A Second Look--February 6, 2013

Here's What I Saw This Week During a Second Look

Crow

Hairy Woodpecker--The downy woodpecker, that was on this suet, left when this hairy woodpecker showed up.

This was only half of the group of deer that were grazing in the yard.

Tufted titmouse--tuft up

Tufted titmouse--tuft down

Male cardinal

Today...

Today, I'm going to remember that little things mean a lot.

Recently, Ward and I spent a few nights in a hotel while being with my mother who was sick. The first night while we were checking in, the desk clerk offered us a selection of snacks to take to our room. They were small bags and probably only cost the hotel a dime or so a piece, but that gesture made me happy. For just a minute, I forgot about how tired and stressed that I was, and I thought about what my midnight snack was going to be. Today I an going to try to remember that the unexpected little gestures really do mean a lot.

Sunday Verses

On Marilyn's blog at A Place to Reside, she posts a nice variety of things from recipes to Haiku, and somehow it seems as if every word she writes is perfectly chosen. She had such a post yesterday when she wrote a short verse about her Sunday morning.  Patterning her style, I wrote a verse about my Sunday evening.

Sunday Evening

Super Bowl

is tuned in on the old TV.

Snacks

are eaten with gusto.

Shadows

grow longer in the darkness.

Can you write a short verse about a part of your day?

Note: For those of you around the world who didn't follow the Super Bowl, about half way through the game, the electricity went out over half of the stadium rendering it in darkness. 

Thankful Sunday--February 3, 2013

I am thankful for the sun that melts the snow before I have to shovel it.

Happy Groundhog Day

Early morning, every February 2,  the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, leaves his burrow to predict the weather. If it's sunny and he sees his shadow, he scurries back into his burrow for another six weeks of cold weather. If it's overcast, he hangs around for an early spring. This morning, Phil didn't see his shadow, so we should have an early spring. Hooray!

A fun tradition, but how does Phil do with his predictions? According to Stormfax.com, Punxsutawney Phil has only been correct approximately 39% of the time. However, long range forecasts aren't usually too accurate more that seven days out so I think that we're asking a lot from a groundhog to predict the weather for weeks.

My backyard groundhog didn't come out to see his shadow today.

In all of this hubbub, I thought I would check out my local, backyard groundhog to see what he had to say about the subject. Basically, he said he was sleeping and go away. Meaning, the hole to his burrow has not been disturbed for a few months including today. So, he didn't see his shadow, but he didn't try to see his shadow. Or at least he didn't let himself be drug away from a peaceful sleep to predict the weather. I don't know what that means, but ultimately, I think that means that my groundhog is smarter than Punxsutawney Phil.

Want to know more about Groundhog Day?

Want a good overview of Groundhog Day including its origins? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day

Want to learn about Punxsutawney Phil and the see today's official proclamation about the weather? http://www.groundhog.org/

Want to learn about some of the research going on with groundhogs? http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-groundhogs-day-marmots-20130129,0,2106484.story

Want to learn about the history of the Phil's weather prediciting abilities?  http://earthsky.org/earth/groundhog-day-2013-how-accurate-is-punxsutawney-phil