After the storm...

OK...being from New England and all, anything under a foot is more like a dusting than a storm to me! So, after our last "dusting" of about 3 inches.....the clouds cleared out and it was a beautiful sunny day. Throw in a little wind and all that light, fluffy snow blew around in the sunbeams making for some lovely scenery outside my kitchen window!

Kind of like those "Jesus Clouds", you know, when the rays of sun come out through the clouds like in the pictures from the bible...??

I have my own "Jesus clouds" here with a little help from Mother Nature!

Stumpy perhaps?

I can only wonder...... is this one of the gang that just had an accident leading to a shorter tail, or a new visitor to the neighborhood, or just maybe it's Belle's one surviving kit from her first unfortunate litter, Stumpy!?! I couldn't get a good enough look to see if it's a boy or a girl, but I'd like to think after he left that fateful den box with his Mom that night back in June 2007 that he found his little niche in the woods, and has had a wonderful life out there since loosing part of his tail as a baby. So I'm sticking with the latter on that one! :)

Things have been very quiet out in the woods with all this snow. I had the camera out there for about 15 days and only 4 short lived raccoon visits, including Stumpy here. Considering the snow is thigh deep on me, and still too soft to walk on top of for anything heavier than a mouse......I'm not surprised! It's just too cumbersome to walk through that, and for smaller mammals, too dangerous to be caught in! The coyotes are not as hampered by it judging by the highway of tracks they have left out there!

With another 15-23 inches predicted for us over the next couple days that may change too. I have been having enough difficulty getting out there as it is, this will not make things easier by any means. Uggghhhhhh!

The storm that ended the meltdown.

Well, so much for nice sunny weather! This is what the overwinters are looking like now...frosted!

A lot of trees are not thrilled either....mostly the weaker birches. They are literally bent right down to the ground!

The bat house is the only thing standing straight among this group of trees! They're not small trees either...that bat house is 16-20 feet high!

Here we have the only living thing enjoying this weather....Boo would sit out there all day in this if I let him!

Everything is covered in a thick layer of ice....I'm going to have to bring a tool out there to chip my way into the pens again!

First snow of the year.

The only one's thrilled with the new snow were the animals! Boo Boo was in his glory....it's his favorite season!

I have to admit...as annoying as I find it, the snow sure makes the woods look beautiful!

Then the real fun began! The overwinters meet snow for the first time....and oh what a fun thing it is!

Raccoons and fun in the snow.

Some raccoons like the snow......and some will go to extreme measures to avoid it! For example..... taking a stroll outside without walking in the snow!

.....and digging right in.......

...to get to all the fun places in the cage...

......still strolling while avoiding the snow.....

......and loving every minute of it!!

Outlaw had a snow tossing fest! (I got this pic. just before the camera was enveloped in a pile of snow!) I love little Button hanging down there egging him on!

Then there are those who don't mind it one way or the other.....until one of the pesky little kids up above pushes a pile of snow down on top of you!! Then it's game on!!!

Whaaaat??? It wasn't me! I swear! Charger looks guilty, but he wasn't.

Button may be little....but she's got BIG attitude! While the guilty snow-pusher Outlaw makes his escape, Button gets confronted....and wins.... fending off this big guy who's got at least 15lbs on her!

He makes his move......

....then thinks better of it.....

The fact that Button also had the strategic advantage from inside the hanging papasan chair frame didn't hurt either!

Silly raccoons!

The little kids are in their usual "totem pole" position waiting for me to bring them dinner. Whenever I look out the window from the house the 3 of them are always like this....just like a totem pole.

The chow line!

What a handsome boy!

Not to mention a big goof!!! You think he likes his belly rubs??

Our little brushkin, Button.

You might think he's watching a scary movie....but he's not.

If your used to working with coons, you know how they always get that clump of food stuck to the roof of their mouth. Then they go nuts and claw at their face because they can't get it out. Then I usually end up sticking my finger in there and scraping it off.

Well not this guy! He sticks his hands right in there and gets it out!

Ahhhhhhhhhhh.....yup, there it is.......

......ok, just about....ahhhhhhhh, got it!

That's much better now!

Button has raspberries for the camera today..

Nothing beats a good chin scratching! (Except a good belly rub maybe!)

Charger enjoys his treat.

I don't know what got into the older boys out back, but they were full of fun and games! All 6 of them came out...all the way out! I was shocked. The twins were especially rambunctious. They wrestled like maniacs with each other, and with me, and with each other again. I was down there for about an hour hanging out and watching them, and they were still going at it when I left! Quinny and Tosser were also a little frisky and playful, but not as crazy as the twins. Rollo and Mohican came out but were not all that playful. Just had a bite to eat and watched the rest of them acting like maniacs!

Here they come......

Nosey and Tosser.

Nosey ventures over first.

Then Quinny starts out.

Stinky is right behind.

From her on Nosey and Stinky were wrestle maniacs! Bounding around in the foot of new snow, sniffing, digging, wrestling each other and just plain old enjoying themselves and the snow.

Quinny and Tosser did most of their playing up high on the shelves and branches, preferring to avoid the deep snow.

By the time I got these pics it was getting dusky out. I wish I could have gotten more of their silly antics because it was so fun to see, but unfortunately the fading light made it impossible to get any good photos...it was just too dark by then. I'm lucky these even came out.

More snow after the meltdown.

The warm weather was short lived. Got another 8 inches? yesterday! The gang was up & about near the start of the storm. The temps were milder then! By the end, the wind was crazy and it was about -12 with the wind chill. Brrrrrrr....I'm gettin' cold just thinking about it!

More white stuff falling? Quinny's not coming out then!

Stinky just loves his mom and even got the feet cold in the white stuff to step out and say Hi!

The rest of the gang weren't budging, but had no problem poking a hand out to grab an available treat when they realized there were some!

Snow or no snow, the younger kids were out as usual....especially when they thought they were getting fed!

Roxy as cute as ever and doing great!

Hanging inside the little kids pen.

Marshmallows are always a welcome treat!! Button very gently selects hers.

Charger grabs a handful and chows down.

And Outlaw.....what can I say...it was a tug o' war getting the container back from him! He wasn't going to let go, even if it was empty!

Charger is so excited about eating he looses his head! LOL!

Happy New Year everyone from the gang at Rascal Rescue!!!