I know we're supposed to water our plants when we have long dry spells in winter—but it's such a pain! It's cold outside, it's hard to wrestle with frozen hoses, and there's always the danger of forgetting to disconnect them again when you're done. I hardly ever do it, or it's hit and miss. Survival of the fittest.

So the rain the last few days came just in time.

Here's a picture of my patio. I wanted to capture the water dripping off the tree, but I wasn't close enough.

The birds will love using the puddle on the table as a birdbath until it dries up. I don't know whether you can see the crabapples on the tree, but the birds love them in winter, too.

And, no, birds don't live in the birdhouses on the railing. Those are just for looks.