Yesterday was indeed a carbon copy of Thursday. Bright sunshine and warm (36 degrees!). Thoroughly enjoyable. Except that the setting sun has moved far enough north on the horizon to shine in my eyes for the last hour of the day.
Today we were supposed to get 3-6 inches of snow, but it looks more like we will be getting sleet, freezing rain and rain during the day with a possibility of a little light snow after dark. It's that dreaded "wintery mix" that's no fun to be out in at all.
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The birds (and squirrels) seem to know that foul (pun intended) weather is on the way. Dozens of common red polls have been flocking to the tray feeders, stick feeders, and the ground beneath the feeders searching for an easy meal. But they are only one of four or five avian gangs hitting the seed. There's the slightly smaller flock of goldfinches who are also looking for thistle seeds. The one or two dozen mourning doves intimidate the smaller birds on the ground. The roving band of a dozen or so blue jays will take no guff from anyone they choose to bully--or scare off with their screeching calls.
All of those birds act as cohesive units. Not so the juncos, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches or woodpeckers. Those are more loosely affiliated groups and sometimes resort to intra-species squabbling. The chickadees and nuthatches in particular are very individualistic. For them, it's much more every bird for itself as they swoop in, grab a seed and then swoop out to either devour the seed in the trees nearby or to cache it in the woods at some distance.
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I've been running the fireplace the last couple of days and that's produced a real comfortable warmth in the house. The cats--or at least Shadow and Julie--certainly appreciate the warm air. One curls up on the love seat directly in the path of the warm air from the fireplace and the other stretches out on the carpet immediately in front of the hearth. Chester could care less. He curls up in his pet bed (the large one!) and stays there fast asleep all afternoon. Might be a warm spot in the floor's heating system--or it could just be he likes the fleece lining.
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We're still waiting for the propane delivery we were told week ago last Thursday would be happening Any. Day. Now. We've got to be down to 20-25% in the tank by now. I'm going to hate looking at that bill!
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While the Super Bowl is to be played tomorrow, there are several important sporting dates to remember:
The Yukon Quest starts today in Whitehorse.
Pitchers and catchers (at least the Mets' pitchers and catchers) report to Port St. Lucie on February 15--just 10 days away!
The Iditarod ("The Last Great Race on Earth") starts in Anchorage on Saturday, March 5, 2011.
2 comments:
Your weather doesn't sound like any fun at all - I used to hate that "mix" when we lived in the Midwest. Stay safe, and no slippy-slidey if you can help it.
Rev. paul. I am not going anywhere...maybe until St. Patty's Day.
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