Friday, January 06, 2017

Better than what's coming!

I thought it was cold when I got up. Then it got a little colder, as it always does just before dawn.

Brian, our tender "webfoot" (Willamette Valley born and raised), declared he wasn't going outside; said it was "too cold to sustain life." Ha! I guess we need to take him back to Minnesota in the winter. Just for a visit, though; the year and a half Rick and I lived there right after vet school gave us enough extremes to last me a lifetime. But it did give us the advantage of experience, and acquiring much of the cold-weather gear and tools that make it easier/safer/warmer to live through our occasional cold snaps here.

Despite the cold, it was a beautiful, sunny day. I managed to capture some surprisingly good shots through our dirty windows; these wild birds are today's treasures:
The forecast for the weekend is rather grim: first snow, followed by an ice accumulation from a quarter inch up to three-quarters of an inch, followed finally by rain. We can hope for a quick transition, but the air mass and ground are so cold that it's not likely. I'm just thankful it didn't arrive early, or Brian's high school Christmas program held tonight, already postponed twice because of winter weather, may have been postponed once again!

That's it for today from . . .


6 comments:

Jean said...

My corner of SE MN is called the banana belt as it is usually warmer than anywhere else in the state. This morning it is a -2 right now and a forecast high of 10. I am surprised you still have hummers and can you tell me what that other pretty bird is? Have a great day and stay safe. We had rain/ice here this past Tuesday and it is still slick underfoot in a lot of places.

Claire MW said...

How exciting to see a hummingbird at this time of year! I'm glad you have feeders out for them during those cold snaps - must be tricky for them to find nectar at those times. I'm sure the sheep enjoy it though - not so warm in their woolly coats!

Mama Pea said...

Uh-oh, if you really do get that much predicted ice, the only thing to do is stay home . . . and safe. We have a low of -3 here (NE corner of Mn, Jean, and we are NOT known as the Banana Belt!) this morning now at 8 a.m. Supposedly, it's gonna warm up tomorrow. I'm ready.

Michelle said...

Jean, we have overwintering hummers – although I'm not sure they signed up for our current conditions; ha! The other bird is a female Red-Shafted Northern Flicker, joined in the last photo by a male, although it's hard to see his red "moustache."

Yep, the sheep are unfazed, Claire!

No ice yet, Mama Pea; just an inch or so of snow. Still, the road was too slick to make it up our hill in my car; Rick had to tow me up again.

Tina T-P said...

From the news reports it sounds like you got that ice storm. Stay warm and dry my friend. T.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

beautiful photos of beautiful birds. cold here as well and supposed to be even colder tonight. my water pipes froze and burst, need to find someone to fix them. my abilities aren't that good.
Happy Holydays to you and yours.