My mule Polly and I recently visited Oriental, North Carolina, to be a part of the village's 150th birthday parade. Here mule Polly is taking a post-parade to fill up on clover alongside a village street.

This is a mosaic of past and future Photos of the Day. I posted this to give you a sense of what these photos look like when viewed together as a group. The Photo of the Day started as an experiment to see what a bunch of pictures posted over time looked like when viewed as a whole. I'm not sure I see a pattern, but who cares? I'm having fun with it.

Of all the photos I've taken on my game cameras - an eight point buck, a troop of raccoons or a drunk bubba with his shirt off walking in front of a beater at 2 am - this one made me smile the most. It's a special bear that checks your Posted signs at night!

In addition to being a great rider, master of hounds, and tinkerer, Julia's dad, Harlowe Carpenter, was a sculptor. His big thing was turning old farm equipment like threshers, tedders and tractors into sculptures. This is one of my favorites on a frosty morning. I call it Bat Dog. The one thing Harlowe wasn't great at was welding. Over the years, I've rewelded half of the pieces we own. Who cares. It just makes them more loved.

In case you need reminding. This sign caught my eye at a flea market a few miles from our home. (Hudson, NC)

A seed head bends under an icy load on the trail that leads to the top of our mountain

My wife Julia and I call this Border Collie Assist. That's when Diggity and Lucky, our rescue border collies, get on a fresh scent and lean into their leashes. This is great for towing you up hills but not so great when going downhill...

We recently had an overnight ice storm. It was a kind one that didn't snap a bunch of trees or tear down the powerlines. After building a fire in the wood stove, drinking coffee and feeding the horses and mules, we went for a walk to check out the wintry wonder. The whole world looked like it was dipped in crystal, and by noon, the ice was gone.