What a great capture Jean Dessellier snapped of this small white critter in her woodpile. It's a weasel, who has just about completed the 3 to 5 week change of its brown summer coat, to the white winter coat. From what I've read, the coat not only changes color, but gets longer and denser to keep the weasel warm for the cold months ahead. Normally just the tip of the tail stays dark, so I'm guessing with the little bit of dark on the head yet, that the change isn't quite complete. Don't let the cuteness of this little guy fool you, though, as they can be quite mean and have been known to kill 12 or more chickens in one night!

Speaking of changes, the bottom photo is from Judy Schaefer and shows the changes to the Big Traverse River as it goes out the irons and into Lake Superior. The river was dredged during the summer of 2015, because the stamp sand was being washed right over the pier and into the channel there. This is how much sand has again accumulated there due to storm activity since that time. I was out there kayaking a few weeks ago and was shocked at how small the opening is to get through there right now and at how high the stamp sand is piled on the shore just the other side of this photo. It must be about 15 feet high there. This is just a recent phenomenon in the past few years, so I wonder what changed that is causing the waves to wash the sand inside the pier like this.

Jean sure got close-up shots of that critter! I wonder just how close she was(?)

The size and cuteness of the weasel belies his ferocity. They are the bane of every chicken farmer.
That stamp sand certainly could be thought of as an invasive species

Here kitty, kitty, kitty...nice kitty, kitty!

You had better count your fingers after petting that "kitty" Alex.

Hi
I think weasels munch on rodents too, so they'd benefit grain farmers. I'd like to have one come and help with the mice that try to get in my basement.

Bob & I would often see these guys running about
when we would be snowmobiling in the U.P.

No one has mentioned the fuzzy tail in the picture next to the weasel. Looks like his last meal of squirrel to me not chicken.
The sand sort of reminds me of all the leafs that I rake that just will not stay where I left them after all the work is done.
But wait, just think the snow will be doing the same thing in another month.

James:
I was going to make the same comment regarding the squirrel tail. Pound for pound these little guys are really ferocious and they help reduce the rodent population

Cute indeed. Love the lighted freighter.