I was planning on waiting till tomorrow for a walk in the woods, when this current cold snap is predicted to be over, but with 14 months of sobriety under my belt, it’s important to keep myself busy every day, so I pulled on the ol’ long johns, bundled up good, and headed out.

I found a well traveled deer trail and followed it into the frosty forest. It wasn’t long before I came upon this juvenile eagle high up in a dead tree. By the amount of white on his head, I’d say he’s about 3 years old, with another year or so to go before he’s an adult.

That puts him at the annoying teenager stage. It’s easy to tell because not only is his head turning white, but he’s got that smart-ass smirk on his can-opener beak and that know-it-all look in his eyes, so prevalent in teens. It reminds me of Mark Twain’s words on the subject:

“When I was a boy of 14,

my father was so ignorant,

I could hardly stand to

have the old man around.

But when I got to be 21,

I was astonished at how much

he had learned in 7 years.”

–Photo by me