Let It Snow!

I love snow. I love the way it makes the world look, all white and clean (at least until the cars make the snow turn grey). I love the way it makes the world sound, all quiet and peaceful. So days like today and Wednesday are wonderful for me. Granted, I didn’t have to drive into work on either day, so that might be something. But I even like to drive in snow, as long as I don’t have to be around too many other cars. And shoveling it, too!

We have been feeding the birds for some time now, seeing mostly English sparrows and our cardinal pair; the male cardinal looks striking in the snow. (TIP: we microwave the sunflower seeds before we place them in the feeder so that the seeds won’t sprout come spring.) But Wednesday brought out a whole new set of birds, many that aren’t commonly seen at our feeder: juncos, cowbirds and our woodpecker, who was feeding on the suet. Pete said the cowbird was unusual because they prefer, well, places the cows would like, such as open fields. They are such distinct birds with a brown head and black bodies. And the juncos are very beautiful, too, with grey bodies and white bellies. And we always have chickadees, one of my favorites. I took some pictures, but the birds are small, the camera’s only my iPhone, so the pictures aren’t the best. The first photo shows Mr. Cardinal to the left of the bird feeder; the second shows the juncos on the chair below and to the right of the feeder. If you squint, you can barely make them out…

Then on Wednesday, Pete and I took our favorite snowy walk into Walhalla Ravine. We took that way to get to an oak tree on the other side of Indianola that Pete wanted to photograph to show that the stream used to be on both sides on the street. The setting was absolutely stunning, with the snow clinging to the bushes and even the smallest plants. How one small snowflake sticks to a tiny, thin twig always fascinates me. Then, as we were walking, Pete said, “Deer!” At first, I thought he was calling me (although “Dear” isn’t his most often used term of endearment for me…). Then I looked over to where he was pointing and saw a doe calmly standing on the side of the ravine. Then I saw another one. It seemed so odd to see two deer in the heart of Columbus. Pete thought they might have come up from the Olentangy River. He took some pictures, but the deer were camera shy. Of course, when I was looking at them, one was in perfect form, looking at me with head raised and ears up. When Pete came over to take her picture, she decided that she has an itch on her flank that needs attention. Oh well!

On Thursday, a bunch of us gathered at OSU to bring back the markers for the Arboretum. They look amazing (thanks, Jake) and are amazingly heavy! Once the snow melts, they can be placed on trees on the walks. Until then, you’ll just have to wait to see what they look like.

Hope all of you are enjoying the snow as much as I am; if not, just be like Seamus and Ciara: settle down for a long winter’s nap!

Until next time and Happy New Year!