Celebrating the ordinary
Our cold, snowy weather continued this past weekend, and I was glad to watch our birds from indoors. I decided to try the video feature on my camera, and was pleasantly surprised with the results. My son (and webmaster) then uploaded the videos to YouTube. This one gives you a good idea of the weather and the challenge for our feathered friends.
Note: click the bottom-right corner of the video to display it in full screen mode. Press the “Esc” key to exit full screen mode.
The arctic vortex reached Lexington last week and our temperatures hovered around 0°F (-15°C) for several days – our coldest temperatures in a decade. The main part of our water feature was covered with ice and snow, an unusual happening.
Our backyard birds are good winter entertainment. We have a table in front of a window that overlooks the backyard, and we often enjoy watching the birds as we eat. The number and variety of birds we see varies. However, we can almost always expect some cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) will come to feed late in the day. Recently, about 6 p.m., this was the scene.
Note: you can now click any image for a larger version. Click outside the image to return to the post.
As we approach a new year, I’m looking back on 2013. This is one of my favorite photos of the year. Harry and I were hiking on a trail near the Cumberland River last April when I spotted this unusual crawdad (crayfish). I’ve never seen one this colorful before.
I’m looking forward to celebrating the winter solstice, our shortest day of the year, on Saturday, December 21. After that, our days will begin to get longer and we’ll start moving toward spring.
I appreciate winter a little more knowing it won’t last forever. So here’s to the wonder of winter, including the magic of snow, bare tree branches, and bright red cardinals.
