The Big Thaw - the end of Snowzilla

Things are definitely beginning to thaw here in the Pacific Northwest. It must have started last evening before the temperature dropped again because we had one great icicle on our house and the neighbors had a whole row of them. You'll notice on our single icicle above that the water is running off the end of it. I remember as a kid we loved icicles and would break them off and suck on them. Hm. I suppose we could have been ingesting all kinds of not so good things, but it was fun and tasted good! We would also have sword fights. The neighbor's icicles below are quite decorative!

The snow is gone from the tree in the backyard, but the biggest indication that the weather has turned for the moment (besides the rain which just started after I began typing) is the fact that the birds thought it was time for a major bath event. We heat the birdbath when it is freezing (you can maybe sort of make out the heating element in the photos below) but while the water never froze and they often stopped by to drink, none of the birds took a bath during the snowy week past. Today,however, things have changed.

Today they have all jumped in and they keep shoving each other out of the way over and over again. Take a look at what they are doing to my office window. The robin simply shoved his way in and all the pine siskins & finches bolted!

A trio of starlings came by as well and completely took over the bird bath, but they were not intetered in being photographed!