Guess whooooo?

My sister and brother-in-law often have a houseful of guests, but even they were surprised by this little fellow who showed up in their fireplace recently.

Little Pigwidgeon here was checked over by a wildlife rehabber, given a drink, and sent on his merry way.

I had my own screech owl encounter some years ago at my parents' house. I stepped out of the house into the garage, only to discover a little screech owl sitting on top of some shelving, about two feet from my head. Caught off guard, I was the one who did the screeching.

Snowhell

So, remember all those lovely, semi-poetic things I said about snow in my last post? How I loved the quiet, the pretty cardinals, etc. etc.? Well, it turns out that all my postive feelings about snow are completely predicated upon having a FUNCTIONING SNOWBLOWER!!!

I spent two and a half hours shoveling yesterday after the auger on my snowblower decided not to augerate. That's two and a half hours of my life I will never get back. And then it snowed some more last night. And it's going to snow more on Tuesday. And the hardware store says it will be two to three weeks before my machine is fixed.

I hate snow. Snow sucks. STUPID SNOW!!! Yeah, and Happy Winter to you too.

Snowfall

The other night, on the evening news, the weatherman mentioned that we had already received 44% of our average yearly snowfall, and it's only the second week of December. Winter hasn't even officially begun yet. When we had our first blast of bitter-cold weather, back in November, all I could think was, "I hate winter! Why do I live here? Why don't I move somewhere where it's warmer?"

But my feelings for winter, and snow, aren't quite so one-sided. As long as I don't have to shovel, or stand outside shivering, there are quite a lot of things I like about this time of year.



I love how quiet it gets during a snowstorm. The snow muffles and softens what little noise there is, and everything is hushed. It's a good reminder that we all need a little stillness in our lives.

I love the scarlet flash of the cardinals that visit my bird feeders. Sometimes, a whole flock of them will visit, trying to boss the little sparrows away from the sunflower seeds. The females, although they aren't as showy as the males, are beautiful too, with their subtle tinges of red among the buff feathers.

I like snow at Christmastime. Although it probably didn't actually snow at the actual Nativity, somehow, a nice blanket of snow makes everything seem more Christmasy. And I love twinkling Christmas lights too.



Last week, before rain melted half the snow and then cold winds froze everything into a solid, crunchy crust, I noticed the tiniest little bird tracks in the back yard. Some little bird had hopped through my flower garden, dutifully checking each half-buried stem for any possible seeds. I hope she found what she needed.

Hooray!

Hooray! The snowblower started!


Remind me again...why is it that I live in the Upper Midwest?

Summer days, gone too soon

Autumn is definitely coming. The sky is dark by 8 o’clock now, and I’m seeing geese and starlings flocking. I can hear birds singing that I haven’t heard since the spring, which means they must be on the move from north to south.

I don’t know why the transition from summer to fall is my least favorite. I do like fall, with its warm days and cool nights. I love seeing the leaves change color, and I get back some of the energy that the hot, muggy days seem to steal from me. Still, it feels like I’m saying goodbye to the better part of the year. Fall into winter isn’t so bad—November can be so bleak and dreary that it’s nice to see the snow brightening things up. And winter into spring—well, how glad are we to see the trees bud out and green shoots come up through the earth? And spring into summer is so beautiful—the lilacs and peonies blooming, the happiness of warm, sunny days.

Summer holds a promise of freedom for me. Although I haven’t had a whole summer off since I was a teenager, in my head, there’s still the idea that it will be this wonderfully langorous time, lasting forever. I want to spend my days swimming in pools and lakes, the feel of hot concrete or grainy sand under my feet as I race into the water. I want to take afternoon naps in a darkened bedroom while the wind blows the curtains and slaps the window shade against the sill. I want to eat BLTs and pik-nik sticks for dinner because it’s too hot to turn on the oven. I want to walk through sunny fields with the spicy scent of flowers rising around me. Ah well, there’s always next year.

Thought for the day

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep Sea, and music in its roar;
I love not Man the less, but Nature more.

-- Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage