Seasonally adjusted

From my point of view, the good news is I'm not in Duluth, Two Harbors and points northeast. They're reported to be getting 18" to 3 feet of snow. The local birds, including red breasted nuthatches, have been flocking to the feeders. A small flock of turkeys wandered through the snow in the back yard and disappeared before I could grab my camera. Not so this nuthatch stoking up on the suet.

red breasted nuthatch on suet         © harrington

I had had a long list of errands that were to get done yesterday or today. Travel conditions and coordinating with other household members had the trip(s) on again, off again, on. You know how that goes. Fortunately, the most time-critical one is being covered on her way home by my better half, who actually made it into work in The Cities this morning. The others will get done tomorrow or Friday, assuming the snow actually stops sometime in the next day or so. I'm hoping for early this evening because I'm supposed to talk at a fundraising breakfast tomorrow morning in Minneapolis. The roads should be cleared by 5 AM or so, right? We've received about 6 inches so far. The back yard is looking like it does at some point almost every winter. I'm still working on learning how to take a good (great?) photo of falling snow.

Winter's here              © harrington

WIlliam Baer, on the other hand, combines science and poetry into a wonderful use for a snowflake.

Snowflake

By William Baer 

Timing’s everything. The vapor rises

high in the sky, tossing to and fro,

then freezes, suddenly, and crystalizes

into a perfect flake of miraculous snow.

For countless miles, drifting east above

the world, whirling about in a swirling free-

for-all, appearing aimless, just like love,

but sensing, seeking out, its destiny.

Falling to where the two young skaters stand,

hand in hand, then flips and dips and whips

itself about to ever-so-gently land,

a miracle, across her unkissed lips:

as he blocks the wind raging from the south,

leaning forward to kiss her lovely mouth.