I have a dentist appointment at 11 so he can fix the broken tooth; therefore, Coffee and I will be a bit tardy today but please do check back.
Archive for February 2011
Please Be Patient!
February 3, 2011Punxsutawney Phil and Groundhog Day
February 2, 2011In an early morning ceremony today, Punxsutawney Phil rose from his heated burrow at Gobbler’s Knob, PA, and signaled to his handlers that he saw no shadow today and accordingly foretold an early end to winter. Over the 125 years that the ceremony has taken place, Phil has seen his shadow 98 times and not seen it only 16, counting today. (Records don’t exist for every year.) The last time he didn’t see a shadow was in 2007. In 2008, the crowd booed the prospect of “six more weeks of winter,” as they no doubt would have today, when a smaller than usual crowd stood in the freezing rain to watch the ceremony.
The Pennsylvania Polka: From the Soundtrack of Groundhog Day
February 2, 2011This is my yearly Groundhog Day Song!
Groundhog: Red Allen and Frank Wakefield
February 2, 2011This is from Folkways Years 1964-1963. The link to Smithsonian is on the side!
“Why, what’s the matter, That you have such a February face, So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness?”
February 2, 2011Today is the ugliest of days. It has been raining since the early morning hours. Everything is flooded because the water has nowhere to go. My pebbled walkway is a giant puddle. The few inches of snow we had the other day have turned to slush. Even the road is slush rutted. We have fog and a heavy wind. It is 44° out, but it is a warmth we can’t appreciate. When I look out my window, I can see the trees, even the largest oaks, being blown back and forth by the wind. The rain is pelting the windows. Every now and then I hear a bang as snow from the roof falls to the ground. Gracie just looks up each time recognizing it is no intruder then goes back to sleep.
The other day I bought flowers: pink, yellow and red flowers. I wanted dafs but the woman said it is too early, maybe a couple of weeks early. Other people in line also had flowers. It seems we need a touch of color, a bit of spring.
When I was a kid, I lived my life day by day. Spring would never come to mind in the middle of winter. I just dealt with winter. For walking to school on a really cold day, I layered and walked briskly. I never complained about the weather though I did wish for a snow day as soon as the first flakes fell. The present had all my interest, except for the Christmas countdown and my birthday but they were the only exceptions. Monday led into Tuesday and that was about as far as I went. Life was easier, worry free and self-indulgent.
I don’t remember when I started to long for spring in the middle of winter. I’m thinking the older I got, the less I abided, and it continues that way.
Tapestry: Carole King
February 1, 2011Both these songs sort of fit my mood. The two of them came into my head easily as they toured together. Both songs are taken from early albums. That’s always the way my ear remembers them the best.
Long Ago and Far Away: James Taylor
February 1, 2011
“February is merely as long as is needed to pass the time until March.”
February 1, 2011I woke up this morning at 8 with the intention of going back to bed after a bathroom trip then I looked outside. It was snowing. I remembered I hadn’t filled the feeders so I put on shoes and a sweatshirt, filled a bag with sunflower seeds and went outside. After filling two of the feeders my hands were really cold so I kept putting one in the sweatshirt pouch then switching hands. I can’t wear mittens and do the feeders so I have to bear it and move fast.
I’m been back inside a while. I have a cup of coffee and I’m warm. Five feeders are now ready for the birds. A squirrel amused me this earlier. He was trying to get at the suet which is in a squirrel proof feeder. He moved all around it, reaching and trying to grab the suet. He next tried to chew the wire holding the feeder to the hook. That idea didn’t last long. He went round and round a few more times then gave up and jumped to a branch. I applauded.
When I was working, snow days were the most fun. They were a surprise and a gift. Today feels like that. After the bird feeders, my morning was leisurely. I brewed coffee and read the two newspapers. I turned on the TV which I never do so here I am watching CSI solve yet another murder. Lunch will be crackers with a three pepper dip. I’ll take a nap later. The light is on in here, and I see shadows on the walls. In the living room, the window lights and a lit gourd barely light the room but it’s just enough to give the room a cozy air. I keep looking out the window and watching the snow. It has gone from small flakes to large flakes and now sleet seems to be mixed with the snow. The birds are huddled somewhere warm. The feeders will wait.
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