The January Thaw is still with us, so, instead of leaving feet of glorious snow, the ongoing gale is dumping lots of rain. Ordinarily, I'd be complaining, to say nothing of going stir crazy, since I've mostly been confined to quarters—completing writing assignments but not being able to get outside and document the natural world. Late in the day, however, the precipitation had let up, so I hazarded a trip into the woods to see what was going on and to capture some pictures. There was, in truth, not much to capture. Most everything natural was in hiding or asleep—it is closing in on mid-winter, after all—but the White Pines are still, when the temperature is warm enough, in the photosynthesis business, and their supple needles, five per bundle, are adept at capturing and holding water droplets.