Do demons have karma accounts?

Old Guy asked me that this morning. He doesn't know, I don't know. But Legion has made him miss a jam session with a blind sax man who never does scheduled gigs, and Old Guy has this _thing_ about live music.

In other news, we continue cold and bright. No fresh snow. I guess I'll still get in another ski run this afternoon. Those endorphins, you understand.

Death in the afternoon

Returned from the ski outing and saw a flurry of brown wings and a banded tail vanish into one of the spruces out back. Our first-year sharp-shinned hawk, the prime suspect in the dearth of birds at the feeders so far this winter.

Later, from upstairs, saw a shadow plucking feathers from something dead, in the selfsame spruce. I may investigate further before dusk, checking to see if any of those feathers can be keyed out to species.*

We need more snow. The ski trails have gotten packed to the point where turning gets interesting, and at the end of my run I fell down skiing across the parking lot. Fell on my problematical right knee, of course...

*Still Later: Wife slogged out to the compost bin and then examined evidence. She reports gray body-feathers, size and curve and shade consistent with a junco. We can spare a junco or two. Would have preferred starling or English (house) sparrow, but...

4 miles, 54 minutes.