Getting Ready For Winter

We usually post our first snowfall.  What happened last night might be too small to qualify but the ground was white this morning.  The YMCA finally decided that the time was right to replace the boiler that heats the building.  We did our hour of arthritis exercises in a properly heated pool but the air was cold.  The resulting chill is hard to shake so we were slow to crawl out from under the covers this morning.  By the time we were up the bright sunlight had melted the snow.  What little snow remained in the shade of a compost pile will have to do to support our claim of snow on the ground.

Our efforts have shifted from pulling weeds before they drop their seed load to preparations for winter.  Plants that form their flower buds in the fall continue to puzzle us.  How can it possibly be a sound survival strategy to expose next year's seed maker to bitter winter cold air?  We can do nothing about the temperature extremes but we can take action to deny the deer access to our flower buds.

When daughter Amy lived and worked in New York City, she took advantage of many of the remarkable places there.  The New York Botanical Gardens had a large grove of Magnolia trees growing on a rolling well manicured lawn.  When those trees were in bloom Amy would spend considerable time sitting under their blossoms.  She left the City after the Towers fell and we planted a Magnolia tree where it could be seen from her room here.  Our winters are much colder than those in Brooklyn but her tree manages at least a few blossoms each year.  The newly installed wire fence will protect some of the buds from the deer but others are just above the top of the fence.

Our day started under a cloudless blue sky.  Our house was designed so that a person  inside could see what was happening outside.  This morning we watched two mature bald eagles interaction with a common crow.  Rising air currents created by the warm sunlight made it possible for these three birds to fly in large lazy circles without beating a wing.  It is common here to see crows harassing eagles but the crows usually flap their wings furiously to keep up with the eagles.  This morning the crow copied the eagles flying style creating a never before seen show.  Slight trim changes in their flight feathers sent all three birds high into the sky.  The white heads and tails of the eagles glowed brilliantly in the bright sunlight.  It always puzzles me that the eagles tolerate the near attacks of the crows.  Their talons and beaks could easily snatch the crows from the air and absolutely shred them but they take no action other than an occasional change in their flight path.  After providing us with a great show, the eagles flew straight across the river disappearing from sight.  We feel extremely fortunate to live in the middle of this wilderness paradise.