Woodworking 101 Day 2

Yesterday I go the wood to build a workbench for the shop and, in a rare burst of activity for me, I actually started to do something with it!

I had already planed down a couple of timbers that had been used as stickers int he logs when we got our kit. These were to become the legs of the workbench. The plans called for the legs to be glued up from 2x lumber and then milled to 2-1/2 x 3 inches. The stickers were already over those measurements, so I planed two sides and then ripped the others to proper size. Hey, it saved the cost of a couple of 2x6s and the time needed to allow the glue to set. Oh, they each needed to have a notch cut in the top to hold a top rails.

10" Table Saw: "The Work Horse" of any shop

After ripping them to dimension and cutting them to length, I went to work on the pieces that would connect them. Two side rails for the bottom were also supposed to be glued up 2x but I used two more stickers. These needed tenons on the ends ans a ledge cut in tone corner to support a shelf. The front and rear spacers were cut from 2x6 lumber and also needed tenons on each end.

12" Chop Saw: Great tool to make long boards short.

The cutting of the tenons is a task I need to practice more. I've a dado blade for the table saw that is a wobble variety. They do not cut as cleanly as the stacked dado blades but their cost is much, much less.

End view of a side rail showing tenon and ledge.

That's where I left off last night.

Today, I dug out my mortising machine and set it up to produce the two mortises each leg needed to take the tenons on the spacers and risers. This was the first time in a very long time that I had need to mortise out a timber but, following Norm Abrhams' advice about measure twice, cut once, everything went very smoothly--even if I did end up drilling the holes 3/16ths of an inch too deeply. Once done, It was a matter of cleaning up the tenons (especially their cheek faces) to fit the holes.

Mortiser

I glued an screwed the side pieces together and set them aside. The front spacers can wait until the top is done for the top is the top spacer and without it things could get a bit wobbly.

Time to get to work on the top which is made from three 2x10s.

Have you ever dropped a 2x10 on your foot edgewise? Let me tell you, it hurts like the dickens! It doesn't help that 1-My steel toed boots are up at the Bolt Hole and 2-I have/had triphammer toes--that is toes which are constantly curled as if to grasp the floor; toes whose "knuckles" stick up like wickets in a croquet game just waiting for a heavy 2x10 to crash down upon them. Luckily--and I use the term loosely--the board "only" fell from the height of my knee or I surely would have broken something--besides the board. Damn fragile thing. Split nearly in two lengthwise right down the middle. I should be able to salvage it since a pair of brackets will span the width of the three (almost four now) boards and will be screwed into them to hold them together.

Anyway, I got the three boards cut to length and then planed their edges to produce a smooth, flat edge on each for joining purposes. Than was a difficult task because of the size and weight of the boards. Very difficult to keep the boards perpendicular to the planer table even with the rear fence. Then the length of the boards meant having one end extend well beyond the table at the beginning and end of a run. I've only got one roller support and don't have room for a second in my current setup.

Planer with a 2x10x70" board

I got the job done but am still not satisfied with the edges I've got to work with. I'm hoping some biscuits and clamp pressure will be able to bring things together tomorrow.

Biscuit Joiner

So. that's where I am right now. The legs are ready, the top boards are cut and await gluing up. I've a few errands to run tomorrow and don't know how much I'll get done. I'll be happy if I can get the top glued up.

Aerie Birding

Before I went out to pick up the lumber for my workbench project yesterday, I clicked some photos of the birds visiting our deck.

Early on i was alerted to something on the deck by both Chester and Shadow getting all agitated at the sliding glass door. Sure enough, there was a tiny Black-capped Chickadee sitting on the deck in an obviously stunned state. It must have flown into the glass next to the door trying to make a shortcut to the front feeder. (The door still has it's screen in place.)



I went out and carefully picked it up and put it on the rail of the deck. (Just in case one of the semi-feral cats around here happened to visit.) It sat there for five minutes or so and then disappeared.



We have, on average one bird a week try the same stunt. Usually it's the Chickadees or maybe a Dark-eyed Junco but last week it was a Tufted Titmouse and a month ago we had a White-breasted Nuthatch. The Mourning Doves are frequently hitting the window but they usually start from the deck and have attained very little velocity when they contact the glass. They'll usually hover in mid air and maybe even try again.

Last winter when we had a Sharp-shinned Hawk visit the yard for several weeks (he must have thought it was the local deli and always showed up for lunch), we had nearly as many birds strike glass as we lost to the hawk. These included some Common Redpolls as well as a Hoary Redpoll.

Okay, back to the bird pictures....

When the Dark-eyed Juncos come in to feed on the tray. It's usually one at a time. That's not because they come in, grab a seed and flit away to the trees like the Chckadees or Nuthatches. No, it's because they are bullies.



When one Junco takes over the feeder...it takes over the feeder! It might share with other species but never with another Junco. This is mildly surprising because to watch them on the ground or along the field and forest edge, the Dark-eyed Junco seems the most social of birds as they travel in flocks that may number 30 or 40 individuals. Get them on the feeder (and it needs to be a tray because they don't do no stinkin' perches) and it's a regular King of the Hill situation. As the Highlander said: "There can be only one!"

About the only bigger bully in birdland is the Blue Jay. Not only will he chase away members of his own clan, he chases away everybody. Sometimes he does so with a raucous call and a physical display of intimidation. And sometimes he scares the bejesus out of everybody with an imitation hawk cry. While everyone heads for the woods, literally, he'll stroll in and have a leisurely feed.




American Goldfinches were abundant yesterday and again today in the sloppy weather. Perhaps they were looking for an easy meal and figured my feeders fit the bill.



The Goldfinches were joined by their good friends the Pine Siskin (called a Goldfinch in camo by some). The Siskin is new to the feeders this winter (or, at least, I didn't notice them the last two years). Their behavior is exactly like that of the Goldfinches with whom they flock and they have a bit of the yellow of the Goldfinch on their wings but that's all. The Siskin's got a fairly well striped pair of flanks (the camo) and more pointy beak.



A couple of Mourning Doves bided their time on the electric wires. The only bare path of soil is under the deck and I've flushed several dozen Mourning Doves from that cozy little dust bath on occasion when I step outside.



The side yard feeders had their share of visitors including Cardinals and Nuthatches but the only photo I have is of Purple Finches helping themselves to some seed



Just as I was stepping out the door to head to the lumber yard, a Pileated Woodpecker flapped off from the Sumac berries along the driveway. It didn't fly far and allowed me to take one photo before it departed down the hill.



Looks like Woody Woodpecker's gone punk.

Woodworking 101

So yesterday, after procrastinating more than enough, I decided to purchase the materials to construct a solid workbench for the wood shop. I had looked through the books and magazines for plans and, as luck would have it, an issue of Shopnotes that arrived in November or there abouts had plans that would be easy enough to construct,sturdy enough for my needs and, most importantly, wouldn't cost an arm and a leg in materials. (As with all benches, the vises are the most costly after the materials and I figure I can retrofit them on this particular baby.)

I headed to the local lumber/hardware store (Arnot Building Supply in Mansfield) to get the necessaries and then spent the afternoon and early evening breathing sawdust and relearning some basic skills involving the construction of a mortise and tenon joint, using a dado blade on a table saw and doing various and sundry things to wood that would be easier if I had a work bench. (It's a Catch 22 situation.)

I did learn a couple of things:

1- I must get myself a dust collector and air filter for the shop. I was wearing a face mask filter but tiny dust particles still get through and cleanup was a significant time investment. Luckily there is a Grizzly supply store down on the other side of Williamsport that might have just what I need in that department.)
2- Wobbling dado heads (as opposed to stacked) are inexpensive for a reason---they aren't going to produce work to very small tolerances. Get a stacked dado blade set for the next project.
3- The bench will be one sturdy son of a gun! Made from two-by lumber and some 4x4 posts for legs it's going to be heavy to move about. I just hope the joinery is tight enough (see #2) to keep it from wobbling when I'm working on it.
4- The plans called for making your own specialty hardware (cross dowels) to connect the legs to the spacers and risers. Market ready cross dowels are available but the article does NOT give a source and the builder's supply store is NOT a furniture maker's store. So I'll have to improvise (with lag screws) and hope that it won't compromise the ruggedness and sturdiness of the final product.
5- I'm going to have to shift some of the stuff in the workshop around to make room for the bench (and future dust collector and air filter).

So I'll be back in the workshop today trying out some new/old skills and seeing how far I can progress on this project. But first I'll have to make another run down to Arnot to get some long skinny lag screws.

Later.

Huh?

I was reminded this afternoon that I hadn't posted anything new in several days--since January 2nd to be exact.

Can't think of a good reason for not doing so. Saturday and Sunday were spent watching football on the tube (I should have been outside--both days were lovely) and I had the computer in my lap the whole time reading everyone else' blogs and dropping comments left, right and sideways.

(Reminds me of an old football story wherein one of the Ivy League schools known for its engineering dept used the defensive battle cry of, "Not one soul shall pass! Neither vertically, horizontally, nor transversely!")

I did go for a nice long (200 mile) ride yesterday. I went west on Route 6 climbing out of the Susquehanna watershed and into that of the Allegheny River at Coudersport in Potter County. (The county welcome sign says "Welcome to God's Country." Neighboring counties joke that He's the only one who would have it!) I went as far a Smethport in McKean County before heading north toward Eldred and then the NY border at Ceres.

I discovered that Ethan Allen Furniture has a factory in Eldred where they turn out a little more than a thousand pieces of furniture a week. Everything is custom work for orders placed in the showrooms around the country. Hardwood for frames of sofas and chairs come from the local forests and from local loggers. (Some of the frames are made by an independent local company.) Business may be slowing down elsewhere, but on Monday the parking lot at the factory was full.

I circled back on Routes 44 and 49 past Cowanesque Lake. Three quarters of the lake is frozen (which is less than Hammond or Tioga Lakes(100%)) and where the water meets the ice, there are flocks of seagulls--probably ring billed gulls--and Canada Geese. I'm sure that if it were not for the recent thaw and the subsequent melting of the snow that reexposed a lot of grass, those geese would have headed south to the Delaware Bay or Chesapeake Bay. They may be dumb and obnoxious, but they ain't stupid.

This was a short voyage of discovery made on my own. I had been to the Coudersport area when we were looking at property three years ago but neither Terry nor I had been out that way or beyond since we started working on the construction of the Aerie. Galeton and Gaines are about as far west as we've been since then.

There's lots of good fishing waters out that way. (In fact, that's one of the reasons I drove out there. The Outdoor Channel had a program about flyfishing Pine Creek and some of the tributaries to both the Susquehanna and Allegheny Rivers.) And, if I go just a bit further west, there's the Allegheny National Forest. But that may be an overnighter. As it was, much of this excursion was done at 50-55 mph and that's just too damn fast to really see anything. Besides Coudersport, there were several other small villages and towns I would have like to stop and get out and look around. Perhaps when spring arrives and the weather is a bit warmer....

Later.

UPDATE: So I get the comment below about going to God's Country and check out Solomon's Words only to find an article posted about how Ethan Allen is closing their Eldred plant!

And if you want up-to-the-minute information of happenings in and around Potter County Solomon's Words would seem to be THE place to go.

And I can't get one?

They came in through the window.

HAMILTON, N.J. -- Officials at a Hamilton Township school are hoping for a return to normal Tuesday, a day after class was disrupted by two deer leaping through a window.

Bird Watching at the Aerie

Considerably warmer this morning when the sun rose. It was a good 20 degrees at 9 AM. And the sun shone for much of the day.

Even so, it was a day to spend indoors as it was time to take the decorations and lights off the Christmas tree and put the living room back in order. The snow that was forecast for this evening has pretty much sent to the north of us. You can see a bank of clouds out in that direction. We might get just a tiny bit of flurries much, much later tonight.

I've been watching the birds out the window: White-winged Crossbills (new to the Aerie), White and Red-breasted Nuthatches, Dark-eyed Juncos, Blue Jays, Downy Woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, Purple Finches, American Tree Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Mourning Doves...all have made an appearance outside today. The Crossbills were actually on the driveway where the car was parked and the gravel/sand is exposed. They didn't come near the feeders.

We've also had two feline visitors in the yard. One was a frequent visitor--a female who appeared to be pregnant this summer and nearly let me pet her as she would drop and roll in the grass a few yards ahead of me. she wouldn't allow me to get near enough to touch her, however. Today she was in the rear of the house near the bird feeders. The other was a long-haired gray cat with tiny little white booties. It suddenly appeared on the deck and jumped up on the tray feeder there. I didn't see it succeed in its hunt but there were lots of Mourning Dove feathers out on the deck--but no carcass or blood--when I went out to try and corral the cat. (No luck as it must have jumped off the edge of the deck near the driveway and disappeared before I got around the corner.)


more animals

Gorgeous day at the Aerie.

I woke up early this morning.

Some days I have a difficult time falling asleep and some I just wake up in the middle of the night or early in the morning with no hope of getting back to sleep. Some of it's sinus related and some of it has to do with chronic back pain. Shoveling snow (even as easy as it was) aggravated my back sufficiently that it woke me at 5 AM after getting six hours of sleep.

Naturally, once out of bed, the cats demanded they be fed. Then, as the sky began to lighten, the birds and squirrels wanted theirs.

Then I had to go out to remove the small (and, thankfully, light) pile of snow at the end of the driveway from the plow going up the hill last evening. It was a mere 1.4 degrees but at least it was above zero and there was no wind. What snow remained on the driveway squeaked underfoot as I walked out to the road and back.

Chores done, I settled in to watch some more bowl games.
Yet, the sun is shining and the wind is not blowing. The outdoors are calling.
But, Terry cooked up an excellent boneless pork roast, some oven potatoes, baked lima beans and sauerkraut for dinner. I do believe the couch and TV will win this one.

So long 2008! Hello 2009!

Wishing you and yours a very Happy, Prosperous and Safe New Year!

I've grown indifferent to the hoopla associated with the whole New Year's Eve thing. I stopped staying up solely to view the dropping of the lighted ball at Times Square about 20 years ago. (I did stay up to watch the clock tick over to the year 2000. Partly because of the world-wide celebrations that were televised at that time.)

I was never a party person. Large crowds give me a stomach full of butterflies. Mildly phobic? Perhaps. I just feel uncomfortable when there are lots of people around. Even a visit to the mall can be problematic unless I focus only upon my immediate surroundings. Go to the movies? HA! I can manage a sporting even where I'm focusing upon the field or the court and just a few of the fans around me but going to the concession stand will have me in a sweat.

Small picnic parties outdoors, a couple or two over for dinner, affairs where I can isolate myself with a few good friends...those are the types of parties I enjoy. (Although a couple of beers/ales will help me get through the trials of meeting new people in tight quarters.)

So I'll sit here and watch my football bowl games and turn in well before the midnight hour arrives. May you have a safe and enjoyable evening.

Return to normal at the Aerie

Sunday, Terry took the kids back to NJ to catch a plane for Chicago out of Newark Airport--which they did on Monday. Terry returned to the Aerie Monday. The kids (Rick and Sandy) will visit with her parents and family in Chicago until the 6th or 7th. They then will catch a train back to the west coast.

On Sunday the temperature here at the Aerie was over 50 degrees. We had hours of sunshine on aptly named Sunday and more on Monday (although the temperature did start to fall on that day). Tuesday we had more sunshine but winds out of the northwest soon brought clouds and the temperatures fell even more. Tuesday night the clouds thickened and this morning we got two to three inches of very light snow with temperatures topping out at 16 or 17 degrees. The snow stopped shortly after noon and the sun came out briefly. As soon as it set, however, the temperatures fell still more. It’s currently 9 degrees and it will go lower overnight.

I got my workout shoveling the driveway. It was easy to do as the snow was both light and not very deep. By being in constant motion and using the shovel like a plow, I was able to finish the job in about 90 minutes.

We’ll have some sun and some snow flurries with temperatures hovering around the norms for the next week. Things aren't clear as to how much if any accumulation we are likely to get but the best chance will come on Friday night into Saturday. The wind will be whipping the powder off the fields that line the road, however, so drifts will be a concern for anyone driving in the Northern Tier for a couple of days.

The good news is that we will be getting a little more daylight each and every day from now until June 21st. I like daylight. Lack of daylight makes me SAD.

College Bowls Update

The day after Christmas my prognosticator was still broken as seen by Florida Atlantic defeating Central Michigan 24-21 but I’ve gotten it fixed since then.

In fact though I started the 34-game bowl season with a mere 1-7 record, I’ve reeled off 6 straight correct picks to get back to .500. Luckily, I’m not picking against a spread because several of my winners didn’t cover the spread.

I picked West Virginia to defeat North Carolina and they did—by a single point 31-30 in one very exciting game.

I had Florida State over Wisconsin and I thought it might be a blowout. It was as FSU rolled 42-13 as the FSU defense scored more points than the Badgers' offense (14 points came off fumble returns).

I figured Cal's Golden Bears would spank Miami on the west coast by more than the 24-17 they managed.

And that Louisiana Tech would triumph (24-17) over Northern Illinois down in Shreveport should not have been a surprise to anyone.

Rutgers made me sweat a bit as the NC State quarterback (Russell Wilson) did a fine job in the first half. Thank goodness Teel and Co. came out to play in the second half and NC State’s Wilson did not (injured knee). RU pulled it out coming from behind in the fourth quarter for the first time since 2006. The final: 29-23.

Who would have expected Northwestern to play Missouri as tough as they did last night? The Wildcats played the Tigers to a draw in regulation but finally succumbed 30-23 in OT.

So with 14 games played I’ve got a 7-7 record in picking the winners. Not great, but after starting 1 and 7 not bad either. And it seems that I'm doing as well as some "professionals" at ESPN.

(It irks me no end that they still 1-mispronounce "Rutgers" There is a "t" in the middle gentlemen! There is no "d" and, for crying out loud, there's definitely not a "gg"! "Rut-gers" Got it? 2-call it the "University of Rutgers" when it is "Rutgers University." 3- at one point immediately after the game said they had just seen NC State win! Okay, both teams wore red and white uniforms but still.... The birth place of college football and it still gets treated like Rodney Dangerfield: No respect.)

There are twenty more games to go with the bulk (13) of those in the next three days.

BTW. If you're keeping track based upon Conference affiliation...The Big East is currently 3-0 with South Florida, West Virginia and Rutgers winners in their games. We still have Pittsburgh, Connecticut and Cincinnati coming up. (Six of eight teams were bowl eligible with only Louisville and Syracuse staying home.)

Dispose of coffee grinds appropriately

The careless disposal of coffee grinds may result in squirrelly squirrels.


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Big visitor at the Aerie

This morning the winds were blowing about the Aerie and the birds were still visiting the feeders, The Black-capped Chickadees in particular, were coming in in droves. Then we heard the distinctive cackling call of a Pileated Woodpecker a short distance down the hill. (Think Woody Woodpecker. Woody was modeled on either the Pileated or the Ivory Bill. Both birds are about the size of a crow.)

Terry got all excited when she saw one alight in a pine tree on the edge of the yard. Just as I got it in sight, it flew down the driveway ad landed at the very tippy-top of the sumac that is along one side. It was pecking at the sumac fruit at the very top of the plant as it swayed to and fro in the wind. As I looked, a second Pileated joined the first and it became obvious that we had a male and female on the sumac.

I grabbed my camera, put on the zoom lens and got out on the deck to take some pictures. It wasn't easy! With the branches of the sumac swaying as much as 18 inches back and forth, and being mere spindles against a backdrop of a dark pine, trying to focus on the birds was tough. The female flew off as soon as I turned the corner of the house. The male stayed on and I snapped half a dozen pictures. Only one was remotely in focus.

Pileated Woodpecker

There's plenty of dead wood in the forest above the Aerie for these big, chisel-beaked birds. We hear them frequently. We see them much less.

Weigh in Saturday (Not!)

It's Saturday and I'm supposed to get on the scale and make a report.

Not today. And probably not for a couple of weeks.

We've got company and the food has been too plentiful and too good to pass.

Suffice to say that, were I to step on the scale today it might very well protest thus, "One at a time, damn it!"

And the weather stinks. If it's not raining, it's icing over. If it's not icing over, it's thawing and muddy as hell.

Christmas Eve it was fist icy, then rainy then windy--40 mph worth of wind--first from the south then the north. Christmas morning the wind continued and the temperature plummeted from the 40s into the 20s and stayed there all day. The morning had snow flurries but the driveway was a sheet of ice (from packed and partially melted snow). The day after (Friday, the 26th) it was cloudy, misty and clammy all day. The only good thing about Friday was the lack of wind. But that was rectified over night. The winds returned this morning and the ceiling has settled at around 2000 feet. I may have mentioned that the Aerie is at 2100 feet. Those who are good at math will see that we are sitting in the midst (mist?) of the cloud cover. At least the temperatures have moved up close to 40 again so the ice in the drive is swiftly breaking up.

I could do with a couple of days where it's "mostly sunny" instead of "mostly cloudy."

College Bowls

Who were those guys in black and gold that played against Hawaii last night? Couldn't have been Notre Dame--these guys looked competent! I mean, 49-21 is a real beat down especially since it was 49-14 with 3 minutes to go in the third quarter and it was essentially a home game for Hawaii. Clausen threw for 5 TDs? isn't that more than he threw for all year? Or does it just seem like it? Sheesh! Charlie Weis may never come back down to the field again.

It's a good thing I haven't given up my day job to become a college football prognosticator. There have been seven bowl games played so far and I've gotten a grand total of ONE (1) of them right! (Thank you South Florida!) Okay, it took overtime for Ole Miss to beat my pick Troy 30-27, and TCU beat Boise State by just one freakin' point 17-16, and Colorado State needed 285 yards gained by Gartrell Johnson (he got another 90 yards receiving for a total of 375 yards) to beat Fresno State 40-35, I still had the wrong team in six of the seven games played.

Navy got sunk by Wake Forest 29-19 and BYU got taken down by Arizona 31-21.

I'd feel really bad about the 1-6 record except 1) I'm not in any pool and 2) my buddy Mark is 2-5 and he's the only person with whom I have any wager(s).

There's still a heck of a lot of football to be played and 27 more picks. (Mark and I differ on six more games.) Here's hoping I don't end up with just a 5 and 29 record. Here's the post with all my picks in case you wish to place bets on the teams I picked against.

And now for something a little different

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Counted cross-stitched ornament by Terry.

Another needlepoint (counted x-stitch) ornament by Terry.

I'll be heading into New Jersey in just a bit to spend Christmas Eve with my sister and her family and then Christmas Day with my daughter and Mother-In-Law before bringing my son and his fiancee out to the Aerie for a few days.

[UPDATE: 10:00 AM No I won't! There's an Ice Storm Warning out for all of Tioga County, PA It says we could get between 1/4 and 1/2 inch of ice within the next three to four hours before things switch over to all rain. The same system is currently over I-80 and Route 15 north of Williamsport--the direction I would have to go to get to NJ from the Aerie. I am not crazy enough to go driving over some very hilly terrain on ice slicked roads. And I don't care that I've got 4-wheel drive on the Tundra. It's not worth a damn on ice. So it'll be just me and the cats for Christmas Eve and morning. I'm working on teaching Chester how to tackle ole St. Nick when he shows up.]

May you and yours enjoy a very Merry Christmas.

Theo Spark: Diary of a Snow Shoveler.....#links#links

From Seattle to Boston there are lots of folks who can relate to this little gem!

Theo Spark: Diary of a Snow Shoveler.....#links#links

Cat Behavior

I have to say that the cats have been very well behaved with the Christmas tree all set up. Aside from drinking some of the water from the stand and maybe chewing on a piece of tinsel or two, they have shown remarkable constraint. Julie has seen a tree before but for Chester and Shadow this is something new. Shadow has a habit of chewing on plants (and plastic) while Chester likes shiny sparkly things in general. I had visions of them really doing a job on the tinsel and ornaments. Perhaps if they weren't all cloth ornaments they would be more interested.

Oh, and Chester and Shadow are back to normal today. Like a pair of preteen siblings, they've been fluctuating between arguing and ignoring one another.

Yet More Ornaments

Here are a couple more tree ornaments Terry has put together over the years.

This one's a sorta quilted star.

A smocked bell done up in shades of peach.

An example of embroidered work.

Yesterday's cold

So just how cold was it yesterday?

Cold enough that Shadow permitted Chester to cuddle up to her on the couch. She even did some cleaning of his ears. He, in turn pushed his head into her belly like he wanted to nurse. Shadow would have none of that, however, and growled a warning that he needed to cut that sh*t out! He did and they stayed cuddled for quite some time.



The remarkable thing about this is they are brother and sister and behave like such all the time. That means Shadow is always screeching at Chester even if all he has done is look at her cross-eyed. Oh, sometimes he deserves a good screeching and caterwauling such as when Shadow just wants to sleep and he wants to play tag or wrestle a little, but more often than not it's just Chester being curious as to what Shadow's doing.

So yesterday's cold was not quite the cataclysmic event that would bring cats and dogs together, but it did bring this brother and sister pair to a tentative peace.

He's coming!

Are YOU ready?

NORAD Tracks Santa on Christmas Eve.

"...the careless feel of a bit of steel..."

"... burns like a red-hot spit?" (R. W. Service "The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill"

Well, it's not exactly 69 below, but it is pretty darn cold out there this morning.

As befits the first full day of Winter and one of the shortest day of the year, today is colder than a well digger's tootsies. The wind howled all night out of the northwest and the thermometer read a mere 0.9 degrees at 7:30 AM. It had been as low as minus 0.8 degrees an hour earlier. The "good" news is the sky is clear and we should get some sunshine today. Of course that clear sky is one of the reasons it's so dang cold. No blanket of clouds to keep the heat in over night.

I ventured out to replenish the tray bird feeders and scatter some seed on the ground for those who prefer that form of feeding and I could feel the icy fingers of the wind attempting to get through the zipper of my coat. When I came back in the house my glasses fogged up instantly and I had to remove them. No worry about the cats trying to sneak outside--they ran the other way as soon as I opened the door to get back in. No dummies they!

I heard the snow plow/cinder truck go up and down the hill a little bit ago so I guess I'll have to go out and dig the frozen crap from the end of the driveway before I can head down to the post office. Before I do that, however, I believe I will need another big mug of hot coffee.

PS: I blame global warming.

Weigh in Sunday

Now that wasn't as bad as I expected. In fact, it was pretty good.

I stepped on the scale this morning and it didn't scream at me. The reading was 219 pounds which is down one from last week. Any decrease is a good decrease.

Weigh in Saturday (NOT)

Got sidetracked with snow shoveling and then going out to bird watch.(Christmas Count)

Maybe tomorrow morning I'll step on the scale. Until then...


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It's not supposed to be doing that!

Guess what, it's snowing this morning--again. Nothing in the forecasts from Accu-Hunch (as good a name as any...and family friendly, too) or whether.com (that's not a misspelling) yet it's snowing.

I feel like I'm trapped in a snow globe.



(Ya gotta laugh. It's too early in the season--winter starts tomorrow, fer cryin' out loud--for cabin fever.)

UPDATE:

The local TV weather quack just said, "We're not looking for any snow this morning."

Well, Sherlock, it's looking for you! It's here...now...you don't have to farookin' look for it fer cryin' out loud!

Hallelujah!!

AccuWeather (AccuHunch to some) lived up to its past reputation and got it wrong! The storm switched over to sleet and freezing rain (it was supposed to stay snow) and ended at around 3 o'clock this afternoon. As a result we only received about 6 inches.

Now that's not to say they will be wrong on storm 2 (Sunday) or storm 3 (next Wednesday). They may be wrong right now about those storms but I will give them some leeway as they are several days away from reaching here. But this storm...well they got it wrong from last night to this morning (started several hours after they said it would last night) and from this morning to this afternoon as to when it finished (sooner than expected and, therefore, with less accumulation).

Sometimes I think it would be nice to me a weatherman where your accuracy need only be of the ballpark variety, close counts and if you hit .275 you're a star.

"Oh the weather outside is frightful..."

Woke up this morning at 7 AM and there was absolutely nothing going on outside. As I ate by Cheerios (Honey Nut) at the table, I spied a flock of turkeys rushing to the bird feeders. Unfortunately they saw Terry come to the window when I alerted her to their approach and ran into the woods just as quickly. Later four old Toms came to the feeders from a different direction.

At 7:45 AM you could see the snow moving toward the Aerie from across the valley and by 8 AM flakes had started to fall. I donned my boots and coat and rushed down to the post office to get send out some mail and pick up ours and got back by 8:45.

It's now 10:45 and there's 2-3 inches of fresh powder on the deck. Let's take a look at the forecast...Sh*t! They've extended the warning to 11 PM tonight and increased the expected accumulations to 8-11 inches (up one from yesterday). AccuWeather's maps are a wee bit different but in the same ball park.

And they're showing another storm coming on Sunday/Sunday night following damn near the same path although there's some chance it might, just might slip a tiny bit further north and only add 3-6 inches to what's on the ground.

And then there's the one forecast for the 24th....

Well, I did say I liked the changing seasons and would never consider retiring to someplace like Florida. Anyway, snow beats the crap out of having to sit through hurricanes, 100 degree summer days with 110% relative humidity, and fire ants and such.

Songs of Deer Hunting

Dudley and his son have gone deer hunting in the North Country of Texas. So I dug up these videos for him to enjoy. Of course, he probably won't see them unless he has wi-fi access at the motel, but it's the thought that counts.

The group is Da-Yoopers.

First we have every hunter's dream trophy:

The 30-Point Buck



And then there's a song about the mysteries of deer camp, specifically what happens during

The Second Week of Deer Camp

Happy Happy Joy Joy (NOT!)

It sounds like they've remove the ice from our local storm warning at any rate. Of course, without the ice, we'll have more snow! They now say 7 to 10 inches are likely by late Friday evening. (The Aerie is just to the southeast of Mansfield at an elevation of 2100 feet. Snow amounts increase with elevation. We still have quite a bit on the ground while the valley has seen most of the fields melt clear.)

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM TO 11 PM EST FRIDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A WINTER
STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND SOME FREEZING RAIN...WHICH IS IN
EFFECT FROM 7 AM TO 11 PM EST FRIDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO
LONGER IN EFFECT.

SNOW WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION EARLY FRIDAY MORNING...RIGHT AROUND
SUNRISE. THE SNOW WILL GET HEAVY AS THE DAY CONTINUES ON FRIDAY.
THE SNOW WILL MIX WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN ALONG AND JUST
NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80...BUT IT WILL STAY MAINLY SNOW IN THE
MOUNTAINS NORTH AND EAST OF WILLIAMSPORT.

EXPECT BETWEEN 7 AND 10 INCHES OF SNOW BY LATE EVENING FRIDAY IN
MANSFIELD AND LAPORTE. EXPECT LOWER SNOW TOTALS IN AND NEAR
WILLIAMSPORT...SUNBURY AND BLOOMSBURG...AS A LONGER PERIOD OF SLEET
AND FREEZING RAIN WILL OCCUR THERE. HOWEVER...ICE ACCRETIONS WILL
BE RIGHT AROUND A QUARTER OF AN INCH IN THOSE MORE-SOUTHERN
LOCATIONS.

(Emphasis added.)

Those yobs in State College want snow sooo badly they moan and groan that they will only be getting an inch or two followed by some sleet. They can come up here and do some shoveling and/or walk behind the snow thrower for an hour.

Hey, at least I'll get to try out my new modified V-tail snowshoes. My Alaskan snow shoes (long, narrow with a sizable tail) are up in the Bolt Hole. Those are made of wood and rawhide. I was going to get a pair made by the same company (Faber) up in Canada but the wooden modified V-tail cost nearly twice what a similar pair from Sportsman's Guide in aluminum and plastic cost me and they didn't have metal cleats to assist going up and down steep, icy terrain--an important consideration here on my sloping property. Maybe next time I'll get the pretty ones.

Bald Eagles at Hammond Lake

Saturday the Tiadaghton Audubon Society is going to be doing its Christmas Bird Count. Terry and I are supposed to go over to Ives Run recreation area on Hammond lake and Crooked Creek to do our counting of species and individuals. The weather is not looking real great. Anywhere from 7 to 10 inches of snow are forecast for Friday and Friday night. It's not likely the Corps of Engineers will have cleared the road into the area let alone that we will be able to navigate some of the roads that are not maintained during the winter. (Even with a 4-wheel drive truck, I'm not crazy.)

I went over there this morning to see what was about and found the roads and parking lots cleared to the ground. I'm sure they won't be that way on Saturday. The Lake is still lowered although there seemed to be a bit more water than the last time I was there. Much of the water in the lake is frozen over and only Crooked Creek and the waters at its mouth seem to be open.

And sitting in a tree looking over the open water were a pair of mature Bald Eagles. Whether they were there because it afforded an excellent perch from which to fish, or scavenge any dead thing that floated by, or because from there they could hunt a Canada Goose from the huge flock gathered on the ice and exposed bars on the other side of the open water channel, I don't know. I drove past and turned around before stopping the truck and taking out my camera. The Eagles didn't move. I snapped several pictures from inside the truck (motor off to eliminate vibrations) and then stepped out of the truck to take some more. That's when the Eagles started paying attention to me. One turned its head to eye me and later shifted on the branch to look face me more directly. And I was a good two hundred yards away.

Bald Eagles at Hammond Lake

STS (No, not the jet, That's SST. And not the 60s radical student group either. Thats SDS.)

Last evening, just as the sun was starting to set behind the western hills, I looked out at the bird feeders and spotted something on the ground. My first thought was that it was a Dark-eyed Junco for it was slate gray, but then I noticed it lacked a bird's tail and it certainly wasn't behaving like a bird. I knew what it was immediately: a Northern Short-tailed Shrew, Blarina brevicauda. It was interesting to see it out and about during the day on top of the snow. You can sometimes see the tunnels they make beneath the surface of the snow and, perhaps, this one was trying to dig under the surface but it was too icy and too thin for much success. One thing is certain, this shrew is not a nocturnal critter. Its metabolism runs too high for it to go wasting daylight in hiding and sleep. It needs food and lots of it to stay alive. It must have been famished to risk going out where even a Blue Jay could make a quick meal out of it.

It wasn't moving about much and I thought it might be ill. I grabbed the camera and ventured forth to photograph the little mammal before a wandering feral feline or an avian predator ended what ever it was doing permanently. As I approached I could see that while it looked motionless from a distance, its front paws were digging frantically in the snow beneath the tray feeder. What it hoped to find there, I have no idea. The ground is pretty frozen and, to the best of my knowledge, the shrews eat meat not sunflower seeds. After all, why else would they have poison glands and saliva if not to subdue another animal?

Short-tailed Shrew

I managed to snap the one photo and then reached out to touch the critter hoping to get a better view.(Mean, really, how much do you want to see a shrew's butt? I was hoping for little, black, beady eyes and maybe a hissing snarl showing lots of sharp teeth with their reddish coloring. something vicious would be the ticket!)

Well! It might have been acting sluggish as it dug in the snow but my touch lit a fire under it! It scampered off into the rocks, zig-zagging as it went over the snow's surface, dove beneath one rock which had an edge levered up to create a miniature cave, and that was that.

More Ornaments

Here are a couple more examples of the ornaments on our Christmas tree.

The first is a smocked ball in shades of purple and green on white.



Then we have a needlepoint representation of a Poinsettia that was done on a paper backing.



And finally (at least for today) we have an acorn--in plaid--in what I guess you might say is a version of quilting an/or applique. I really like the way the cloth "scales" drape over the form on this one. (Of course, I also like the red/green/black plaid!)

Exactly!

see more puppies

It's a cat's life.

The cats have been remarkably good about having a tree in the living area. Only Julie had ever seen such a thing before but all three are pretty much ignoring it...so far.

They were even good about all the fuss when we were setting it up and decorating the tree. Chester did get interested when we were testing the lights, however. The dragging cord and general plasticy nature of the wire coating had his attention for a short time. He inspected them closely and then forgot all about them. Perhaps if they were blinkers....


more animals (This is not Chester...but it could have been.)

During the actual hanging of ornaments and such Chester merely slept on the Christmas stockings and the other two disappeared to where ever they go when the play Tallulah Bankhead and just want to be alone. Shadow has since realized there is now a source of water to be found beneath the lowest bows. And Julie has tasted (and probably swallowed) several strands of tinsel. But other than that, they have only cast glances in the general direction of the tree. Which is good.

The sleigh bells jingle and ...

"It's lovely weather
For a sleigh ride together
With you!"

In yesterday's post "Blah! Humbug!" the Rev. Paul left a comment that read in part " Could be worse, though - heavy snows, ice storms, power outages." All I can say is thanks a lot Rev.! Someone must have over heard cause here's the forecast for tonight and tomorrow:

(This from the Weather.com site.)

Winter Storm Watch for Tioga County, PA
from 4 am EST, Fri., Dec. 19, 2008 until 6 pm EST, Fri., Dec. 19, 2008

Issued by The National Weather Service
State College, PA
5:01 am EST, Thu., Dec. 18, 2008

... WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON...

A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

A NEW STORM RACING OUT OF THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES WILL BRING MORE WINTRY PRECIPITATION TO CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. SNOW WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION LATER TONIGHT... MIXED WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN OVER SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE WATCH AREA. PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE TO OVERSPREAD THE REGION FRIDAY... WITH A WINTRY MIX OF SNOW... SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN OVER MUCH OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS... AND MAINLY SNOW FURTHER NORTH TO THE NEW YORK BORDER.

THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW OVER THE REGION FROM ABOUT INTERSTATE 80 NORTHWARD... WITH ACCUMULATIONS IN EXCESS OF 6 INCHES POSSIBLE.

OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80... MORE OF A WINTRY MIX IS EXPECTED WITH MODERATE ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND SLEET... FOLLOWED BY FREEZING RAIN.

And here's the Weather.com forecast for the next 36 hours:


Not to be outdone, the AccuWeather crew have a little more detail on the accumulations.


Please note the accumulation totals at the top of that graphic. That's 15.7 inches followed by winds gusting in to the 40 mph range. At least they took the 0.4 inches of ice out of the local forecast. That's going to happen to the south of us near I-80.

I believe AccuWeather is headquartered in State College, PA. They have, from time to time bemoaned the lack of snow fall in the area. They all should be happy as all get out based upon their long range forecast which shows nothing but snow, snow, snow through New Year's Day. The storm highlighted here is just the first of three heading our way. Should be fun!

Tree Ornaments

I mentioned that we decorated this year's tree using only handmade ornaments, most of which Terry made. There are about 100 ornaments nestled in the branches of our tree and Terry says she counted only about ten that she did not do. These ten came as gifts from others in exchanges at her clubs, from relatives (Jessica and Ruthann), or were purchased from folks in her clubs.

The ninety or so that Terry did are almost evenly split between those which have some form of embroidery and those that are smocked.

Embroidered ornamental sachet.
(counted cross-stitch)

Smocked Christmas Ball in Red and Green.

Needlepoint Angel on canvas.

Did someone say Elf Bowling?

Sure 'nough!

(Man, if that isn't annoying, nothing is!)

If you really want to play the game, you can download various permutations of this game at this link. Unfortunately, it cannot be played on line and there is no version for Macs.

Blah! Humbug!

Yesterday, when we went tree shopping, the temperatures were in the upper 30s/low 40s. There was an occasional rain shower but nothing much. After dark, the temperatures dropped into the 20s and some wind driven sleet arrived followed by snow. That didn't amount to much either as we only had about an inch of white stuff on the ground this morning.

The temperatures have slowly crept into the low 30s today but the ceiling is right around 2000 feet meaning we've been ensconced in a cloud bank for much of the day. There's no precipitation to speak of.... I mean, if it were to precipitate, it would have to fall out of the clouds, right? And we are, well, IN the clouds so anything that were to fall would be...if you'd pardon the expression...beneath us.

So, it's just a foggy, raw, dreary day at the Aerie.

Christmas Tree

This is our third Christmas in the Aerie but the first time we have had a Christmas tree.

The first year we had just moved in and were still putting finishing touches on the interior. In fact, we didn't really have a certificate of occupancy form the building inspector, but since his assistant was our contractor's son and he was one doing the finishing touches....

The second year, Rick was in Guyana and we went to New Jersey to celebrate with the Mom-in-Law, Jessica, and my sister's family.

This year, Rick and Sandy (fiancee) will be coming east from Eugene, OR. They are taking the train to Chicago and then flying into Newark on Sunday. They will stay in NJ for a couple of days and Terry and I will join them there for Christmas Eve at my sister's and Christmas Day at Terry's Mom's. We'll then drag them to the Aerie for a couple of days. Then they'll hop a flight out of Newark on December 29th for Chicago to celebrate the New Year with Sandy's parents before heading back to Eugene. (Or, at least I think that's what's going to happen. I get treated like a mushroom, if you know what I mean.)

So, any way you look at it, we will have company for Christmas. That means we have to have a tree.

We picked up a nice tree (Balsam Fir) from a tree farm west of here (Zimmer Century Tree Farm). They drilled the base to fit the stand and also to display the trees in their small lot. We could have gone out into the larger fields to select and cut our own, but the ground was muddy from the melting snow and I preferred the easy method of pointing and saying, "We'll take that one."

Terry, at 4' 11" ("And a half!" she shouts.) stands next to our Christmas tree.

The tree stands about 11 feet tall and was selected for its relatively narrow physique as well as its height. It fits in rather nicely to the left of the fireplace.(Which will, of course, not be lit for the next two to two-and-a-half weeks regardless how cold it gets.)

Terry s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s to hang one more ornament.

The tree was a challenge to decorate. We have never had one as tall as this. The ceilings in our Morristown house were low enough that I could touch them if I stood on my tiptoes...about 7 1/2 feet. Now we have a huge cathedral ceiling and the sky's the limit! Well, maybe not the sky, but pretty far up there anyway. To get the lights and decorations on the tree required the use of a step ladder. And I must say, Terry did a damn fine job, too!

Decorated tree next to the fireplace.
How convenient for Santa! (Or the Hogfather. whichever.)

All the decorations we (okay, Terry) hung this year were hand made. They are either smocked or embroidered. Terry estimates 85-90% were done by her. The balance were done either by Jessica, members of Terry's smocking and embroidery clubs and acquired in an exchange of gifts, or purchased from other smockers/embroiderers.

Between the Franklin Mint and Hallmark, we still have enough ornaments for two or three more trees. But not this year.

(Actually, I helped with the lights and some of the higher decorations. Even with the step ladder she had trouble reaching the tip top branches cause she's got short arms.)

Bah! Humbug!

Christmas carols have been playing in the mall and at Wally World ever since Halloween. They form a fitting background for the mad shopping that goes on this time of year and most are pretty innocuous. The Chipmunks, however are annoying as all get out. Yeah, their carols are cute the first time you hear them and perhaps they are tolerable the next four or five times, but when you hear them for the 20th or 30th time…well, action must be taken. And so, in celebration of Alvin, Theodore and Simon’s 50th Christmas, I present:

Chipmunks Roasting on An Open Fire



(Boldly stolen from Theo who had it first.)

More birds at the feeders

About the time the NY Jets were marching for their first TD in today's game against the Buffalo Bills, I looked out the kitchen window and noticed we had some dinner guests out by the bird feeders. That's not so unusual but these could have been dinner guests of a different sort.

Wild turkeys are becoming frequent visitors again. A couple of days ago a flock of 15 or 16 marched up the hill without stopping. Yesterday a group of 10 or 12 came over to the feeders but, not finding the snow depth to their liking, they moved on. Today's group, apparently all old Toms based upon their long beards, were happy that I had shoveled some of the snow and scattered seed for the Juncos and Mourning Doves. They also spent some time scratching under the feeders for seeds that had been buried in the ice. They hung around for quite awhile--until Terry sneezed in her sewing room. Then they meandered off into the woods.




Wild Turkeys under the feeders.




The long beards (feather growths on their chests that hang down) indicate that these are some pretty old Toms.


Turkeys are not the only game birds to approach the Aerie's feeders.



Mourning Doves are also abundant at the feeders. Most of them feed on the ground or on the deck where the tray feeder has no roof over it.

Nicest redneck email that I have read!!!

I just got this in an email from a cousin who's moved to Florida from New Jersey. Seems a lot of folks do that when the retire...or when winter comes on.

We have enjoyed the redneck jokes for years. It's time to take a reflective look at the core beliefs of a culture that values home, family, country and God. If I had to stand before a dozen terrorists who threaten my life, I'd choose a half dozen or so rednecks to back me up. Tire irons, squirrel guns and grit -- that's what rednecks are made of. I hope I am one of those. If you feel the same, pass this on to your redneck friends. Ya'll know who ya' are!!



You might be a redneck if: It never occurred to you to be offended
by the phrase, 'One nation, under God.'

You might be a redneck if: You've never protested about seeing the
10 Commandments posted in public places.

You might be a redneck if: You still say 'Christmas' instead of
'Winter Festival.'

You might be a redneck if: You bow your head when someone prays.

You might be a redneck if: You stand and place your hand over your
heart when they play the National Anthem.

You might be a redneck if: You treat our armed forces veterans with
great respect, and always have.

You might be a redneck if: You've never burned an American flag, nor
intend to.

You might be a redneck if: You know what you believe and you aren't
afraid to say so, no matter who is listening.

You might be a redneck if: You respect your elders and raised your
kids to do the same.

You might be a redneck if: You'd give your last dollar to a friend.

First real snow of the winter.

Friday morning we woke up to our first real snowfall of the winter. The total overnight was between 6 and 8 inches of snow on top of a small layer of ice and ice pellets. We had had small snowfalls--up to 3 inches--previously, but this was the first one for which I had to use the snow thrower.



Standard snowy forest scene from the side porch looking west-northwest.



The bird feeders all had white caps and many of the seed shoots were clogged with snow and ice. I had to scrape the snow away to allow the birds to access the seeds.



The front deck was covered with snow as were the two Adirondack chairs we have out there. I really should have brought these into the basement before the winter weather struck. They are, however, stained and sealed so they should be alright.

This won't be the last snow storm of the season...heck, winter hasn't officially begun! Friday night's full moon and all the snowy goodness certainly made the world bright at 3 AM when the moon shone in the bedroom window!

Cat Fight!!

Occasionally, Chester has to show Shadow and Julie who's the boss. It will usually start with him slowly approaching one or the other until they can no longer ignore him and then they will start to growl deep in their throats and either strike back or light out running.

Friday evening, Chester started out after his sister(?). [She may be either a full blooded sister or a step sister having a different mother. Two females--one feral and one domestic but in the same yard--both giving birth the same day presumably having been knocked up by the same wandering tom.-ed.] He approached and she growled and started walking away. He lunged and tackled her and all hell broke loose. Spitting, screeching, howling Shadow broke free after a minute or two and raced around the living area with Chester in hot pursuit.

Shadow rounded the kitchen island, leaped to the counter top, to the refrigerator, to the pantry top and up to the beam that is her refuge in a storm. Chester stopped dead in his tracks on the floor in front of the counter. At 17+ pounds, he hasn't been jumping too high lately.

He looked at the height of the counter and screwed up his butt and leaped skyward landing with all the grace associated with a bull in a china shop. The first step accomplished he now looked at the even higher refrigerator top. And jumped to that. Now he had only short leaps to the pantry and then the beam and he could have at Shadow again.

But he didn't do it. Oh, he jumped up onto the beam--but not in the nook Shadow was in. He went to the one next to her and just lay there. While she hissed and growled her contempt, he seemed to be enjoying the view. He has eyed this perch from the stepps but could not figure out how to leap from the steps to the beam. (Secondary beams--floor joists really--block the path unless you've got a vine and the dexterity of Tarzan.)



Shadow (left) is joined by Chester (right). (Click to enlarge.)

I think he really enjoyed having climbed that high and was excited about having done so. Just look at his eyes. (And look at the oh-shit-there-goes-the-neighborhood glare Shadow is giving!)

Weigh in Saturday

Here we are again.

Another Saturday and I'm supposed to report that I've lost weight by studiously avoiding all snacks, fast food, calorie laden potatoes and fried foods while exercising religiously. Right!

I'm up another pound from last week. That's to 220, for those keeping track. I'm certainly considering not doing so for a bit.

I've had a sharp pain in my left hip all week. It made walking behind the snow thrower yesterday shear agony. As a result, I've stayed in the cabin almost the entire week. The most exercise I got (aside from the one day walking the thrower) was carrying logs in to the fireplace. I didn't go out to do any hunting and today marks the final day of the PA rifle season. No venison in the freezer this year...yet. There's still a late flintlock season and I may get the energy to go out for that. (Although I haven't fired my flintlock this year at all.)

Daylight hours and minutes are shrinking to their nadir. The temperatures are dropping too. Snow now covers the fields and woods making walking difficult and soggy. And like the bears, all I want to do is but on a layer of fat and hibernate. (Actually, the hibernate part might be good. Bears lose a lot of weight over their stints in the den. Now if I could only sleep until April...nah, Chester would never allow that.)

Well, I did get another set of snowshoes for around the Aerie and Tioga State Forest is near by and there are lots of rails-to-trails places in the county where I'm sure there are not going to be any bicyclists. Maybe I'll get the energy to get out after all. A couple of hours a week should prove beneficial to burning calories.

Me like hockey! (NOT)

This one is for Wyatt at SYLG.