I am not musing too much these days – no witty words are escaping my mouth and travelin’ to my fingers as they peck the keyboard. Nope, if anything is coming out of my mouth, it is a frosty vapor from the frigid temps we have experienced the past three days. Today, during the dinner hour, freezing rain was on the menu, but tomorrow we’ll be 40 degrees warmer and regular rain all day. Thursday and Friday we’re back in the deep freeze, so most likely all that rain will freeze on the sidewalks.
I hope Parker and his pals have a shovel to dig through all that snow and ice to access their nuts – better yet, I hope they used sticky notes to help find those peanuts like this squirrel did in this cute vintage commercial:
The big snowfall on Saturday is old hat now. We ended up with a total of six inches in Saturday’s snow event and that was topped off with the bitter cold. I’ve been letting all the taps drip, running several small loads of laundry daily to keep the pipes warm and trudging out to run the car for fifteen minutes every morning. Alas, Old Man Winter has not only settled in, but has his feet up on the hassock and is reading the paper and prepared to settle in for a long visit. Sigh.
Well, yesterday was a holiday as we know – the commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, but it was also “Squirrel Appreciation Day”. No, I did not make it up and here is a photo to prove it – I saw it on the internet, so it must be so!
I felt badly as I let down the crew at the Park, and, though I tried to feed my porch squirrels while I was outside, they did not show up. I am sure that -15 wind chill kept them snuggled together in their nests for most of the day. I was relieved to see those peanuts I left tucked under the front stoop were gone this morning when I went out to run the car. Whew! I worry about my furry friends, because last week I saw two large Cooper’s Hawks sitting in a tall tree on the cross street. I happened to be taking the car for a run to the Park Thursday morning since Friday morning snow was predicted. I saw the pair of hawks while backing out of the driveway. When one flew off, I quickly followed it. I watched that hawk alight on a branch and I had a chance to study it. I had no time to take a picture as my camera was buried under my coat, and I was driving, but I remembered the markings from the encounter with the Cooper’s Hawk and Stubby last Summer – you will recall, I had just fed that squirrel who is missing half his tail, and just as Stubby began to dig into his peanut pile, the hawk swooped down out of nowhere – Stubby ran as fast as those short four legs could carry him and scurried under a picnic table in the pavilion area.
Thursday night I alerted my neighbors, both who have small dogs – one said “I saw a hawk in your yard and ours and the hawk got a squirrel” … well, I had a sick feeling after reading his reply, so Friday morning I abandoned the idea of putting out the peanuts from the front door before I went outside, not wanting to make Grady and his pal “sitting ducks” and I opted instead to feed them when I went outside and wait for them. So, Friday morning I went outside – a light covering of snow had fallen and there were lots of squirrel paw prints on the porch and steps.
Aww … they knew our routine from all these weeks and were waiting on me and likely thought I forgot them. No fellas … I didn’t forget you, just trying to be careful and spare your lives.
Before laying any peanuts out, I glanced all around at the tall trees …
… luckily I saw no hawks, so I felt comfortable leaving them their treats.
I am savoring those many mornings I stepped out in December and January … like I said in my recent post, sometimes you just have to seize the day.
P.S. – Today is “National Blonde Brownie Day” just in case you’ve had a treacherous ride home and care to whip up a quick batch?
[Image of “Squirrel Appreciation Day” from National Day Calendar]
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Miss Linda………………….thank you for sharing that very cute squirrel commercial and the post-it notes……………………….that is funny…………………….I’m happy to know that it was Squirrel Appreciation Day yesterday………………………….I don’t get to see many squirrels near us………..and no I didn’t make any blonde brownies today………………..but I did bake lots of other things…………………if its NOT real slippery tomorrow morning we’re going to walk at Meijer store………………….but I caught a bad cold so I just might opt to stay in bed a little longer
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No walking here either…..I haven’t walked in almost a week and freezing rain forecast for the am. Loved the squirrel video! I’m sure Parker is tucked up tightly in his nest hibernating.
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I think you’re right about Parker and his pals at the Park … I watched that cute commercial years ago and hoped it was “Googlable” so had to use it – very sweet.
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Linda
You said no witty words would come out of your keyboard today but to me they were as witty as any. Glad it is the squirrel appreciation day and wishing all the luck to all the cuddly dears in their nests or otherwise. Wish I had one for a pet.
Happy to see those squirrelly footprints on the porch- perhaps they came out at night.
Some days you are just happy to see an animal face outside your door- I don’t blame you one bit.
Susie
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Susie – I thank you for saying they were witty words … the Winter here can be not only a pain but dangerous. It is a treacherous commute this morning and it is finally above freezing but the cement/ground has been so cold that the salt has not helped. Overturned trucks and cars slip-sliding away – it is so bad all the schools in five counties are closed today. I am waiting a little longer to go and run the car and if it is slippery, I may skip it today as it is going to 41. The squirrels I can feed from the porch if I know they will grab the peanuts and leave … I am not comfortable feeding them if the hawks are watching … we do have a lot of squirrels in the neighborhood – the hawks will stay full if they stay here. Right now since the trees are bare, the hawks have a clear view of the squirrels as they run in the trees … no problem for them to swoop down on them there either. I am reminded by other nature lovers here on WordPress that the hawks must survive and it is part of the cycle of life, but nature can be cruel sometimes.
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I hate the cold and I hate snow, we haven’t got any here yet but it is forecast for next week. Pleased that your squirrel friends are ok, had never heard of squirrel appreciation day.
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I hate Winter too Marian and now that I work from home and don’t need to be dealing with the weather and bus trips to/from work after decades of doing this, still doesn’t make me embrace Winter any more … we had freezing rain starting around dinner time Tuesday and they closed the airport down for 12 hours, tons of accidents this morning … a very slippery mess everywhere. I’ve not looked outside to see if my porch squirrels have come calling … I may not make it to the Park for awhile … walks are halted until conditions get better, even if I use attachments to my boots to grip the ice … the neighborhoods will be treacherous for a while. I know the U.K. had a bad Winter last year so, let’s zip to Spring shall we?
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Jumping straight to spring sounds good. We had snow here today, pretty to look at but that’s about it. Nice that you work from home. I do alot of my admin work from home but I also drive miles. Another reason for hating snow as my car likes most cars struggles with ice. I’m hoping your porch squirrels are hiding somewhere warm away from the weather.
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Even a seasoned driver does not especially like freezing rain and snow. My boss is pretty fearless about driving in Winter as he grew up in a part of Michigan that gets a lot of snow and travels a lot for work, and was talking to me on the way home yesterday and said he had to hang up to concentrate on the freezing rain. I took the bus for years, so I am a “Winter Weenie” about driving in the ice and snow. I hope those porch squirrels are hibernating in their nests or hiding somewhere warm as well. The worst is yet to come weather-wise they tell us Marian.
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Oh dear, I saw a post on Facebook about minus 16 weather.. I’m hoping that was a joke. No definitely not a fan of winter weather.
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I had to convert to F to see how cold … I’m no fan of 3 degrees over here either. We have another round of ugly weather. It is snowing now … I don’t even want to think about a half-foot of snow for Monday night.
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Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day! I love that, and had no idea such a day existed! x I hope it gets warmer there soon. xxx
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Hi Heather – thank you … I used to get e-mails of fun calendar days – probably most of them are American kind of crazy types of days and I unsubscribed but maybe I’ll subscribe again. I think that site was also through WordPress … I will find it and send you the link for kicks. I saw this picture on a nature website I follow on Facebook. We have an ugly weather day today – freezing rain and all five counties have closed their schools due to unsafe bus travel – that is lots of kids having a day off of school, and likely their mums a day off work if they don’t have a day care or family helpers Plan “B” in place. We get back in the deep freeze tomorrow again, but not as bad as Sunday-Tuesday. Hope your weather is better across the pond … {{{ }}} to you and Dizzy.
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I hope you’re managing to keep warm, and I would love to see the link! 🙂 it’s stll chilly here but is suppose to warm up abit over the weekend. 🙂 I really hope it does. Then chilly again on Monday. A few snow flurries, but nothing too much yet. 🙂 xxx
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Well we’re getting more snow again tonight and bitter cold again starting tomorrow – I dread the next half foot of snow on Monday … I’m going to make an effort to visit the Park if not icy on Saturday. I actually think I could have gotten there today. The weatherman and traffic reporter said “be careful, it’s still slippery out there” … so I just planned to go out and run the car. I opened the door when it was light and it was clear as a bell. All that snow from the sidewalk and driveway was gone and the freezing rain from yesterday morning and all the ice had melted in the one day of warm weather. The weather is unbelievable. I have found the link and I followed as well. I think when I followed it was still going to my e-mail as there was that option and I didn’t know how to adjust it to WordPress at the time. They have some really cute days … here you go Heather, stay warm, hopefully mostly snow-free too: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/
{{{ }}} to you and Dizzy
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Aww, thank you! I tried to sign up but it keeps saying there’s an error. I will try again later, and in the mean time I have saved the page. Glad I found out it’s National Chocolate Cake day on the 27th. 🙂 xxx
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You’re welcome Heather … When I used to subscribe it seems like I was getting it via e-mail. I just looked and got nothing by e-mail today, but if you want, I can just as easily get it by e-mail and forward to you daily- how’s that? Finding out about National Chocolate Cake Day on the 27th made it worthwhile for sure – now you can go ahead and indulge “for the cause”. 🙂 {{{ hugs }}}
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Aww, thank you Linda! I don’t know why it won’t let me join. Just keeps saying there’s a problem. 😦 Dizzy is very keen on this for the 27th. Lots of chocolate cake! 🙂 Hope you’re keeping warm. xxx
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Well, I just looked and didn’t get a post in Reader either Heather, so maybe there was a glitch of some kind on their site because both of us wouldn’t have a problem. I will try to sign up for e-mail and see how that works – that is how I got it for years. I might have thought it was the problem with some websites when others from U.K. can not get into the website without getting that message that is is not accessible … I’ll do the e-mail route … we must know all these fun food holidays for sure … who knows, a National Ginger Biscuit Day may be lurking out there for Dizzy. Looking ahead at the -30 windchill (-34 C) makes me wish for Spring to hurry up. It is 13 degrees now (-10C). {{{ hugs }}}
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Just went in “Manage Subscriptions” and I WAS subscribed by e-mail. Like you I tried to go right on the website and a pop-up ad appears where you should click “subscribe by e-mail” – very strange!
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Went back and looked at yesterday just thinking it comes out the day before the actual date – Bingo! Tomorrow is not out yet, but this was today’s … so I was just subscribe for Reader despite what the “follow” icon says: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/january-25-2019-national-opposite-day-national-big-wig-day-national-florida-day-national-irish-coffee-day/
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Thank you so much for passing these onto us. I’ve had Dizzy doing puzzles all day, to celebrate ‘National Puzzle Day’! 🙂 xxx
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You’re welcome Heather … anything to keep Dizzy preoccupied and out of the ginger biscuits. 🙂 My mom loved jigsaw puzzles … she had some medical issues and did not get around much the last 10 years of her life. She would sit for hours doing puzzles – lots of patience and sometimes only getting a few pieces in on a particularly difficult puzzle.
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Aw, so kind of you to look out for hawks so the squirrels and your neighbors’ small dogs are safe. I worry about Copper when he’s outside, we have hawks, eagles, and owls here…all are hungry!
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Well I have to tell you that the Cooper’s Hawk that flew down and perched in the tree as I drove near it, was huge … as it settled into the tree and I saw its wing span before it tucked its wings down I was amazed. The hawk I saw in the Summer was much smaller, I could see it picking up a small dog or a kitten perhaps … my neighbors have a mixed terrier and a Bichon Frise so they are maybe the size of Copper … I know they will run fast, but does Copper have a hidey hole to protect him out in the yard. A doghouse, even if you don’t put him outside and leave him, just a place to duck into from the hawks. Is this the day you have to go out for meetings Shelley – our roads are treacherous and the airport just opened after a 12-hour shutdown due to slippery runway conditions. Winter has made itself at home.
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It is amazing how big those hawks can get! I’ve seen them and the eagles circling our yard when Copper is out there. He probably looks a bit like one of the rabbits! I always go out and stand by him when I see the hawks. We never leave him out there alone. I do have to go out today – we don’t have bad weather, just gloomy…I better take my Vitamin D! Stay safe and warm!!
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I think Cooper would run pretty fast if he saw one. He is a little big for then to carry away, so I think you’re safe. I’ve heard that the squirrels, when terrorized by the hawks will crawl into car engine’s to escape yet have a warm place to sleep, since they feel threatened in their nests when the trees are bare and the hawks are around. They don’t just rest there, but chew the wires and wreak havoc … not very welcome with car owners when the bills are over $2,000.00 to fix. Yes, take that Vitamin D – not enough sunshiney days this time of year.
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We are keeping the faucets dripping through the night as well. Frozen pipes would be a nightmare. You shouldn’t feel like you have let down your pals at the park. You have given them so much and this is exactly the reason that they store food – for days when Linda doesn’t show up. Now please remind us all again how many days ’til spring? We’re getting closer. 🙂
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I finally turned the faucets off this morning – they said it would be milder overnight, but I took no chances and we are back to very cold temps tomorrow, but not as brutal. On the news they said the airport just opened and five counties have closed the schools today due to unsafe travel – are the rural roads by you tackled last by the road commission Ruth? I hope my furry friends can remember where they hid everything and can find it beneath the snow … looks like some of the snow has melted from all the rain but I’m going to look outside and see if it is safe to run the car or not … don’t feel like taking a tumble … as to Spring, 56 days and counting … keep this handy to keep your spirits up: https://days.to/spring/2019
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Oh yes the rural roads are last to be done. My husband just made the trip to the farm and said that the dirt roads are a sheet of ice. No faster than 10 miles per hour. Fortunately it’s only about 1 mile on dirt road but it was still a white knuckle drive.
My daughter flew out of metro airport to Seattle yesterday. I am thankful her flight was in the morning.
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It was a dicey day for sure … was your daughter’s flight before the airport opened at 10:00 a.m. and she was waiting in the queue, or after 10:00 a.m.? Winter flying is never fun – they closed the airport down at 8:00 p.m. last night and the closing made the national news.
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Fortunately she flew out Tuesday morning around 8:00 am before the weather got bad.
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She was very lucky – it sounded like a nightmare at the airport Ruth.
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OMG I remember that commercial! That darn Hawk!
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That was a clever commercial wasn’t it? I think they put peanut butter on the sticky note because the squirrel kept putting his mouth on it. That hawk was big enough to go to work!
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We’ve had squirrels coming for sunflower seeds and corn lately. I’ve kept them fed during the worst of the cold weather. They have water from the heated bird bath. This is a 5 star hotel for them! 🙂
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You sure are a 5 star hotel and I’m sure they pass the word along to the others … “the eatin’s good at Kate’s house!” You’re are a good example of the signs they used to post years ago on farmhouses and rural areas for hobos, so they knew it was okay to stop and ask for a meal. It was a symbol of a smiling cat that told people a kind-hearted woman lives here. I looked for that sign and found it in a post in this blog on WordPress – I might have subscribed, but it looks like it is dormant right now: https://fillyourownglass.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/a-kind-hearted-woman-lives-here/
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Look for a group of cats looking for a handout and you’ll find kind people every time! I didn’t realize it was such a symbol!
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Yes, there are many of those symbols and don’t know where I read it originally but they were universal symbols back in the day.
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What are BLONDE brownies???
Squirrel appreciation day sounds awesome!
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Doesn’t squirrel appreciation day sound fun – the squirrels would love it too … I’ll have to make it up to them. I’ve had blonde brownies but prefer the regular brownies – they are not made with cocoa, so aren’t chocolately, but they are made with brown sugar which gives them a butterscotch flavor. My late mom would make them sometimes – she was a great cook and baker … something happened and the genes did not follow when I was born. 🙂
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I am so glad that the little prints in the snow showed that they are safe and looking for their peanuts.
I love that there is a National Squirrel Appreciation day ❤. I suppose however that everyday is one of those in your life since meeting Parker and his furry friends and showing so much kindness to them. You are such a loving soul.
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Thank you Zena – I hated cutting them off of their peanuts, but I wanted to be outside when they were there to ensure the hawk didn’t come and try to grab them. I felt badly seeing they were there before me – you know you feed them one time … it was one time I tossed some peanuts as I walked up the driveway after walking one morning and soon Grady was there, waiting every day patiently for his peanuts. So I started doing it before I left on a walk, so he didn’t have to wait for me – then there were two of them.
I’m such a sucker for these little guys!
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Oh bless you. You have such a loving way about you. You are so sweet to them ❤
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Thanks Zena – I feel badly today – I put peanuts out but they stayed in their nest – I thought they may come out later, even though it likely would not warm up, but I saw not a single squirrel on the wires or in the trees. They are likely tucked in their nests with the other squirrels, huddled close – that is how they sleep and stay warm. Hope they are okay. The severe cold continues til Friday when it moderates a little.
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Oh bless them. Hope they stay warm enough snuggled up.
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Me too Zena. I was worried about them.
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Thank you, Miss Linda, for explaining the weather and the cuddly dears. So kind of you:)
The same kind of thing my papa does, he feeds the Seagulls. Nowadays because of the weather, fewer birds are there.
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You’re welcome Bablee – our weather has been atrocious lately … now we are in the heart of Winter and it looks like downhill for a few more weeks … happily I work from home and have no need to go out for anything, just running my car in the garage … no walking for a little while. I like to feed the Seagulls too – we have some little parks down on the Detroit River and the Seagulls are pretty active there, especially in the Summer when the boaters are out. They flock around looking for handouts. One handout and 10 Seagulls are suddenly fighting for it!
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Thank you miss Linda. Yes, you are right it is very insightful and fun!
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Oh that weather sounds horrible! I startled a squirrel so badly this morning that it fell off the branch it was sitting on
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Yes, I’m dreading it – it’s snowing a little now – ugh! You were just walking to school and it was daydreaming about peanuts?
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Maybe🤣. I had to giggle cause he looked pretty funny!
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Ha ha – you embarrassed him. He probably looked around to see if any of his friends saw him!
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Lol maybe but he was actually the only squirrel we saw all day today
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My two porch squirrels look around to see if I’m there (I want to tell them that I am not the big threat here, but beware of the hawks) and they didn’t see me in the garage, so they were brave and sat there on the porch and munched away.
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Linda, I’m glad to hear that the porch squirrels are well and you are kind enough to help them survive the nasty weather you’ve been having. We still haven’t had any winter weather. Stay warm!
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Me too Sabine – they were there this morning while I was out … I didn’t take the camera as I only intended to dash out and back in. Our Winter is ramping up more, snowing a little now, then another polar adventure. I’ll bundle up for sure!
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☃️
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The snow is beautiful, but I’m ready for spring.
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Me too Sheryl – the weather for the near future does not look too promising.
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Awww….I missed National Blonde Brownie Day! Too bad. I hope your Grady stays away from the hawks. I think Cooper’s hawks eat mostly other birds, but they would probably take a squirrel too if they could catch one. I am taking a little break from winter, visiting my sister in Florida. It is so nice and warm here, I will not want to go home!
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Yes, I hope Grady is careful Laurie. He is quite a big smaller than the Fox squirrels and he doesn’t run so much on four legs as he hops – it is very cute. He’ll climb up the steps, but hops on the grass like a rabbit for some reason. I fed them as I was outside and they got their treats … we have snow tonight so I wanted to ensure they got some peanuts before the snow flies. I can’t blame you for not wanting to go home – we have another six inches of snow coming Monday and the deep freeze is worse than earlier this week. Likely the same in Pennsylvania.
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Aw we all go through seasons of inspiration & others where we aren’t… I’m sure the writing bug will bite again in no time 😉 I wish I had known it was National Blonde Brownie day! I would have had to whip up a batch for sure- mmm ! better late than never?!
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That’s right – well I got a walk in today and will do a post later. I have to get the walks in while the weather cooperates. You can still whip up a batch a few days later Mackenzie and celebrate the poor blonde brownie that is not as popular as its cocoa counterpart. 🙂
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i love the interaction you have with your readers, Linda. I love it that you take the time to write a really detailed and inspirational article, take the photos, upload them, and read each comment we write in your blog and answer to us.
I enjoy very much reading your posts and all the comments too! 👍😃
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Thank you so much for saying that Martha – I am enjoying each and every aspect of blogging – I intended to write a blog post last night. I had a plumbing emergency last night at 7:00 p.m. and because our temps were to drop to -8 windchill, and the plumber was willing (they do emergencies 24/7/365), I was lucky he would come to the house … arrived at 10:00 p.m. My kitchen sink pipes fell apart and I was running a trickle or drops of hot water through each sink to keep the pipes warm like most other homeowners in this cold blast, I was worried about no hot water during last night’s cold temps. I was grateful he could fix the problem – whew! Your comment made my day Martha!
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I’m sorry you had that plumbing problem, Linda. But at the same time it is great that you found a plumber capable and available to help you!
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Yes it was lucky Martha – I had a few plumbing fiascos in 2017 … my plumber retired and had to find a new one – bad choice and I wish I’d known about Quint back then. I got their name from the hair salon where I go – they used the company before and were very please. He had no qualms about coming out at 10:00 p.m.
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Linda, the Weather Prediction Center just issued a warning for the Upper Midwest and Upper Great Lakes. Please take great care of yourself and keep us posted 💌 💌
Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
313 PM EST Sun Jan 27 2019
Valid 00Z Mon Jan 28 2019 – 00Z Wed Jan 30 2019
…Heavy snow expected across the Upper Midwest and Upper Great Lakes…
…Arctic air to bring dangerous wind chills across the northern Plains
and Upper Midwest starting Tuesday…
This is the LINK to it.
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/hpcdiscussions.php?disc=pmdspd
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Thanks Martha – it is supposed to be the coldest air that has been in these parts since January of 1994. I worry mostly that the power will go out – then the pipes would freeze. That was my primary worry last night with the plumbing debacle – if the pipes froze, what a mess, not to mention the expense. We are also getting between 4-6 inches of snow beginning tomorrow morning, an all-day snow, and, depending on the meterologist, they keep adjusting the amount, in the northern suburbs it will be 7 inches of snow at least. I hope we luck out but am really concerned for the bitter cold. Thanks again for thinking about me Martha – it is appreciated.
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Staying indoors seems A great idea…i seem to have missed a bunch of your posts sorry…must catch up on them 🙂
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I agree Michael … now we have three days of this miserable weather to contend with and it seems I have to just enjoy any opportunity I can until this spate of ugly Winter weather passes. No worries being behind – I am behind these days as well. The only time I seem to be caught up in Reader is if I don’t post anything and that kinda defeats the purpose. 🙂
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