Be a faithful friend and you'll have one in return.

It ended up snowing most of yesterday and now we are having an "arctic freeze".  Record breaking weather again here.  It seems to be the year of records.  Our high today will be colder than the record low for this day, and the nights dropping into the teens.  We were fortunate to not also have to deal with the winds that others nearby had and then lost their power.  Traffic in and around Seattle was terrible last night because no matter how much this area tries to prepare for snow, it's the freezing and ice that seems to bring everything to a halt.  Most of this area is very hilly and it seems that no matter where you want to go there is at least one hill to deal with.  I don't mind it if we have nowhere to go and today we're all home since everything has been canceled.
First I embarrassed my oldest daughter by sledding on our street, but I had fun and she finally loosened up.  Then the girls had fun sledding and making snow angels.  The snow was too dry for making snowmen today.  As we walked we saw evidence of all sorts of wildlife including bird tracks and fresh mole hills.
When we returned home I looked out at the pond to discover our neighbor cat sitting on the frozen pond.  I went in to get the camera but he had left, instead I found that one of our new friends was perched on the same trellis that the hummingbird used last year.  The little Anna's hummingbirds that stay here all winter appreciate the fresh sugar water that isn't frozen.
Several times she chased away other hummingbirds while I was out in my bare feet and Crocs taking pictures.  I didn't even notice that it was only 20F while I was getting up close.

She was busy keeping an eye out for other hummingbirds and wasn't bothered by me.

 When the sun hits the dark patch under her chin you can see the beautiful red feathers shimmering, although it's not visible in these pictures.

 After chasing away another hummingbird she replenishes her energy.

 I honestly think her allowing me to get up close is one of the most wonderful things I have ever experienced.  It just does something to me to have the honor of getting this close to nature.

 I tried this one on macro just to see if it made a difference.  That green is gorgeous!

 After returning from another chase she rests on the Daphne 'Summer Ice' which is still blooming.

This corner of the pond is where the cat had been sitting, the warmth of his body melted the ice through.  I also see that I forgot to bring in my Salvia 'Golden Delicious'.  Everything else looks pretty good, just a bit wilty from the cold.

I think around this area if you are faithful about filling your hummingbird feeders and bringing them in so they don't freeze you can make a beautiful friend like I did.  Once I can get out again I plan to buy at least one more feeder so that they can all have something to drink on these especially cold days.