It's still winter

What would life be like without winter? It comes and goes as it pleases this time of year. Snow fell Saturday night, not much, but enough to dust the sculpted banks. Then the wind kicks up. On the way to church this morning, I was alone. It wasn't that early in the morning, but my tires were the first to break through fingers of snow curling up from the ditches and slowing grabbing the gravel road.
The wind forced the snow to follow the highway. It looked like a river. The new dusting of snow undulating like in currents following the asphalt ribbon to Mandan.
We have an entire flock of pheasant living in our spruce trees. They fly into the branches to sit right outside our window. Because of the cold, they come scratching under our bird feeders breaking paths into the snow. They are funny to watch because they are weighty enough to break through the crust and the trails are deep and winding, like they are trying to dodge gun fire like characters in a movie.
Today one of them was pecking through a bank. I don't know if he was loosening the snow for a reason, or trying to get to the ground for whatever it is they are seeking.
In the sunshine the feathers glow with color. They are rather shy so these photos were taken through the window. Someday we are going to have a blind or at least a porthole in the house so we can shoot at the birds without the patio door or screens in the way. These didn't turn out too bad.