There's something about early mornings...

Almost always, the dogs or one of the cats wake me just before it gets light. I turn on some outdoor lights and one indoor light and let them out, then go to make much needed coffee.

Shortly after, I join the dogs outside, after pulling on my boots and an old down jacket that is mended with duct tape the cloth is so thin. We wander around the house filling the feeders while light begins to show in the east. I often hear the delighted "dee dee" of my tiny feathered friends who are usually first to have breakfast.

This morning there was the sound of mourning dove wings, they make a joyful whirring sound as they find a place closer to a feeder where they know I'll be dropping seeds on the ground for them. They sometimes line up on a branch, or an overhead wire, watching the proceedings carefully. And wait until I go back inside before they land for their first meal of the day.

Somehow the snow that arrived the day after Boxing Day still clings to the trees, my car, which must be brushed off today and all the shrubs and the deck. We'll be busy this morning. But while I'm outside at this early hour, I enjoy the silence of a weekend morning. There's something about early mornings that I love. Is it the stillness? The sense that I'm at one with the world when there are no cars racing by, off to work or coming home from?

The only sounds I usually here are birds sounds, or a lone car or truck struggling up the hill, yesterday it was one loaded with two huge trailers-full of logs - headed for the local logging outlet I suppose. Often I a raven or two calls greetings as it flies past over the fields next door.

It's a magical time, and occasionally, though not a lot recently I'm rewarded with the most amazing colours as the sun creeps above the horizon and gives the illusion of fire and warmth. So lucky! I am so truly blessed to be able to experience these special moments - dogs rolling in snow, tiny birds calling to one another then cracking open a seed on a branch, sometimes feeling snow or rain on my face. All amazing, magical and wonderful.

May you have an awesome weekend, as we move towards the new year.