Sunshine on my shoulders

We're "enjoying" double  and single digits below zero temperatures, with about a 10 mph wind, making the windchill about 20 to 30 below. The birds and squirrels seem to be taking these temperatures in stride or wing beat, as the case may be. At any rate, as they help themselves to what's in the feeders, they complain less than I do each time I have to go out in this cold with more sunflower seeds and suet for them.

two gray squirrels and a hairy woodpecker

Photo by J. Harrington

The heated bird bath is working well but the dryness of the cold air creates evaporation and interesting ice sculptures on the side of the rim opposite the prevailing wind. Our winds have been from the south and the north side of the bath is ice coated.

heated bird bath with ice sculptures

Photo by J. Harrington

Despite the windchill, the Better Half and I went out for coffee as a cabin fever preventative. On the way home, we took back roads to enjoy the sun shining on the countryside. I mentioned that I hadn't seen any deer or turkeys in our backyard for several weeks. She said that she'd regularly seen deer crossing local roads mornings and evenings. Shortly after this comparison of ourfield observations, we spotted a flock of last year's turkey poults along the road side. That, plus the sunshine on my shoulders, generally brightened my outlook on the pleasures of country living during a spell of Minnesota's world-class Winter. January thaw by next weekend?

Cold Blooded Creatures

By Elinor Wylie 

Man, the egregious egoist,

(In mystery the twig is bent,)

Imagines, by some mental twist,

That he alone is sentient

Of the intolerable load

Which on all living creatures lies,

Nor stoops to pity in the toad

The speechless sorrow of its eyes.

He asks no questions of the snake,

Nor plumbs the phosphorescent gloom

Where lidless fishes, broad awake,

Swim staring at a night-mare doom.

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Dogs and birds and people, oh my!

The sun (remember what that looks like?) is playing peek-a-boo in a typically gray January sky. This morning's sunrise was absolutely spectacular for 20 or 30 seconds. Then, the show was over, bows taken, and the cast again withdrew behind the curtain.

Winter sunrise

Photo by J. Harrington

I'm just back inside from walking the dogs. It is insanely cold out there. Canine's lack of reasoning ability is evidenced by the fact that, hobbling on cold paws, they still think it's necessary to sniff 30 or 40 places to find "just the right spot" to do their business. But then again, if you look at the state of the world and at Homo sapiens response to emerging and emerged crises, many self-induced, dogs can look fairly bright, logical and well-reasoned. Often, they're also more lovable. Sigh!

SiSi, my unreasonable canine

Photo by J. Harrington

Franco, the Better Half's unreasonable canine

Photo by J. Harrington

This particular cold spell is supposed to break by week's end. As soon as it does, I'm planning on getting out and doing some exploring and maybe taking some pictures so we'll have something more interesting to converse about than just how cold and dreary it's been. Meanwhile, for the next few days, stay in the house, warm and dry and out of the wind, like a smart chickadee (unfortunately, chickadees, for all their redeeming qualities, and they have many, aren't very good at cuddling or keeping humans' feet warm). Thank heaven for poets like Denise Levertov to help offset this weather.

What My House Would Be Like If It Were A Person

By Denise Levertov 

This person would be an animal.

This animal would be large, at least as large

as a workhorse. It would chew cud, like cows,

having several stomachs.

No one could follow it

into the dense brush to witness

its mating habits. Hidden by fur,

its sex would be hard to determine.

Definitely it would discourage

investigation. But it would be, if not teased,

a kind, amiable animal,

confiding as a chickadee. Its intelligence

would be of a high order,

neither human nor animal, elvish.

And it would purr, though of course,

it being a house, you would sit in its lap,

not it in yours.

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Thanks for visiting. Come again when you can.
Please be kind to each other while you can.