Deer root around in the deep snow looking for tender grass. As we approach, their heads pop up and they stare. Little piles of snow perch on their black noses and they blink comically. Some take shelter in the naked woods. They nestle into drifts of snow. It’s hard to see them until one moves and then, as I look closer, I see an entire herd. They are not alarmed.

When we walk on icy, snowy days, the world seems to move slowly. I high step through drifts. Chuck dances and prances and seems to grin. These are her favorite days. Her joy is contagious.

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Later in the afternoon, we visited a new park that was just developed near my mom’s neighborhood in Avon. There are a variety of short trails that provide access to ponds and woods and meadows. There is also a large new dog park. Chuck was very interested in that, so we will be back soon to let her run free.

As we explored the neighborhood, I saw a beautiful mourning dove posing on a garden trellis. When I was a girl, I used to wake up every morning to the soft slow coo of the mourning dove’s call and I always thought they were called “morning doves”. It was only years later I discovered my mistake. Everything about these birds is gentle and just so pretty. Look at the blue ring around her eye and the soft variations of brown and gray in her feathers.