Coincidence

Tonight I had to shut off the computer because of a SEVERE thunderstorm.

The lightening was across the entire sky, and intense, heavy rain.

It didn't last long, and eventually it was ok to turn the computer on.

The first picture to appear on the wallpaper was an intense lightening photo.

The next pix to appear, a rainbow!

How totally appropriate.

Is the computer trying to communicate with me, or what this sheer coincidence?

Red Winged Blackbirds

I guess it is officially Spring, as the Red Winged Blackbirds have begun to arrive. I saw the first one last week on Tuesday. On Wednesday I saw a few more and by Sunday, I see them everywhere. The males are easy to identify. They are black with a stripe across the wing which is yellow, underlined by an orange red. Last year I looked up what the females look like since I didn't know if I'd seen one or not. Turns out they are brown and tan speckeled, and look much like several other species, so I still don't know if I've seen one.

The males are quite solitary. Sometimes you'll see a few, maybe 3, flying together, but mostly you see them sitting on their perch. They prefer the reeds that grow in swampy areas. The bird is rather large, about like a robin. However, these birds are perched on a slender reed that doesn't always seem like it can hold them. They also line up on the chain-link fencing that seperates the freeway from the public domain. They are evenly spaced. If there are 3 birds, they will be about 20 feet apart. Just now you can see them perched in the bare bushes, and can even see some of the nests from last year. I like to think that the birds have come back to their same selected piece of Real Estate.

Since you never see other birds around them, I wonder if the females are still on their way. I like to think the males come to stake out their territory for the mating season and get a habitat ready to lure the female. Then, the females arrive, pick a likely bachelor and set up housekeeping. I'm really going to have to look into what is known about these birds, as my imagination may be way off the mark!

Whatever their story, I love to see them. They are beautiful and proud and quite independant.

Changing the World while Shopping

I HATE to shop. I dread holidays coming because I know that I'm expected to find gifts for people. It's not that I dislike giving. I Love to give. But I hate to shop, mostly because I don't like spending money on useless stuff. And most gifts to me, are useless stuff. So, while looking through the endless websites for online gifts (YES, I left the shopping to the very last possible moment) I came across the answer to all my gift buying nightmares. I found CHANGING THE PRESENT. This is a website that allows you to spend the money on something that really matters! Instead of buying something that is very likely not needed for someone that could buy it for themselves anyway----you can spend that money on someone for whom it will make a real difference! I think I may start looking for excuses to give gifts!

Bird Alert

The bird feeder was hanging so low I couldn't see it, so I plowed the porch to get to the feeder. Once there, I had to shake the branches and clean 6" of snow off the feeder roof. There is still lots of snow on the porch. The birds can hop on the crust, but the old seeds are so far down that they can't get to them. So, I put yet another tray of seeds out. First thing this morning the three female Cardinals came for breakfast! Mom and her two daughters are beauties. Their beak is bright orange, as are the feathers under their wings. They hopped from branch to branch, and eventually braved the porch to eat their favorite seeds, which I keep in a pile in front of my window. Soon they were joined by one of the males. Then another came by. Pretty soon it's a Cardinal Convention. They were doing a little bit of vocalization and giving me a thrill. Next thing I know, a BlueJay has dropped by to tell me that the peanut supply is low. I slowly slide the patio door open and gently throw raw, unshelled peanuts onto the snow. I figure the Jay is big enough to dig in the snow for his food. I expect the squirrels any time now. Quite a morning and it's still snowing!

It's a Marshmallow World....

We've had more snow in the past few days than in all the rest of the winter combined. This morning the trees look just the way I like them. The pines are heavy with snow and all the other trees are lined with snow, so that the branches are picked out in exquisite detail. I was out at 3:30AM, driving across town to pick up my truck for work. The surface streets were snow packed, and the freeway hadn't been grated recently and was quite white. It took all of 10 minutes for me to decide that work would need to be cancelled for the day. It was snowing quite hard, and the white knuckle drive would have taken more of a toll than it was worth. So, I came home and watched movies until daylight. Now, I guess we'll just pull our chairs up to the window and spend another day watching the snow fall, the critters eat, and whatever else comes into view. I LOVE this weather!

Snow Day

Actually, it's a Snow Weekend. We are expected to get nearly a foot of snow from Friday PM to Monday AM. We got extra firewood, water, food supplies and CHOCOLATE (all the necessities!) so that we don't have to go out if we don't want to. I plan to read, watch movies, nap, eat, and generally be lazy. I have a large stack of Gardening Catalogs to look at and plans to make for a trip to Utah in April. The birdfeeders are filled, the squirrel has extra nuts in the bowl. Bring on the Winter Wonderland!

I want it NOW!

I finished reading "The Power of One" by Bryce Courtenay. Close to the end, I wanted to slow down as I didn't want the story to be over. And once it was, I was sort of left hanging. It didn't finish the story. Not the whole story. So, I got online to see what else Mr. Courtenay had written, what other formats "The Power of One" comes in (Audible--goody!) and to order the movie to come ASAP. I found that there IS a sequel to the book. It's titled "Tandia" and is also available on Audible. I want it in book form first. I enjoy reading. So, I check out the local library to see if the title is available, and if not, to reserve it. Hummmmm, it's not even on the list. I turn to Amazon, and find that it isn't available for sale anymore, but I can buy a used copy. Next, I check out Barnes & Noble. I want to read it NOW. I have another day off tomorrow and the story is waiting for me. No luck. It isn't for sale anymore, except as a used item. I order it and pay extra to have it shipped quickly.

How spoiled I've become. I want INSTANT results, instant gratification. No waiting for this girl. So of course I get the lesson of patience from the Universe. The bookseller says the book will arrive by March 2. Oh me. Oh my. I'm so onery I could cry.