Sunday, December 26, 2004
CHRISTMAS WEATHER
The same snowstorm that made the trees sparkle also brought the power lines down in places in Ohio. So many of them, in fact, that power was not restored for Christmas in some places. This is more than an inconvenience when the thermometer dips to 0 deg. and below as it did here. Without electricity, furnaces don't run. Without heat, pipes burst. It was a sad Christmas in makeshift shelters for some Ohio residents.
Meanwhile, I received email yesterday from a relative in Corpus Christi, Texas who was just thrilled with their 5 inches of snow. She wasn't alone, apparently, as many got out and played in the white stuff. While visiting a nursing home, she made snowballs and brought them in for the residents to feel. According to her email, it was the first time snow had fallen there since 1800. I'm assuming she meant the first time it had fallen there on Christmas, though snow in Corpus is rare, indeed.
My husband loves to watch the birds. He started with one feeder and is now up to five. The squirrels hang around below to scarf up the leavings, and strap on their "wings" on occasion to feed at the source. One way to keep them out of the feeder is to give them peanuts. I've been tossing them out on the deck. They caught on quickly and now sit on the deck railing peering in the window with a forlorn look that is irresistable, of course. They also get a daily ration of field corn, some off the cob, some on. It's delightful to watch a squirrel try to "squirrel" away an ear of corn that is bigger than he is. Grab it in the jaws, run two feet, drop the corn. Pick it up, run two more feet, drop the corn. One managed to get an ear 15 feet up in a fir tree and lodge it on a branch. It's been up there for days. Today as we returned from church, there were ten squirrels and many birds actively pursuing dinner. We sat in the car to watch for a while, then my daughter couldn't resist hitting the car horn to chase one squirrel out of the feeder. All ten ran for cover faster than an eyeblink, providing the best laugh of the day. While we were watching the hawk made two passes but apparently wasn't hungry.
