Tracks

At 3:00 this morning I just happened to be awake and looking out the window when I saw a black animal walking across the front yard. Could have been a skunk but I didn't see a stripe; could have been a porcupine but its head didn't look angled enough. At any rate, this morning I convinced DS2 to go on a little tracking walk.....

I don't know, can you see these tracks? We also followed some other ones (maybe a rabbit) only to find that whatever it was, it spent some time under the patio table! We started off following this set of tracks...

They eventually led us here, to this fall of trees and the muddy/frozen creek right behind them. DS2 crossed the creek and was starting to pick up the tracks again, with me not far behind, when he called to me, "Mom. Stop. Back up. I smell a skunk." I backed up.

Walking back up through the woods to the house.
This is the view you're always happy to see - the house! But notice, it's still up hill.
And still, I might add, uphill even where you are home.
It was fun. On the way back we followed some other tracks to a living tree with a hollow at the base and again could smell a skunk - - Rusty immediately stuck his head into the tree and we both yelled at him to COME OUT before anything disastrous could happen.

I love snow.