UGH! Winter

Yesterday it was almost 60 and the sunrise was gorgeous, once again looking like a sunset.  This morning about 3am the rain started turning to ice and now snow.  It is 21 now and heading down down down with the wind howling making it so bitter cold. I saw a Robin out front this morning.  Crazy bird needs to head south pronto, or maybe it should just stay because Spring is 2 months away.

D24 Sightings

As we are all aware by now, since June 2017, D24’s satellite transmitter has not fully recharged as it should due to an unexplainable glitch in the transmitter. This has resulted in intermittent data since then, with a few “hits” in July (when we had our last visual of him), September, November, December, and the most recent, January 3 and 4, 2018. All of these points have come from an area 5-10 miles south of Decorah. Even though we did not have data for the last several days, I decided my technician, Bob, and I would take some time and drive to that area and search for a VHF signal from D24’s backpack transmitter. Conditions were favorable: it was early enough and cloudy enough that D24 would likely not be soaring, which makes tracking difficult. Even if the satellite transmitter is not sending data, if we could get within approximately two miles of D24, we should hear the constant VHF signal with the hand held receiver and antenna set to its frequency.

Once we got to Ossian, Iowa, we were on the eastern edge of his recent locations. We stopped a couple of times to check for a signal, but heard nothing. By the third stop we had a strong signal. We were able to quickly determine D24’s current location, east of Calmar, Iowa. He was with several other Bald Eagles, both adults and immatures, and was only 25 yards from the road in a wooded swale. D24 looks great. He has a dark chest patch and his belly is much lighter. His eye and beak are still brown, but the horn color is beginning to show on his beak. When he flew across the road to another perch his plumage appeared complete (i.e. we did not observe gaps in the wing or tail feathers). We received satellite data this morning (Wednesday) that showed he spent the rest of the day and night within two miles of where we spotted him late Tuesday morning.
It was a successful and gratifying trip, seeing D24 looking good and hanging out with other eagles not far from his natal area."

59 C

First Project of the Year

I love pink and purple together.  Several of my friends and I have been talking about making snowflake hats.  Anyway I decided to squeeze in a small project yesterday afternoon and with 3 rows left the power went out. So this morning I finished my hat. The project is called Snowbunny and I did not do the pompom as I just think they only belong on a small child's hat.  I did 4 repeats and used size 5 needles.  It does fit just to the bottom of the ear lobe. 

RIP Sue Grafton

If you are not familiar with Sue Grafton she wrote the alphabet books, starting with A is for Alibi. I have read up to S and have the rest I think, if not I will get them. Kinsey Millhone is her main character who is a private investigator.  See if you can find her books you will like them and then try to read them all.  Y was just released and there probably won't be a Z to finish the alphabet.

 https://media.bookbub.com/blog/2017/12/29/mystery-author-sue-grafton-death/

Deja Vue

We had snow again this morning, the last bit from Sunday morning was not all gone. However today was bitter cold and tonight will be close to zero or below.

Many have asked why I hate winter so much.  I was born in LA and then we moved to southern New Mexico.  We had snow once for half a day and it was all melted the next day.  When I was entering Junior High we moved to Des Moines, egads my first experience of winter.  One day mom and I were going somewhere in our  Falcon station wagon. Mom could not stop at the bottom of the hill and we slid out into traffic on a busy street.  When I opened my eyes I looked at a telephone pole.  It scared my mom so bad she has never driven in weather.  It took me until a couple of years ago to ever feel somewhat comfortable driving in weather. 

I don't like the cold, I much prefer the warmer weather being inside and outside and being able to do all I want to like have flowers and leaves on the trees, etc. 

Anyway we had another inch of snow this morning.

Merry Christmas

When I was  a kid Christmas was a yuge deal.  The tree, the cookies, the food, the festivities, the church programs, and then the gifts.  We made lots of cookies and apple santas and we cooked and ate and it was great. We would drive around town and look at the Christmas lights.   Now I go to the Assisted Living Facility where my parents live and we did have a great meal.  I do miss cooking and baking, all the festivities, the game playing, etc.  I hope families today understand how much it means to spend the time together and create memories. Although the activities are gone, the memories are still there.  Maybe someday when we have all gone up yonder we can have that Christmas again.  

First Snow

We had our first snow early this morning. I don't do winter and I don't do snow.  Having been born in  LA and then living in southern NM until I entered Junior High I just don't like it.  There are always lots of wrecks the first snow because somehow people forget in a just a few short months how to drive in it.

I think it is a good day for vegging the Netflix and knitting and let the idiots have at it.

Have You Noticed?

The past few years I have hardly seen Christmas lights on the outside of houses, not many decorations and even the amount of cards I receive have been far and few between.  This year so many of my neighbors have decorated the outside of their houses.  There are lots of lights, blow up ornaments, and those lights that shine on houses with the glitter like look.  I have a large stack of cards I have received as well this year.  Could it be that people feel like celebrating Christmas again?  We don't feel there is such a war on Christmas as in the past?  Are people feeling better about things?  I'm not sure why but there is a feeling of Christmas in the air this year and it feels good. 

An Advent of Gratitude, Who is Joining Me?

Cookies

Today is National Cookie Day.  Who doesn't like cookies?  I am not talking about the computer cookies, but the kind you eat.  We are having our Cookie and Candy sale at church this weekend and I am been on Pinterest trying to find some easy Christmas cookies. I found several recipes and some candy ones as well, so this week my house will smell wonderful.  Good thing too because this morning it is 66 and the rest of the week it will be in the 40's during the day and 20's and below at night. A great chance to warm up the house.  I have 40 pounds of flour, 15 of sugar and 10 of butter and other goodies.  I think I am ready. 

When I was a child on Black Friday mom and I would drag out all the cookie making stuff, get our cookbooks out and the cookie cutters.  We spent the entire day making cookies.  We would get a box and decorate it and fill it with cookies. My dad would then take them to work and the guys would have cookies until the box was empty.  It was a lot of work and a lot of fun.  We had so many decorated sugar cookies.  A couple of years before I retired I did the same thing.  Cookies are always appreciated no matter who they are made for.

So will you join me this week in making some cookies. Perhaps give some away. I always make a treat bag for my trash and recycle guys, and postman.  My neighbors get a tray as well.  Make some cookies, warm up the house and then sit with a cup of coffee and have one or two.

There is a Glow In the House

There was a glow in the house this morning as the sun rose.  The house was all warm with a splash of pink and orange.  While these may look like a sunset they were taken less than an hour ago.

The Christmas Cactus is going crazy this year. she is blooming her little heart out.  I am hoping the pitiful one beside her grows more this next year and will bloom next year.  Mom had almost killed it so I took it home and it is growing.
 

 

National Monopoly Day

Monopoly is my favorite board game.  I have been known to play by myself because no one wants to take the time to play a game.  I have several versions the latest being Cat Monopoly.

Known as one of the most popular board games in the world, the game that was originally based on a board game designed by Elizabeth Magie in 1902, Monopoly has been played by an estimated more than 5 million people since 1935.

So who wants to come over and play a game?

RIP Sophie

Such a beautiful girl.  Gone too soon. My niece's cat.