A Heart-of-the Winter Afternoon...

 

A Village Candle called "Zesty Lemon," burning in the middle of the kitchen table, is emitting a fabulous fragrance.

The furnace is roaring like a lion in the basement, trying to keep this old house warm.

 That's a challenge with the frosty temps outside.

 Right now, in the late afternoon, it is seven degrees out there. 

A bright red Valentine heart hangs on the porch wall. 

When the sun hits it, it must look very stunning to the row of neighboring houses behind ours. 

However, today, the sun is long forgotten and hidden somewhere in the casket gray skies.

The fountain, which brings so much joy in the warmer months, is now wrapped up like a Christmas tree after the holidays.

 A white wrought iron table and chairs sitting on the back porch bring memories of warm days and tweeting birds. 

 The picnic table, too, stands like a frozen movie set amid the silence

No birds, no squirrels, no living creature can be see or heard on this ultra freezing winter day.

 Every thing we see, signifies we are in the very deep heart of winter.

Now, night is falling.

However, not a single flake is tumbling from the sky.  

Our valley, surrounded by hills, has escaped the wrath of the nor'easter that is apparently hitting Boston. 

Thank the Lord for favors, both big and small!

So we trudge on through the travails of winter until the spring eventually breaks through.

DO YOU EVER PUT OUT FOOD FOR WILD ANIMALS, LIKE SQUIRRELS OR RABBITS?