It’s a Hawkeye Pierce day…Get yer bathrobe on!
Although my bathrobe isn’t burgundy coloured, today is a Hawkeye Pierce kind of day. You *Mash* fans will get it.. The freezing rain, now just rain, left it too slippery outside to do much unless you own ice skates, my cleats have worked OK, but better to sit and look at the fire, in my bathrobe, the cats agree.
Freezing rain always brings back memories of the ice storm in 1998, wow, twenty five years ago. The sound of branches breaking and crashing to the forest floor still haunts me. Hopefully no repeats this week of that but although it is beautiful, it reeks havoc with the plants and trees with the extra weight, and then the wind has come up as well…0_0….will walk the road later to make sure nothing large has come down! The cats know how to live!
A bit of black and red squirrel watching, perhaps some birds as well. A bath in front of the wood fire, and perhaps some afternoon yoga, or nap, or a combination of the two;)
I tried sitting outside, under the eaves, not very pleasant. Only Groot ventured out of the alcove to sit under the picnic table, on the kids sleigh to birdwatch for awhile, not long. He was slipping and sliding as he decided this was rubbish, time to come in for breakfast! American Goldfinches were not on his breakfast menu!
Yesterday was just icy, the rain let up so I could sit outside. Maybe I should build a small bird blind:) the umbrella thing works in the snow, as long as there is no wind! Otherwise balancing the camera and umbrella feels a bit like Mary Poppins and take off might be imminent! Who needs a drone when you can fly by umbrella! Ha!
Groot is really not a good bird watching partner…
At least the real cold is gone for now, -22° was cold enough. Cats said it was -100° surely! They didn’t last long on their morning outing, in fact sprinting around the house to the back door where they were appalled a servant was not waiting to let them in! Good help is apparently hard to find they agreed. The fact a path was shoveled for them and snow blown away in front so their little pawsies didn’t get too, well, ick, cold, wasn’t enough! The frantic pawing at the back sliding glass door was picture worthy, we’ll try it one day, from inside;) The outrage will be fabulous;) “LET ME IN HOOMAN!”
I did attempt a walk down to the canoe…my ice cleats popped off in the deep snow as I struggled to find my previous footprints. The deer have stuck very close to the shore to nibble on the cedars. I knew I should have shoveled the steps down! I could have bounced off each one, like a cartoon character it was so icy, I made it part way down before abandoning my trajectory! Screw this, let ‘er melt! I think I pulled a muscle sliding around, crap. Ice looks soft and mushy out there. So far the deer are sticking to the shoreline, no one wants to cross! What dock? I saw a snowmobile track this morning, some fool of a Took must have done a spin late yesterday, or this morning…0_0. Hopefully they made it home, Darwin awards all around.
No sign of Spitz sadly. I’m hoping he is hanging out by Round Lake. With the snow you can follow the deer tracks up and down the road, followed by coyote and fox as well, it’s the path of least resistance! No passing now! It’s a one lane track, starting to look like a luge run!
Down at the Narrows Lock I stopped one Sunday on my way to the barn to gaze at the Trumpeter swans! I stopped counting at fifty! There wasn’t a lot of open water but it was well populated. The wind was so strong I hid behind the truck before stomping through the deep snow and using the Locks building as a windbreak. The swans had their bums turned towards the wind. A few youngsters were showing off…”Look at my wingspan babe!”…the ladies were, “Yeah, whatever!” Ha!
So, you know how big a Canada Goose is…they are dwarfed by the Trumpeter swans:) It’s makes you realize how huge these birds are!
I did get another milder afternoon to hang out and try to photograph the birds in the snow. So magical with those flakes! I had to take away the small wicker chair I picked up at the free recycle bin. The Blue Jays said it was a demonic cage like thing and refused to come anywhere near it. Funny how they react to certain things! Will have to start looking for Valentine day props! Ha!
Ok, enough birds, but it’s all I have, short of trying to follow deer tracks around! Ha! So far no American Redpolls yet, or Pine Grosbeaks. The American Tree Sparrows have shown up in numbers though, such cute little hopping birds, they were sliding around on the ice this morning! We all were. So, back to computing, I have a helper, when he’s not splayed in front of the woodstove upside down warming his belly, he is a helper he says…not sure if his editing techniques are the best…”Is that one edible Müther?” is his favourite line…
Stay warm folks, don’t be slipping and sliding on the ice, we’ll see what tomorrow brings! We still have power! Woohoo, I probably just jinxed us;) Saludos y abrazos!
