Portrait of the Artists as Young Girls

Self-portraits are all the rage around here these days. Bridget has been working on lots at home with crayons, carefully picking out the proper colors for hair and eyes.

The Last Sled Ride

These pictures are from a trip through our neighbor's woods a few weeks ago (Moriah top, Bridget second). These woods are owned by some neighbors, and are part of a woodlot program to encourage public use of the trails through them. We always see lots of people out snowshoeing, skiing, or walking their dogs. This was our last trip over there this winter. Today, we have large patches clear of snow in the yard. The girls are starting to look for signs of spring in earnest!

Sappy

We're still collecting several gallons a day from the sugar maples in the yard, and are able to get a good bit processed into syrup. Most of it is getting consumed within a few days, though! I love the taste - it's much more buttery than even the real syrup you can buy at the store.

When we go out to collect the sap in the afternoon, the girls love to try it straight from the bucket. You can see them getting their fingers in there (above), and getting every last bit off (below).

There is still a good bit of snow on the ground. We like to take walks to the little stream along the back end of the yard, and taking a break in the woods on a sunny day is really pleasant. Below are Bridget, then Moriah (bottom) showing off their smiles!

...out like a lion

Good thing we love winter! Bridget and Moriah are making the most of our extended snow season. We're especially enjoying all the tracks in the yard. Many are our own, but there are lots of animal tracks too.