It’s Wednesday and I’m not sure what is going on.
I know, I know, it is still officially winter, but we did have almost a whole week with temperatures above the freezing mark, the snow is nearly all gone again, and the thermometer was even flirting with 50 degrees a little earlier today.
Can’t go out and enjoy it though, because the wind would blow me away.
It is howling out there and although I am safely in here (my office combo room) it sounds like the roof is peeling away. Also, the power just went out and came back on after about five seconds.
It always seems to be windy here. We have been living in our 16 by 68 mobile now for two years, and I don’t think the wind has completely let up more than two of three times.
With fields all around us, we definitely get a good breeze on a daily basis pretty much all year round and sometimes (like right now) even a whole lot more. Jack says we are getting gusts of up to 44 miles an hour, according to a bulletin on the television just now.
We have a special explanation for this. For years when we have lost anything we have generally used a comment picked up from friend Kenny one time to explain where our lost items went. “It went to Chicago,” is always where we say the things that we are looking for have gone.
Well, I believe Chicago, or at least the “windy city” designation has now come to us, living as we do out here in our “little house on the prairie.”
Jack is telling me our little heat wave is coming to an end and the temperatures are going down with more snow predicted again.
Ah Michigan.
We don’t seem to get snow like we used to though. We’ve had several years of mild winters. So far this year, we’ve had just four episodes of snow that covered the ground here (the most was 5 inches) but then there’s another warm up and it disappears. Looks like it may be happening again.
Does anyone else remember when the last time we had a “real winter” was?
When I was a kid, it seemed like we always had plenty of snow on the ground by February. Maybe I only remember the snowy years…or, maybe they were just more fun.
We don’t see as much wildlife around this place as we did on the river, so I’m not sure how the critters are faring, but at least the deer don’t have to dig to get to the green stuff.
And it is somewhat green and, believe it or not, the grass has been growing occasionally!
Included in the wildlife we do see are birds. We have lots of them hanging around and looking for a handout at the feeders. Trouble is the wind has been blowing the feeders sideways and dumping all of the seed Jack puts in – out on the ground.
Despite grumbling about that, Jack has been keeping the feeders full all winter and the birds seem to appreciate the extra food, even when it’s lying on the ground.
The middle of February has come and gone and there’s only a week and a half left of the month.
I am not going to go into that long, annual spiel about my personal feelings about this month. You should know that all by heart anyway. Cold hands, cold feet, nasty roads…either covered in snow, ice or excessively muddy – and this month we’ve had all three!
Needless to say, February is usually the longest four weeks of the year. In March you can, at least hope for brief hints of spring in the air, a phenomenon that seems to have arrived a little earlier this year.
Doesn’t hurt my feelings…I’m ready for spring!