A light but steady rain is falling on the cool morning coffee muses.

Two sounds dominate, steel on steel and falling water. One natural the other man-made. One gentle and punctuated by soft bird sounds, the other harsh and split by the whistle of an air horn.

The temperature on the front porch was 40° when I looked before coming out. That was what the high was supposed to be yesterday… we never made it. The prediction for today’s high is 60°. We can only wait and see. Tomorrow the prognosticators are foretelling a high of 70°… springlike if I’ve ever seen it.

The rain is getting softer. But there are darker clouds all around. Maybe the rain will finally melt the ice in the roof valleys on the north side of the house. At least the cold isn’t so intense that it’s numbing my hands.

There are large, loose flocks of birds flying around, mixed flocks of birds of different sizes. And, a steady stream of species are hitting the feeder. From my old favorites, the chickadees and the titmice to my new favorite the pine warbler. Goldfinches, cardinals, and house sparrows… The yellow-rumps out under the trees.

The wind is picking up and the wind chill is getting to my exposed skin… add in the empty cup of muses and it’s time to move this indoors….