The cat's in the bag

Sweetie likes to help wrap Christmas presents.  

Crossing over

A rough-skinned newt pauses while crossing a country road along the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013. The rough-skinned newt is one of the most toxic animals known to science. One study estimated as many as 25,000 mice could be killed using the toxin in one newt.

Make new friends, but keep the old

We recently added a new elderly dog to our family. We adopted Molly from the veterinary clinic were I work part time as an assistant. She's deaf and very old, but seems to still enjoy life. Our lab William and her have become friends.

It's a matter of perspective

A frosty twig pokes through the frozen surface of the Umpqua River near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013. The region as been hit with unusually cold temperatures recently. 

Cool! My frozen photo was picked up by ZUMAPRESS.com in their Pictures of the Day gallery.

Snow day

A herd of wild Roosevelt graze on a snowy hillside near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013.

A small songbird perches on a barbed wire fence on a snowy morning near Elkton. 

S is for slug

A slug forms an "S" shape as it explores a fungus bloom on a cool and damp fall morning in a forested area near Roseburg, Ore., on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013.