We have snow!

It snowed overnight – one of those easy-to-deal-with snows that makes the trees and lawns pretty but leaves the streets and sidewalks clear. I started taking pictures before it was really light because there was a light rain already trying to wash it all away.

The bushes that overwinter with their leaves leaned over with the weight of the snow but not enough to break. This one is beside our porch.

The cherry tree is lightly flocked.

On the deck – the juncos can’t find the seed bowl under the snow; they appeared to be waiting in line for the feeder.

The heated bird bath that I had been considering putting away for the season but decided to clean and put in fresh water yesterday - is rimmed with snow.

The turtle sandbox that serves as my mint garden on the deck in the summer is hardly recognizable.

Is this our last snow of the season? Probably not – sometimes we have snow in April here. But we are close enough to the end of winter that I am enjoying this one as if it might be.

Ten Days of Little Celebrations – February 2016

Here are my top 10 celebrations for February – there was a lot to celebrate in this winter month:

There were a lot of birds to celebrate through my office window –

The crow with a glint in its eye,

The pileated woodpeckers in the forest,

And the mourning doves that were around frequently including a pair that mated on our deck railing!

I also celebrated good results from medical tests on myself and a family member (that counts as 2 celebrations!). Even when the majority of tests result in good (or benign) findings, there is always worry that builds and the relief translates into a little celebration when the results come back

Every time I wear my new fern imprint jewelry (ring, bracelet an earrings) I celebrate – savoring the living ferns I remember and the event where I made the purchase.

I also celebrated Christmas again every week that I work the cuddle socks one of my sisters gave me as a gift! They are indeed warmer than regular socks and comfy without shoes.

There were outdoor activities to celebrate too –

A walk around the neighborhood in the snow,

A sunny day walk at Mt. Pleasant farm (even though it was cold, breezy, and muddy), and

The birds on the ice at Centennial Park.

Gleanings of the Week Ending February 20, 2016

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Snow Rollers – Snow balls formed via weather conditions rather than human hands!

Humorous Charts and Graphs Show What Being an Introvert is All About – Lots of fun….and oh so true! The graphics start with one about the ‘perks of being an introvert.’

Recovery: Saving Lake Sturgeon, an Ancient Fish with a Bright Future – A little bit of history… and the potential of surviving… for this fish species that has been around for a very long time.

Mammography: Is Every 2 Years Enough? – Netting out what the most recent studies have found. But will doctors and mammography centers go with the recommendations? It seems that some mammography centers might be financially motivated to continue to push annual mammograms for everyone – even those over 55.

New study finds clear differences between organic and non-organic milk and meat – This is a study from the UK but the results would probably be the same in the US. I already buy organic dairy and meat… and appreciate that research about the nutritional value fortifies that decision!

The Fungi Within – This article includes a nice table of fungi frequently found in the body. It’s interesting that there are so many and that most of the time they don’t cause us problems. But do we always recognize when they are problematic?

‘Ecologically diverse’ breast cancers more likely to be deadly – Most of the time diversity is a good thing…but not when it comes to cancer. It appears that the general rule that ‘diversity is good for survival’ is true for cancer ‘systems’ too.

Mind and Matter – From the author of a book on the topic. Many patients supplement what their doctors are telling them with other resources…and maybe this is an area (the role the mind plays in our health) we should include when we visualize the educated patient of the 21^st century.

NASA Releases Retro Travel Posters Playfully Encouraging Space Tourism – Fun!

Images of Sound Waves in Water – A little like kaleidoscope images…except with sound waves.

A Walk in our Snowy Neighborhood

Earlier this week, we had a few inches of snow on the ground. We knew the temperature was warming enough that it would melt on its own the next day so didn’t bother to shoveling the driveway. We took a walk through the neighborhood instead.

I thought this tree with snow and cut branch took in the look of a pig face! When I looked at the picture on my monitor I noticed that the branch – that had only been cut last summer – had already dried out and darkened. The reddish layer already had cracks too.

The fire hydrant was clearly visible but I thought the uneven layering of the snow on the top made it look different than the actual shape of the metal underneath.

The water retention pond was not all snow covered. The ice from the earlier – very cold – days was beginning to melt.

My favorite picture of the day was the crape myrtle pod full of snowflakes…crystals still intact.

Conowingo in February 2016

We thought the day was going to be sunny - lots of light for photographing birds - but it became cloudy not long after we got there. And it was cold and breezy. The birds seemed more interested in hunkering down and staying warm than fishing even though the dam’s generator were running and churning up lots of water.

There was still some snow on the ground from a snowstorm over a week before. When I took this picture I thought the rock on the right looked like a floppy eared animal coming out of a winter’s sleep!

And what about the maze of ice in this close up of a snow bank over gravel. The melt pattern was not uniform at all.

The river water was moving swiftly and all the snow along the lower bank had melted. The color variation of the rocks has a lot of visual appeal sandwiched between the monotones of water and snow.

There were several birds that flew into the trees. This one has a fish that it finished off from its perch in the tree.

Another just seemed to survey the photographers that were along the fence between the parking lot and the Susquehanna River.

The most interesting of the birds in the trees was the black vulture. Its feathers were fluffed against the cold and ruffled by the wind. I was interested to note the white in the feathers; it is noticeable when they are viewed from below when they are soaring but I had not seen the white when they were on the ground. And look at the claws – they look like evil-looking curved fingernails.

The only Bald Eagle I managed to photography was a little too far away. The eagles are the main reason we go… so I was glad to get at least one picture.

There was another larger bird that caught a fish near the dam….but it flew off to the other side of the river. It was quite a bit larger than the gull.

There was a tree that had some velvety buds. After I got home I did some research. Aargh! It is a Princess Tree - a non-native, invasive species.

As we headed home, I noticed that the ice patches on the road has mostly melted. I drank some more of my hot tea from the Thermos – using the cup to warm my hands.

Gleanings of the Week Ending January 30, 2016

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

What will power tomorrow’s spacecraft? – Lots of options – some ready now and others being developed.

Stock Your Pantry with Plant-Based Protein – I’m not as keen on soy products (except for the nuts themselves) but I have most of the rest in my pantry already; they store well and can be easily be used for quick meals.

Tea or coffee: Which drink is better for you? – Does it matter? This analysis says it is a draw. Tea does not interfere as much as coffee with sleep but is does stain tea more.

New Bioplastic Mashup Spells Doom for Petrochemical Industry – DuPont and Archer Daniel Midland join the flurry of activity in the bioplastic arena….and they may be big enough to overcome the entrenched political interests supported by the petroleum industry. It is good to understand that as we move to a more sustainable tech….plastics will still be around.

A natural beauty: American geoheritage – Geoparks (a UNESCO designation) are becoming popular around the world but not in the US because of political differences within our country. There are over 100 areas in 34 countries that are designated as Geoparks at this point. Over the next year, we’ll be hearing more about them culminating in the 2016 Earth Science Week (Oct. 9-15). A list of countries and sites is available here.

So You Want to Eat Snow. Is It Safe? We Asked Scientists – I do enjoy snow ice cream….but I wait until it has snowed for a while before I collect the snow.

20 Indoor Air Pollution Tips – I heard most of these before….but it is good to see them collected into a single list. I’m glad they included scented products and sprays on the list.

Women Asked to Avoid Pregnancy as Zika Epidemic Worsens – A story to follow since the mosquitos that carry the virus are relatively widespread….it is just that they are not infected with the Zika virus yet in the US. Asking a population to avoid pregnancy is not a solution…but 3,500 (and probably growing) cases of microcephaly will impact lives and economies for years to come.

8 Great Benefits of Walking – A good list with links to the research that backs up the claims.

Best Things about Electric Cars – Results of a survey of electric car owners.

Digging Out

Schools are closed again today although our immediate neighborhood is probably clear enough to support the children getting to school. The school system has to make the decision for the whole county and there probably are some areas that are still problematic. We did the heavy digging out on Sunday. The backyard didn’t matter – but it does show that we got a lot of snow. There is a bench and several pots under the snow on the deck….all covered over by snow!

But we got our drive way shoveled (or rather we shoveled about a third of it and a neighbor with a snow blower did the rest).

The temperature did not get above freezing but the sun caused some melting and icicles began to form.

We walked through the neighborhood noting the benches overlooking the water retention pond with snow covering their seats

The raggedy cattails around the frozen pond,

The fire hydrants that were visible (did someone do a little shoveling?),

And the sidewalks neatly cleared by one of the many snow blower guys in the neighborhood.

By Tuesday – there has been some additional freezing and thawing. There were some larger icicles but most had fallen by the end of the day…water could be heard trickling normally in the downspouts

And the heated bird bath managed to melt the crusty snow that had made a high rim around it for days.

We got out to pick up a pizza. Our neighborhood street was in pretty good shape but not everyone had cleared the area around their mailbox and we noticed a few mailboxes that had been knocked over. Fortunately, ours survived the snow plow and we got is cleared enough for mail delivery.

A two lane road near us was clear but the snow was still up to the lower rail of the split rail fence. We noticed that people in townhouses and apartment buildings were digging out and some of the sidewalks in the area had not been touched – hard to image the how the children could walk to their bus stop.

By Wednesday morning the melt was more noticeable. The temperature had stayed above freezing all night and the bench reappeared on the deck and the railing was totally clear.

Last night it froze again – so maybe it’s wise that there is no school again today. I’m going my normal Thursday grocery shopping.

Ten Days of Little Celebrations – January 2016

I enjoy the big celebrations of the year....but the little celebrations that happen daily are the ones that keep me going all year long. Here are my top 10 for January 2016:

The most recent celebrations have to do with snow:

• Getting home from the airport in the ice and snow (it had just started coming down…so nothing had been treated yet)
• A snow big enough to cover everything and close just about everything – snow days and snow ice cream

I travelled to Tucson, Arizona this month and about half the celebrations are associated with that trip (and I still have a lot of posts in the works about that travel):

• Birds of southern Arizona (hummingbirds and turkeys!)
• Mount Lemmon (snow at the top)
• Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (plants and free flight raptor programs)
• Tohono Chul (steps to the roof as plant stand, rocks, small meditation garden)
• Tucson Botanical Garden (butterfly exhibit…cactus…rocks)

January 2016 included my 43^rd wedding anniversary....maybe that should be a ‘big’ celebration!

There was also a funeral in the family this month – a sad event but also a celebration of a person’s life and of continuity of family over long periods of time.

And last but not least, I spent more than a third of the month away from home ---- so it was a celebration just coming home again (in time for the big snow).

Snowy Weekend in Maryland

Friday afternoon: It started to snow at mid-afternoon – just as the forecast has predicted. I had made my trek to the grocery store on Thursday so we were well prepared to just stay home for the duration of the snow storm. The birds seemed to be chowing down. There were a few at the feeder but they all could eat more rapidly at the bowl we had filled on the deck

Even as the bowl started to fill with snow.

Saturday before dawn: The front porch light cast some light across the snow on the porch and the front yard. It was about a foot deep.

The light in the back showed evidence of drifting. The snow extended well over the gutter from the roof of our covered deck. The large pot on the deck near where the bowl of bird seed was yesterday was a mound. The bowl is under the snow – buried too deep for the birds today. The screens of the covered deck are flocked with snow that the wind has blown around. There were already deer tracks in the backyard!

Saturday 8 AM: The cardinal was back. He didn’t stay long. The seed bowl is buried in snow and the feeder only works for smaller birds.

There are hummocks on the deck (snow heaped over pots and drifted by the wind) and more snow is sticking on the outside of the windows when it is picked up and swirled from the roofs by the wind.

The juncos are still frequent visitors to the feeder.

Evidently they are heavy enough that only one can feed at a time so take turns.

Saturday 11 AM: I measured the depth of the snow at the driveway as 17 inches

And 24 inches on the deck. The wind is creating drifts so there is significant variability.

I made snow ice cream! I used a non-dairy creamer then added vanilla, coconut flavoring, and red food coloring. My husband thought the creamer was not quite thick enough but I thought it was just right.

Saturday 1 PM: Another bird that was too big for the feeder stopped by. Maybe a cowbird?

All the hummocks on the deck are filling in with the snow falling and the wind smoothing out all the curves. The deer tracks from this morning are mostly gone and the one lane that was plowed this morning is half full of snow already.

Sunday morning: The sky is clear. The sunrise was boring with no clouds on the horizon. The neighborhood was very quiet before 7 AM; everyone was still snuggled indoors.

The deer had already made fresh tracks across the backyard and the juncos were visiting the feeder.

The snow on the driveway measured just under 22 inches – a bit less than my husband’s last measurement late Saturday. The wind had worked a little in our favor.

The shoveling of the driveway will take us hours – and probably not all at once. We’ll take breaks for warming up since the temps started out in the teens today and will only get into the 20s. There was already some melting from the gutters that were getting sunshine.

It looks like one lane has been plowed in the street. The mailbox is blocked by snow that fell and the snow pushed up by the plow. It needs to be cleared today so that the mail can be delivered on Monday.

Mount Lemmon

We drove up the Catalina Highway from Tucson (about 2000 feet above sea level) to Summerhaven (about 8000 feet above sea level) last week. It is the curvy two lane road that goes up Mount Lemmon. Starting out in Tucson – the Saguaro and ephedra are common.

The pattern of spines on this barrel cactus was full of complexity

Making the prickly pear spines on the flat pads look relatively simple.

A little further up the mountain – there are more ocotillo and water gurgling the stream beds. The snow was melting above.

Further still there are desert spoons and grasses with hardy trees.

Here there was a prickly pear with some fruits still attached.

And then the vegetation changes to pines and there are waterfalls cascading down the mountain.

Sometimes the slope is so steep that there is not much vegetation at all.

Finally - we get to snow! The temperature is still in the 40s but the sound of water trickling down the slopes surrounds us.

The overlooks have more people. There is something about snow this close to Tucson is a draw for tourists and natives alike.

The white of the snow drapes over rocks – in every nook.

When we got to Summerhaven we stopped for a big cookie and hot cider….and then came back down the mountain.