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Finally: snow! For two days this week we woke to an usually overcast world and bittterly cold, subzero temperatures.
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Turtleback mountain wrapped her peaks in cloud.
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Inca doves huddled like little pinecones on the frozen birdbaths. The intrepid among them drilled hopefully with beaks, through the powder, looking for liquid .
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Saffron crocus and garlic received a welcome small layer of moisture.
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Pomegranates, abandoned for the birds after autumn harvest, got a light, crystalline powdering.
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Opuntia cactus were frosted too, especially those varieties with fine glochids.
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Snow might be silent but it keeps no secrets. At first light there’s evidence of sneaky felines.
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It was only a light dusting of snow really, probably less than an inch over two days, but any moisture is welcome. I am okay with letting my snow shoveling credentials lapse into disuse this chilly full wolf moon.
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Yes, I know it’s a coyote not a wolf, and a terrible picture too, but this beautiful creature met me in pre dawn twilight a few days ago, just two blocks from the shala.
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It’s not called the Land of Enchantment for nothing.
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