My son Kerry, our dogs and I went out to our largest nearby reservoir for a long walk and a Christmas bird count. The result: 150 Canada Geese 1 Bald Eagle flying overhead with prey in it’s talons 4 tiny, white birds who flew up from some grasses 1 Prairie Falcon On Christmas Eve Day…
A Northern Flicker (western version with red marks) visits the suet feeder now. With his red markings, which are not really noticeable in these shots taken from inside the house, he looks ready for Christmas. With that long beak, he pecks at the suet block, which is frozen solid this morning.Later in the day he…
I received two seed catalogs yesterday, The timing is not coincidental. Now that the the amount of daylight will increase a bit each day, seed growers know that gardeners thoughts move toward Spring planting. I enjoy winter and the chance for rest; however, I take comfort knowing that we are heading in a warmer direction…
Perfect camping days come and go each week, even in December. The days are sunny and the nights not too cold—like today. What luck to have a camping opportunity on my off day. Oops! Is that wind I hear? The wind is milder than yesterday when we had a high wind warning again, but still…
Yesterday, I decided to confront my fear of extremely low temperatures. After all, I have an arctic parka, warm clothing, long underwear, warm boots, and wool socks.I have a case of hand warmers, heavy mittens and a windproof hat. Surely I would not drop dead after 15 minutes outdoors! My motivation: people further north live…
I decide to avoid writing today about weather. This cold front is covering the entire country, so everyone is in a pickle..Even people in Arizona are suffering through a frigid 50 degrees. But more important, thinking about homeless people across the country makes me less self-absorbed. Besides, who wants to hear how I could not…
This is my first time in such dastardly cold weather. I stuck my head out the door and involuntarily gasped, unable to breathe for a second. Here is what I’m talking about: Issued by the National Weather Service, Cheyenne, WY Wed,Dec 4, 2014 WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO FALL TO 30 BELOW ZERO SHORTLY AFTER…
Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday: I ignored them all. The stubborn streak in me will not be manipulated by marketing wizards. That is not to say I don’t love buying despite my efforts to simplify. Food, however, is another matter. I dream about Pizza Hut and Wendy’s Chicken Pub sandwich after seeing commercials.…
I wish I had something to write about other than the weather. However, since I would rather be outdoors at any given moment, the weather is big news for Tango and me. BIG NEWS. I have seen the following sustained period of frigid weather only a few times and always in the deep of winter,…
Back at home, life returns to normal. As always after a storm, the sun shines a bright white light and the sky reflects a clear blue. Melting snow drips through the downspouts. Eurasian Doves wrangle with leaves and twigs beneath the snow, looking for a tasty tidbit. A few Sparrows return from their storm shelters…