we interrupt this retrospective for a news update

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/weasel/Minkprintout.shtml

Mink are small members of the weasel family. Dark
brown in color, mink have long been sought after
for their pelts. Though they only reach 2-3 lbs
in size, mink are aggressive and predatory. They
will prey upon most anything including rats, mice,
fish, rabbit, birds, eggs, insects or muskrat.
Because of their long and sleek design, mink will
commonly find their way into chicken coops or
other animal holding cages where they can kill
several of the captive prey animals in a short
period of time. This characteristic - random
slaughtering of prey animals - sometimes confuses
the animal owner into thinking local vandals
are responsible. They also like to line their kill
up in a row which leads to further confusion. It's
hard to imagine such a small animal could be so
destructive, aggressive and organized. But if you
raise quail, pheasant, chickens or some other small
bird, hope the local mink don't find out!

Mink like to live close to water. Dens are commonly
made on the banks of streams and creeks but they
may choose a location under a rock or log. Mink are active in most every
state except one or two in the southwestern region
of the United States. Since mink are usually nocturnal
and secretive, they are not easily seen. Generally
they are not the first animal thought to be responsible
for local damage unless the land owner is familiar
with how mink behave. But once they learn of a good
food supply, they will be persistent and resilient.

A mink broke into our chicken coop Wednesday night and killed all of our chickens. Roger will reinforce the coop before we acquire more hens.

In other news, I just have to include this picture of little Suzie building a snowman in Thursday's snowfall. She started with a tennis ball and kept at it for over an hour.