One phrase has long been used to characterize our mail carriers—Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds—and while this line from Herodotus may not be the official creed of the US Postal Service, it certainly summarizes the dedication of the white-truck and shoe-leather brigades... and it's also an appropriate description of the Great Horned Owl currently trying to raise chicks in the woods across the street. The female I discovered last week is clearly not too happy about her nursery being covered with snow from the most recent storm, but she's hanging in there, no matter what the weather, and, in all meteorological conditions and time periods, heading out on silent wings to snag prey. I don't know if she's feeding hatchlings yet, but she has to eat to keep the nest warm, so, neither snow nor rain ... nor gloom of night—I took out the reference to heat since we've yet to see anything much above freezing for quite some time—is keeping Mama GHO from her "appointed rounds" either. Maybe her image should be on those trucks.