It snowed about an 1" last night on Christmas Eve. It was a wet snow -- difficult to drive in even with a 4-WD car. The temperature today is hovering around 33-34 degrees. The sky is overcast. I didn't start my walk today until late in the afternoon. I had to bake pies for the evening's festivities. My contributions included pumpkin, squash and mincemeat pies.

After being inside all day, a quick evening walk was more than welcomed. I lit a cigar and departed down the snow covered sidewalks at 4:45 p.m. The trails were well trampled from the day's hikers and easy to follow even without sun or moon. By the time Chance and I got to the pond it was too dark to take a picture. My camera could't find a specific object to focus on and I was unable to override this criteria. Had I been successful, you would have been able to see dark shadows on a partially frozen pond.

I could hear the hooting of an owl in the distance. I assume it's the same owl I sometimes hear in the morning before light. It makes sense. Hoot before light and hoot after light. Chance had nothing to fear from this night hunter. Even in the dark, at 98 pounds, he would not be mistaken for a large rabbit. However, real rodents beware.

The coffee shop is closed today. No Cranberry muffin.