The weather forecasters called for rain last night—and lots of it. With a flood warning posted for our area, it came as a bit of a surprise to hear pellets of sleet hitting the windows while I made dinner. But as we watched the movie Secretariat after dinner, the sleet turned to heavy snow, leaving us with about 3″ on top of the ice. This morning’s sun glistened off the trees and the freshly fallen (unexpected) snow, and I added more seed to the feeders since the birds were already fast at work when I awoke. The male cardinals were elusive as they chased one another around, fighting for feed and territory. I managed to capture a few while they paused to catch their breath, including this one who alighted in a tree just off the deck.