heartening

 Lots of snow has disappeared in the last few days. It's been sunny and breezy and I forgot to mention that those factors allow snow to evaporate without turning to water beforehand. This process is called sublimation.

We have a hill in the back which is a south facing slope. There has been a lot of animal activity there over the past few days as the snow has melted away. Squirrels scurrying for nuts. Hawks hunting for squirrels.

There has been a lot of deer activity. During the dark days of winter, deer hold up in deer yards, conserving their strength. When you see them, they are moving slowly along. But oftentimes there is a change in their behavior about this time of year. A couple of days ago I saw a couple of them moving across the hill in the back, but they weren't trudging along this time. They were running. They were playfully chasing each other. It seems that they realize that food is now becoming more abundant and that the challenges of the cold and the snow pack are melting away. They realize that they are going to make it. It is heartening to see.