I’m looking out the windows this morning at a chilly world. It was -10C when I arose at 5:12 this morning, now it is a warm -2C, with a hint of sunshine, just enough sunshine to melt the snow that sits on the deck. Because it is so warm today, I have opened all the blinds, as heat loss from the windows is not a serious concern. With the blinds open it is like sitting in a treehouse, but warmer, a little bit warmer at least than it is outside, and not nearly so windy.
At breakfast we were serenaded by hollow rat-a-tat-tatting of a large pileated woodpecker, who is drawn to the pine tree in the front yard, that is, what is left of the pine tree in the front yard. The top thirty feet of the the pine tree came down in a wind storm a few seasons ago, destroying my little Argosy trailer when it landed directly on its roof. We left the remaining dead trunk standing, and it has evolved into a feeding station for woodpeckers of many kinds. Why buy bird feeders when the natural world takes care of its own. It isn’t pretty, this 30 foot rotting monument to the forces of nature. It is however, a great source of food for wildlife, so it stays. We like it that way.
While I was sitting at the computer a little later this morning, four blue jays flew into the cedar and the oak trees just outside the window. I heard no cry, more is the pity, because the cry of the blue jay is one of my favorite sounds.
Attila has been busy. He baked an apple crisp for my lunches this week, much appreciated. He has been outdoors collecting firewood for a noon firing of the masonry heater, since the house cooled significantly overnight. Attila is preparing our income tax forms today. He will prepare Coquille St. Jacques for dinner, a special treat, for no particular occasion, other than it is great to be alive and safe and surviving. I am baking bread, paying bills and keeping an eye on the news from Libya and Japan.
Worldly Distractions
Weather
Condition: Sunny
Pressure: 103.8 kPa
Visibility: 16 km
Temperature: -2.0°C
Dewpoint: -9.0°C
Humidity: 59 %
Wind: SSE 9 km/h
Wind Chill: -5
Quote
“People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest.”
Hermann Hesse
1877 – 1962
The gila woodpeckers here in Yuma have adapted to life with humans. They’ve learned how to feed from our hummingbird feeders by hanging on. They’ve aided their feeding by pecking out the little yellow flowers that were there. The hummingbirds still manage to get some sugar water, but we have to fill the feeder a lot more often.
I looked for and found pictures of the Yuma woodpecker, pretty bird and clever aren’t they! We had hummingbirds feeding on the zucchini blooms last summer, but the woodpeckers were not interested.