Celebrating the ordinary
I recently decided, in spite of the snow and cold, to get out in the backyard to see what I could find. As is so often the case, there was plenty to discover. The ice that formed in the middle of this Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) seedpod reminded me of a crystal jewel.
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.
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.
