12/5-It snowed the night before and we received about 3", enough for schools to close as with the wind, the wind chills were fierce at times. Out and about, folks were shocked by this abrupt onset of Winter as if Winter said: "yeah, I gave you a taste a few days ago and then I went in full bore. Enjoy!".
Mr. Redbird was a morning customer at the Diner.
A lone turkey stopped by but he decided to go back over to Benny's, who has seed scattered on a table.
There were snow squalls on and off all day but the sun came out a bit now and then.
One of our buddies hunkered down on Father Birch:
It was brisky out but folks were hungry and visited the Diner.
12/6-C and I went and chopped down our tree. He's smaller than last year's model but he is still beautiful and scents the library. We're so lucky with Buddy-he's so polite, never a climber or ornament walloper and he enjoys the scent as well. We think it reminds him of his favorite observation posts under the evergreens we have planted around the foundation.
We ventured to other versions, particularly featuring Coffee (Arabian dance). It's quite interesting to see these interpretations in respect to choreography, costumes and set design. Here's a buffet:
12/8-mostly sunny day getting up to upper 40's, melting most of the snow.
12/10-little wind, 43°-I went and raked the leaves in the Back 40.
꩜
I came across an article on FB about oak leaves-readers will remember my seasonal chores dealing with my neighbors abundant leaves. Why do oaks hang on to their leaves? Well, there's a name for this-who knew?
When
trees hang onto their leaves, it’s called marcescence. Marcescence is
the phenomenon where certain trees and plants, such as oaks, retain
their dead leaves through the winter instead of shedding them in autumn.
This occurs because the abscission layer, which normally allows leaves
to detach, doesn't fully develop. The exact reasons for marcescence are
not entirely known, but several theories suggest it could protect buds
from winter desiccation, provide nutrients to the soil when leaves
eventually fall in spring, or deter herbivores with less palatable
twigs.
When you walk through the
woods at this time of year, you will see some oaks with leaves and some
without. This is because some oak species are more prone to marcescence
than others. Some juvenile species of oaks, commonly including bur oak,
tend to keep their leaves. As trees mature, they tend to lose their
leaves or only keep them on lower branches. I have also seen where they
sporadically keep leaves top to bottom. Local climate and even genetic
differences between trees of the same species can cause some to hold
onto or lose their leaves differently.
꩜
This week, AT&T announced that they would be ending landline service in the US by 2029-certainly an end of an era.
꩜
A Winter Charm of Lasting Life-A Scottish Folk Song
White the sheep that gave the wool,
Green the pastures where they fed,
Blue and scarlet side by side,
Bless the warp and bless the thread.
May the charm of lasting life
Be upon your flocks in full,
From the hill where they rest,
May they rise both whole and well.
Bless the man who wears this cloth,
May he wounded never be.
From the bitter cold and frost,
May this cloth protection be.
Now is walked the web we spun,
Winter storms may rage in vain,
Bless the work by which we won
Comfort from the wind and rain.
White the sheep that gave the wool,
Green the pastures where they fed,
Blue and scarlet side by side,
Bless the warp and bless the thread.
꩜
Fun vids:
A NYT vid about the land art mega sculpture project "City" by Michael Heizer begun 50 years ago.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/19/arts/design/michael-heizer-city.html
Lansing once had a Heizer piece "This Equals That", a series of rust colored shapes installed on the west side of the Capitol Complex in 1980. It was quite controversial-it cost nearly a half million dollars at the time and many felt it looked like junk. It was dismantled in 2002 due to poor condition.
One warm summer evening probably in 1980-81, my pal Jim Moksha Barnes and I, after imbibing, drove over and visited it around midnight or so. I had brought a frisbee which we tossed while amidst the towering sculptures. Soon, we had State Police (who are in charge of Capitol security) coming over and demanding that we come with them. After some terse questioning, we were released.
꩜
A nicely done Ai short: The Cotton
Haluski readers know of my travails with Mamachuck. I am not alone in having to defend my garden against these voracious beasts:
A holiday short featuring Dick Van Dyke and Valerie Harper!
What if animals were round? Rollin' Safari:
Siberian Flying Squirrel with Attenborough:
A collection of river meanders:
No comments:
Post a Comment