Snow and Dreams of Warmer Days

It's not even Thanksgiving, and in northern Illinois, we have snow.  Lots of snow.  I'm guessing there are about five inches on the ground.  The ground was fairly warm, so the earliest snow melted.  It's a heavy, clingy, beautiful snow. The birds have been caught a little by surprise, I think, and have been crowding the bird feeder all day.  Here are a couple of beauties waiting their turn.

And to think, only a month ago, I was enjoying warm, sunny weather in Florida and Savannah.  I've meant to share my Savannah pictures with you, but haven't had a chance.  Here are just a couple of snaps from that trip.

Lovely Round Island Park just south of Vero Beach, Florida

While I do love snow, I wouldn't mind being down south again for a day or two.  We visited family in Florida, then took a little detour to Savannah for one night.  I was really impressed by the view of the salt marshes.  The photo below was taken from the car as we went over a very tall bridge into Brunswick, Georgia.  

Salt marsh as seen from bridge heading into Brunswick, Georgia

For one last glimpse of warm weather, I'll leave you with a shot of Bay Street in the historic district of Savannah. Whether it's warm or cold, I hope things are lovely where you are.

Bay Street, Savannah, Georgia

It's My Birthday, And I'll Eat If I Want To

Yesterday was my birthday -- a Friday the 13th birthday, my luckiest day.  I was born on a Friday the 13th.  My next Friday the 13th birthday won't be until 2020.  To celebrate my special day, I made myself a cake.  A whole big cake just for me (okay, I shared with the husband).

It isn't fancy.  In fact, I even used a mix!  I tried to make a pudding poke cake, which sounded kind of fun, but my pudding was a little too set up, so it didn't flow into the holes.  So instead, it's a chocolate cake with pudding filling and whipped cream.  I expect we'll wind up throwing some of this away, but that's okay.  I'm worth a cake on my special day!

Outside My Office Window

I've been semi-chained to my desk lately, and while I am working hard, I keep getting distracted by feathered visitors outside my window -- cardinals, chickadees, finches, nuthatches, and sparrows (lots of sparrows).  And then there's this one cheeky guy that runs off everyone else:

He catches my eye every time. (And yes, my bird feeder is really dirty!)