The ups and downs of sledding in Springfield.
Snow plows and snow blowers were out in force this week, though most people are relying on manual labor and snow shovels, as the area recovered from the first significant snowfall.
Birds flock to easier meals at friendly houses providing feeders.
Holiday decorations take on a special air of the arctic north, providing a more picturesque setting than they evoked before Mother Nature added to the display.
Excited shouts and laughter provides direction to each neighborhood's best sledding hill. The happy noise is a reminder that snow is more than an inconvenience.
Birds, including this male Downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens), go to area feeders for seeds and suet as heavy snow makes food harder to find.