Inching Forward…

…to spring and normalcy.

Sometimes

Sheenagh Pugh

Sometimes things don’t go, after all, 
From bad to worse. Some years, muscadel 
Faces down frost; green thrives; the crops don’t fail,
Sometimes a man aims high, and all goes well.

A people sometimes will step back from war;
Elect an honest man; decide they care
Enough, that they can’t leave some stranger poor.
Some men become what they were born for.

Sometimes our best efforts do not go
Amiss; sometimes we do as we meant to.
The sun will sometimes melt a field of sorrow
That seemed hard frozen; may it happen for you.

On The Straight and Narrow

Snow still too deep off the beaten path.

Nice restoration

Whenever Pax would attempt leaving the trail and going cross country he would do fine as long as the crust held, but when it didn’t, he would bottom out. There were times when I thought I might have to attempt a rescue, and I found that worrisome because I had no idea how.

St several places up on the hill I had to leave the plowed road because of frozen sheets of meltwater (no creepers). Unlike Pax I had zero chance of staying on the crust, so had to slog forward slowly, stepping lightly and then crashing down—almost knee deep—with every step.

The melting continues, but there is a lot more to go.

Sue got her second shot this afternoon.

Afternoon Outing

Looking for rural scenery and rustic charm, up towards Watertown, but finding little. Sun broke through the clouds as we arrived home, however.

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Cushing’s disease is pressing Pax hard, and it is hard to watch.

“The old dog barks backward without getting up.
I can remember when he was a pup.”
—Robert Frost

Melting

Lots of melting, but lots more to go. Pax and I enjoyed two long walks today. We had to navigate puddles, but neither of us minded that.

And, here’s remembering Lawrence Ferlinghetti and the City Lights Bookstore.
And now, watching basketball for the first time in a long time. Thanks to Bri for reminding me. Illinois is ranked #5, and March Madness is right around the corner.

Above Freezing!

First time in three weeks, and, with minor exceptions, in 5 weeks. Of course spring fever is overtaking COVID.
And, while some virus recluses are making sourdough, we here are doing molasses.

Snow Robins

A flock of about 50.

Photo by Sue

Hard to photograph them all, but there were many. Mostly stripping a crabapple tree up the street a bit from us. This tree has nasty fruit, and nobody eats it unless necessary. (Vi’s tasty crab, on the other hand, is bare by October.) This robin flock is a puzzle. I don’t see how they can be year-round residents, but if they are migrants, why are they here now and what do they know that I don’t? Obviously, they are reduced to eating sour apples.

And then there are the cardinals. As afternoon light faded to dusk, our (I assume) regular dozen or so came in to the feeder through the flying flakes. What about them? Do they stick together all day, or do they just gather at dusk for dinner and then perhaps a communal roost?

Wish I knew.

Photo by Sue

Winter Mysteries…

…also known as snowy whodunnits.

What kind of a trail ends like this?

And, what happened here?

Photo by neighbor, Anna

Comments welcomed—or, hop over to Into the Natural World and post an answer there.

Living It Up…

…a little, now that we’re a little less scared of the virus. Teacher institute in Cedarburg, so while the teacher was institutionalized, we got to hang out with the kids.

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Into The Natural World

Commercial Break

Now that both Tamia of the Forest and Tig of the Marsh and Wetland are available in book format, I’ve decided to convert my experimental/practice website into a commercial store. (And I think I’ve got it working.)

So, here is a plug for my site. Into The Natural World.

It’s an odd site, admittedly—a place to try to sell books, yes—but also a bunch of other stuff you might find in a dusty old attic—ramblings and ruminations. I plan to keep adding things I find interesting, and some day to try to organize it. Ultimately, I would like it to be a place to which I can refer young people curious about everything. Please feel free to check it out, and to buy a copy of either book. I would be appreciative of all efforts to spread the site around to anyone else who might be interested in purchasing a nice science story book. I’ve checked a number of local libraries, and I’m quite certain that Tamia and Tig are better than at least 87% of the other kids books on the shelves.

Thanks for listening. And remember: Into The Natural World.

Looks Like Frosting On a Cake

With the warming temperature it’s possible to slow down enough to look around.

And, in addition to pleasant views, we have electricity.

The situation in Texas sounds grim. However, we have it on good authority (elected Republicans) that the the reason for the power grid failure is the Green New Deal (which at this point is nothing but an idea), and windmills, (which is astonishing because windmills are already fully occupied causing cancer).

I keep thinking that the situation in Texas reminds us all that electing competent officials is important, and that, when push comes to shove, government matters.

When Does 18 Degrees Feel Good?

Shortly after you’ve experienced -18.

Pax got a long morning walk today and a long afternoon walk, and we all enjoyed getting out in the sun and warmth.

In other news, second Pfizer dose this morning, and no deleterious side effects so far. According to recent CDC guidance (I believe), in just two more weeks I should be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Thanks to the scientists, the trial participants, the distribution workers, the U.S. government, the Mercy Health system, the nurses, and everyone else who contributed to providing me with super powers.

Two Score and Ten..

…or thereabouts, on or below the feeder this afternoon.

Approximately 50 birds all at one time. It was possible, with close observation, to actually see the grain descending the central tube of the feeder.
I like to think we are helping the avian survival rate in this neck of the woods.

I know the weather has been awful pretty much all over. Here, our long walks have become short walks that seem long; this morning’s wind combined with the negative temp was—painful. Snow forecast in a few minutes, but above freezing temps moving ever closer on the long-range prognostication.

45…

…and counting.

Takeout banquet from Black Sheep

Antique memory stick. No more room for notches, so now holes.

Warm wishes on this extremely cold Valentine’s Day

It Just Keeps Coming

Cold stays deep and snow gets deeper.

Beneath this pile are daffodils and tulips.
Looking ahead at the forecast, I see more below zeros and more snowy flakes, but for the first time in a long time, when I get 10 days out I see a temperature above freezing. Could daffodils and tulips possibly dig out of this heap?

Another day hijacked by the insurrection trial. I find it impossible not to watch.
One obvious fact is that Wisconsin’s senator, Johnson, has, by his words, actions, and votes disqualified himself from holding elected office. He has made it clear that he does not support the constitutional process of counting votes, that he does not believe in majority rule, and that he supports violence and insurrection if the vote does not follow his preference. He is clearly anti-American. Might be a spot on the Politburo, Ron.

How Can a Person Blog…

…when history is happening on TV? — Another day pretty much devoted to observation.

“A failed coup without consequences is a training exercise.”

Here is a link to the Jamie Raskin speech yesterday, which I think ranks up there with A. Lincoln and Mark Antony.

A Dozen Cardinals…

…at and below the feeder.

As usual, they come in at dusk, but this is the greatest number I’ve seen at one gathering. Does word go out on a cardinal grapevine? Furthermore, speaking of birds, today, on our walk, along the edge of campus, I saw a robin, up in a hackberry tree, eating hackberries. Either this bird did not migrate (which some few don’t) or it’s a very early arrival. Either way, not the brightest robin in the flock—intense cold continues, and besides hackberries there is not much to eat if you are not partial to seeds and bird-feeders.

I was planning to post about today’s Senate hearing and Jamie Raskin’s brilliant closing remarks, but, thanks to the cardinals, I need to postpone until tomorrow.

High Pressure

We are under a big dome of dense and very cold air.

Which means little wind, and deep chill. Perfect for ice formation. (Ice formation is as much a function of wind as cold.) Unfortunately, all the lakes around here froze before the big snows. The Great Lakes, however, are now rapidly catching up with their normal ice averages.

I have to apologize for doing close to nothing today besides watching the impeachment trial.
Powerful and irrefutable prosecution.

No Sailing on Geneva…

…this weekend.

Fontana

Williams Bay

Some time spent watching the impeachment trial. Incredible contrasts between reason and logic and responsibility, with dissembling and disingenuousness.

Emptied Thrice

We don’t have angry birds, we have hungry birds, and lots of them.

Squirrels too, and I do marvel at how these warm blooded creatures handle the cold without the benefit of feathers.

How Cold Is It?

Well…smoke coming out of the chimney is freezing solid and breaking off in big chunks.

And creepers are necessary when walking.

But, cold weather is not all bad. It slows the spread of invasive species (murder hornets, anyone?). It lightly thins the over-abundant white-tail population. It suppresses the coming year’s mosquito population. It keeps hibernators hibernating (which is actually good for them). It reminds fruit trees to be patient. The ice it makes on lakes is good for lakes. And, the heavy snow cover (such as we have) makes for an agriculturally productive season to follow.

But, as they say, enough is enough. 15 below zero when I first checked this morning.