginning of the "F" lesson in the 3-D book. That means I drew six different versions of the letter F. I won't bore you with that but then I dived into Lesson 19 in the Draw Squad book and enjoyed drawing a creature he calls Pigasus. I also drew a little platter of fruit while I was at it. Any deviation from what's shown in the books is progress.

Today's toss was a "Wreck This Journal" book. I had two copies of it and kept this one thinking that I'd get loose and daring enough to follow the directions in it. Nope.

--Barbara