Somewhere during this last week the skies cleared, temperatures rose above freezing, even at night, and all the snow quickly disappeared.
Everywhere but at the higher elevations of the Pacific Coast Range, which you can see there in the distant view, which still has a little bit left!

I've noticed lately that there seems to be some activity amongst the geese around here, their honking and characteristic V-shaped flying formations always a dead give-away.
Could it be they're already getting ready to move back north to their to their breeding grounds in Canada, Alaska, and the Arctic?

                       

I know geese are sensitive to changes in temperature and daylight hours, changes that trigger their migration instinct, but this seems very early.
The large groups at the big pond in town were gone, there's only this small group left.
Oh well, I guess they know what they're doing ..

Besides Buffelheads and Cormorants I noticed a few very pretty 'new-to-me' ducks, Common Mergansers, aka Sawbills:

Just for comparison, pretty much the same day a couple of Hooded Mergansers landed in 'our' pond, next to the RV!
This male didn't have his hood up when I finally was able to take the picture, he kept hiding behind the blackberry bushes, but it's a pretty bird regardless.
You can just see his very wide tail-feathers behind him, resting on/in the water and which he uses for great maneuverability when he dives .. or fights!

Sunday afternoon we once again went to Mcminnville's Gallery theater. We had tickets for the (almost sold out) matinee performance of Fiddler on the roof that day.

I'd only ever seen this wonderful musical once before on TV starring Lex Goudsmit, a dutch/belgian actor, who became quite famous in 1966 for playing Tevye, which role he performed some 1100 times in the Netherlands and in London.n.

Set in the little village of Anatevka, the story centers on Tevye, a poor milkman, and his five daughters. It explains the customs of the Jews in Russia in 1905, where their lives are as precarious 'as the perch of a fiddler on a roof'. .
With the help of a colorful and tight-knit Jewish community, Tevye tries to protect his daughters and instill them with traditional values in the face of changing social morales and the growing anti-Semitism of Czarist Russia.

The play was 3 hours long, including intermission, a little longer than usual but as usual it was sooooo good!!
The cast was excellent and the set, costumes and acting/singing were all amazing!
Everyone was giving it their all and especially the voices of the ensemble blended beautifully together. 

What a treat! As usual!

At home, the new puppy is starting to find his place in his new pack.
He knows who we are by now and frequently comes by either with one of his owners or accompanied by his dutiful 'babysitter', aka Coco, who patiently endures (mostly) his tireless playfulness::

                                                  

This is what he's here for though: keeping a watchful eye on what's going on!

Just in case someone dares to set foot on the property!
Like this large herd (also called 'gang') of Elk that showed up at the meadow next-door one evening:

I

 

The light was getting low but I could make out several males and I think this was their leader:

                                                            


I'm still trying to find my way in baking a decent, and consistent, sourdough bread and I finally might have found a winning recipe (so far).
It's by Gemma Stafford, an Irish Chef at 'https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/sourdough-bread-for-beginners/'.
Besides what seems to be the perfect recipe (at least for me), she gives you a clear and easy to follow schedule to follow, something that I found lacking, or being overly complicated, in all others.
Just look at this sandwich-bread I baked:

It tastes as good as it looks!

Finally, I think my Amaryllis bulb, which I bought in December, is finally opening up:

                                             

I'd almost given up hope but 3 days ago the buds cracked open and I see a little more emerging every day.

It's nothing but a (belated Christmas) miracle!