It is Day #2 of the snow and ice event that walloped one-third of the nation over the weekend. As I’ve mentioned before, just like most of the U.S., (and world for that matter), our weather has been wacky and erratic for several years. There is no rhyme or reason to the seasons. I sure was not complaining about our lack of snow here in the Mitten State, with just one significant snowfall to date, which happened on Veterans Day. Yet, my uneasiness persisted, since yes, it is Winter in SE Michigan, thus I found myself glancing backward as if Ol’ Man Winter might tap me on the shoulder and say “get ready, I’m back from my holiday!”
These ugly weekend weather events are poorly timed, as my walking regimen takes a major hit – weekends are when I go on my longer treks to the bigger parks. Last Saturday, it was torrential rain, 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) over 24 hours, followed by freezing rain. The ice melted by Monday afternoon, so Tuesday I was back at the Park, happily tripping along the perimeter path and feeding my peanut pals who rushed over to greet me like long lost friends.
This weekend, however, mere steps, and not miles, will count, since my trek entailed going down the driveway and along the sidewalks, with my snow shovel in tow and not straying away from the house. This picture was taken under the patio roof where I sought shelter, hoping to get some snow shots, but needing to protect the camera from the snow, which was falling in earnest. Though the snow piled up in some places, along the perimeter of the house, some melting had already begun since it was 35 degrees F (1C).
Actually, I was looking for critter or bird tracks, but the snow had been falling about an inch per hour, so any overnight tracks were long gone. After taking just a couple of shots, I took the camera back into the house and when I opened the screen door to go out to shovel, evidently a squirrel had seen me, as there were fresh tracks right outside the door.
I smiled as I figured it was Grady and stepped back into the house to grab the camera and some peanuts, then back outside to look for him for some pictures; all the while my gloved hand was protecting the camera while holding onto a handful of peanuts.
But, I soon discovered it was not Grady, but another gray squirrel, the poor fellow who suffers from mange on his entire body. He has no fur except for his skinny tail. I feel badly whenever I see him and always slip him some extra peanuts. He is quite skittish and a bit of a loner.
I saw a trail of prints leading to the front yard …
… so I traipsed through the snow and found this squirrel perched on a snow-covered cement ledge. The ledge is about six feet high. He was clearly agitated and chattering at me (no doubt his teeth were chattering too). He watched me intently, but there was fear in his eyes. I just melted seeing him distressed like that and spoke softly to him, then slowly I reached over and placed four peanuts on the cement ledge, positioning them deep in the snow to stay put. But, there would be no pictures and no further interaction, since he deemed I invaded his personal space, so, with a screechy sound, he made a humongous flying leap from the high ledge, across the front of the garage door, to the front porch. I held my breath that he would not fall onto the concrete and be killed since he made such a hasty departure. Whew! He made it and scampered off. Afterward, I measured with my booted feet and that was about a twelve-foot jump! I left the peanuts in place and hurried and shoveled a clear spot and put more down – he did not return to the house until three hours later, when I was finally ready to go inside and no other squirrels dared to venture out yesterday.
Five inches of snow had fallen when I went outside yesterday at 9:00 a.m. or so and it was the heavy stuff. There was some significant blowing and drifting that occurred at the beginning of the snowstorm. Freezing rain started halfway through the shoveling job and last night temps dipped down in the teens and the wind chill made it feel like 1 degree F (-17 C). Just for good measure, overnight an inch of snow fell on top of the glare ice that formed, plus gusty winds. I will go outside later and sweep as we have snow flurries now. The expression of “misery loves company” sure applies to this snowstorm, since 100 million Americans are dealing with snow/ice in some form or another as a result of this event. How many days until Spring?
Because I am a realist and knew the “real Winter” would arrive sooner or later, I got as many long treks under my belt as possible while the weather was clear and dry. The cold is never a problem for me – I just add some additional layers and grin and bear it.
Since this weekend’s weather was “no walk in the park” as that expression goes, instead I’ll focus on a trek I took back on December 7th at Lake Erie Metropark.
I’m going to do that trek as a separate post as this one has become a wee bit too long and the Gutenberg Editor has been temperamental today.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Our snowstorm was 2″ and is mostly gone now. That’s good because a cold snap is moving in although it’s still above freezing.
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A lot of our snow melted yesterday as it got to 40, but then froze overnight, plus snow. I am going out shortly to sweep it unless it is glare ice underneath and I’ll leave it for now. I’ll run the car as it is 8 degree windchill.
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Yes, the storm hit here too – only not as bad as what you got. We were expecting worse, of course, they were off on their predictions yet again. Aw – so nice of you to make sure the little squirrels had peanuts during the storm too. I hope you got to read a book and relax while it snowed?! It’s supposed to warm up this week, so you’ll be out walking again soon!
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This time we got hit harder than the northern ‘burbs. That was heavy snow and I felt it last night, like the first time out in the garden in the Springtime. I went out to sweep this afternoon and the snow we had vanished. We had gusty winds, it did not melt. Ran the car and then suddenly the snow was twinkling down like crazy – I will deal with it tomorrow. It is very cold here though – wind chill of 1 tonight and air temps of 10 … yesterday it was 40! Crazy. I did finish “Every Breath” tonight. I really enjoyed that book. Took a time out to write these two posts, finish the book and did a post for Tuesday as well. I was on a roll. 🙂 But now I’m a bit behind in Reader so will catch up tomorrow. Hope you got to do your plans at the farm and took lots of pictures.
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The weather was crazy and windy for us. That’s awesome that you finished your book and wrote your posts! I passed on the farm photos – the weather wasn’t very nice at all. I’ll go back in the spring or summer when the animals want to be out in it too!
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Yes, I’m working on getting through these books … I enjoyed it very much. Yes, the animals are likely reluctant to come out of their warm stalls and hay – go in the Spring and perhaps you’ll get shots of the baby animals as well. 🙂
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Excellent! You’re off to a great start for 2020!
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I have not used Guttenberg yet. you are braver than me. So glad the little mangy squirrel was Ok after his jump. He must have been desperate for food to come out when all of his buddies stayed inside their cozy nests.
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I have been using it since last April and the only reason I was brave was I knew I had to get familiar with Windows 10, Office 365 and a new accounting system – (none which are installed yet). I did not want to crowd my brain too much, so decided to learn Gutenberg then. 🙂 This little squirrel has no fur at all – kind of freakish looking to see him as he does not have the furry appeal of a squirrel … he is quite wiry and never comes over to me. I was sure he’d be a goner with that flying leap. I was surprised he came out when none of the others did with the snow and freezing rain, so like you said he must have been desperate for food. Poor little guy. I often see squirrels with a patch or two of fur missing from mange, but nothing like this.
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Poor little guy! I’m amazed that he survives winter temperatures.
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Me too Laurie. I saw him again this morning and he bolted once he saw me. I’m wondering if a human hurt him in some way or he is just timid in general? The gray and black squirrels are skittish.
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Great post, I love going for walks with your photos and words. The park looks great for walking around the pond on the wooden walk ways. I had a minute so I was able to finish reading this one. It is bed time for me now, have a great work week. Hopefully it warms up a little.
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Thanks Sandra – glad you liked it. It is always an enjoyable walk and I’ve tried to take pictures of Luc the bald eagle, but the wire in the enclosure makes him come out blurry, so I take the picture from afar. It is a huge park and one end is three miles of big boulders along the Lake Erie shoreline and the rest of the park is more woodsy with rustic trails and cement walking/biking pathways and that great wooden pathway where you can walk right over the marshy areas. It is a spot where lots of raptors migrate where the boat launch area is located … in September through November, they do a bird count right near where the big buoy was. Lots of photographers and people with binoculars show up there. Unbelievably, I have been there several times and saw zero raptors. I even took a little two-hour cruise from this park last Fall thinking I’d see the Fall colors AND the raptors. The colors had not turned yet (I booked about six weeks before) and all we saw were turkey vultures. You will see the post as you go along – it was on October 19th. It was a beautiful day though – they have a boat for the Metroparks and you can go on trips where they have an interpretive guide. It is interesting. Thank you again for coming back to read this after visiting with your brother. I went outside, brutally cold and snowing a little, finished my book and wrote Tuesday’s post … I was productive today (maybe not so much as to housework though).
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It is nice that you have something that close to view the wildlife. The cities around the country are doing a good job a making parks like yours. There was a lot of parks like that in Florida. Not so much where I live in Iowa. Well, there might be some, I just have not found them yet. They do tours similar to that up and down the Mississippi River, I have never been on one though. I had a wonderful visit, read your post and was out for the night. I hope you have a good work week and warmer weather.
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They have 13 Metroparks in Michigan, not all near me and they all have these wooden pathways and also rustic trails, many bike paths – I’ve looked at pictures of the other parks on their website. The one which is the largest is where Jocelyn Anderson goes for the birds eating from your hand. That is about an hour’s drive for me and you have to take I-696 and that expressway moves way too fast for me. I went to the Detroit Zoo years ago and people were driving way too fast and since I don’t take the expressway much, I was out of my comfort level, but it also was during the work week, though not at rush hour. Maybe early on a Sunday morning is more my style. I have been to four of the Metroparks around here and you buy a pass for the year or pay each time. I got the pass so would like a try a few more of their parks this year. They are well maintained and they have interpretive tours you can take focusing on different subject, so I’ve taken three of them and two of the cruises. The trip down the Mississippi River sounds fun. No walk today – not the cold, but worries about glare ice under the snow and the Park will not likely be plowed, salted, etc. I will give it a couple of days and get down there. It is bitter cold, a “real feel” of 8 degrees this morning. Have a great day Sandra … our warmer weather will be Wednesday, above freezing, then more precip the end of the week. Sigh.
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Those parks sound wonderful, they have a lot of parks around the city I live in, but they are not catered to wild life, it is more picnicking I guess you could call it. The parks are along the Mississippi River, so it is mostly for the view of the river I guess. I know what you mean about the expressways. When we travel we do our best to go around all the big cities. I do love the roads less traveled.
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They are nice and kept up well. I have to say that we have a lot of parks in Michigan and the last two years I got the recreation passport when renewing my driver’s license, and due to all the flooding in the Spring which went into the Summer, then the mosquito-borne viruses (West Nile and EEE), I stayed pretty much at my tried-and-true parks and didn’t even try those state parks. I have some pictures at Lake Erie Metropark last Summer showing the offshore flooding – I’ve not used them yet. You will see some photos at Elizabeth Park where the water from the canal area sloshes right over the base of the historical bridge – the grass was soggy like a sponge. Just terrible and many of the trails at Lake Erie Metropark were shut off as they were too muddy. I have a few bucket-item parks to go to around here, which are no farther than about 15 miles away but I put it off due to the rain/mosquito issue. I understand that we might have the same problem this year again. We often returned from visiting my grandmother in Toronto by coming home the scenic route instead of Highway 401, as there was always construction going on and there was a lot of semi-truck traffic on that expressway – the roads less traveled are always better for me. (I have a bad sense of direction – I got lost going to a sunflower festival in September – I got turned around and lost, but in the process, I found a Metropark I wanted to try anyway, so all was not lost.
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That was a good thing then, finding a new park. I love to travel, the GPS’s sure make it easier then reading a paper map. I lived up by the Canadian border for a few years, in Minnesota also. Very cold there also. I have never lived in a real big city with the parks like yours.
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Yes, it was Lower Huron Metropark and the day I was there, there was a fence area that ran along where there were wildflowers and those wildflowers were spilling over the fence and there were lots of Monarch Butterflies flitting around. I thought it was a lucky find. The sunflower festival was going to be a lot of people and games, a petting farm and then you went in a wagon out to see the sunflower fields – I guess it is a huge place. I was interested in just the sunflower field part, as they have all types of sunflowers, but my Google map which I followed to the letter did not have a fork in the road – I took the wrong fork (naturally) … unfortunately I paid for the ticket online in advance.
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That is to bad, that flower garden and all the butterflies would have been great photos.
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Well I did get some butterflies that day where I got lost, but I was hoping for the sunflowers “as far as the eye can see” but last August I saw an article of a nearby Ford Motor Company piece of land where they plant thousands of sunflowers – if they still do it, I will go for sure. I can’t get lost going there, not that far away.
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That would be a site to see, I have noticed they are planting more milk weed plants every where in Iowa for the Monarchs. I planted quite a few also. They are not doing so well up north, might be the wrong climate.
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It was beautiful and since it was a warm and sunny day it helped make it even more special – you will come across the post as you are reading through the site. I took a lot of pictures that day. I go to a butterfly garden event every year at a woman’s house where she opens her backyard for visitors who bring items to be donated to animal shelters for their “admission” … the garden is lovely and is a Monarch Waystation with all the milkweed and colorful perennials she has planted for them.
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Sorry for not replying last night, I fell asleep in my chair while reading. That happens often for me as I get up so early. I am thoroughly enjoying reading your post, I just read the one with the caramel apples at the beginning. I hope it shows that I like them. Sometimes I go back and the like is gone. I like to let people know that I read their post. But, not sure if it works sometimes.
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That is no problem Sandra and I was late getting here – a friend had gotten a job (at age 63 after going back to school for a degree in gerontology administration – she will be working at a nursing home soon) and wrote a lengthy e-mail and wrote her back and if I catch up at WordPress, it seems I get behind in reading news or answering e-mails. I only write a handful of people by e-mail, but I don’t have TV, so try to catch up on the news on social media instead. I follow sites on Twitter as I mentioned and on Facebook to keep up with the news. I am glad you are enjoying the posts – I try to make them light and fun and you’ll see the prior link I referenced, or will catch up to it when you get to 2018, where I had a few squirrels photos as they bit into apples or hauled them away. In December 2018, I put out a “spread” on the picnic table for the critters, burying three seed bells into a pan of seeds and the squirrels were pushing the birds away, but it was funny how the squirrels took the rest of the seed bells, each one dragging it up a tree. I took pictures over several days to capture their antics. WordPress has been having issues lately – I often will look and know I responded and it is still waiting to be sent, though I saw it “go” and liking does not always work since they changed the “like” to see who “liked” … I started using the Gutenberg Editor last April and sometimes it freezes so I am not happy with it, but will stay with it as I like the larger headlines and the justified print.
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I do that also, getting news from the front page that shows up on the computer. I don’t have alot of energy at night when it is cold out. Or if I have done a lot of hiking like you do. But when I am down south I do get to stay up to sunsets occasionally, not as tired. Must be the weather.
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I listen to the news every two or three hours on the radio at the table – WWJ AM 950. They pre-empt the news with sports though, especially for UM football and basketball, but then you can listen on the stream, but if you’re not online you’re out of luck. On Saturdays, there is no news from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. sometimes for pre-game, game and post-game. think the Winter weather saps your energy as well. As of today, we are 1/3 through Winter – that’s some positivity for you … lately the Winters last into April though. We had sun again today but it was still cold. But not as cold as yesterday as the frosted window panes on the garage were gone this morning – too bad as it would have been a nice photo (better up close to see the intricate design).
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I have not watched a news station in the months, I check weather mostly. I just read two more of your post, the one showing your good hiking boots. I finally bought a good pair. I should have done that along time ago. My feet stay warm and dry now. Great photos again.
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I really don’t miss TV to be honest … I don’t think the shows are like they were at the height of my TV watching years – there was something on every night and enough on TV that I would tape something on another channel. Thank you Sandra – glad you are enjoying the posts and the photos. As for the hiking boots, I asked the woman who owned a small mom-and-pop shoe store her recommendation. She was/is also a walker – she just retired this Summer after the store was in business around 60 years. They are now comfortable, but took a while to break them in, as I’m not used to anything covering my ankles. I put bubble wrap around my ankles the first few years til I got used to them. They are what I’ll wear tomorrow when I try to get a walk in the Park done as the treads are deep and I feel secure in them.
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Our shoes are the most important part, I am not buying cheap shoes again. I like the higher tops, great support hiking in rocky areas.
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Yes they are, and I like my Easy Spirit Punter walking shoes – they fit like a glove even when brand new, and I’ve never had a blister from them. I hope they don’t change the style. The same store owner recommended the “Punters” to me. I looked online to see if I was lacing the hiking boots wrong because they had two hooks on each side, like figure skates and didn’t come with directions. They actually show you how to lace the shoes properly if you Google around. I was doing it right by guessing. The high tops are better for rocky areas and on ice – I feel much more secure in them.
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Good morning Linda, I never heard of that brand of shoe, usually I find one I really like and then they discontinue it. I usually stick with the same thing when I finally find something I like.
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Many many years ago before I started walking, at Crowley’s, a store where my mom and I used to shop, they decided to close all the stores … we were disappointed and when we went there, they had wonderful sales. They were anxious to close up quickly, much like when the big Hudson’s store in downtown Detroit closed up (I remember I went on my lunch hour and the sales on things were great and I stocked up on some items to not have to buy them at full price for years to come). Anyway, I bought a pair of walking shoes because for a long time I wanted to get into walking – I’d see walkers going past me when I waited on the bus – they were so cheap, I bought a pair. I never used them until I finally did begin walking in 2011, I walked almost every day (we had a mild Winter 2011-2012) and when I needed new shoes I went to this store and Margaret recommended the Easy Spirit Punters … she not only wore them, but said almost every walker that came into her store used this style – she guaranteed comfort. I probably put 1,000 miles on a pair of shoes, before I need to replace them, only because you can’t re-heel them and then I keep them for out in the yard. Now that the store has closed, I’ll have to look around for another place or order them from Easy Spirit directly to have them on hand. I still have a new pair waiting in the wings … they are about $79.00 which is cheaper than a lot of walking shoes and well worth it.
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I do that also, buy two pair and one is waiting when the other wares out. I don’t care to go to stores much. I am not a shopper at all.
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Yes, it’s a good practice. By the time I saw the article in the online local paper that McLinden’s Shoes was going out of business, it was too late to see if she had any extra shoes. She had decided to retire and liquidate her stock. I used to like shopping when I worked on site, but I have not worked on site since April 2009, so I really don’t buy many new clothes anymore and what I do is associated with walking.
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I wish our snow had melted. The snowplow went through last night and dumped snow at the end of the driveway. I knew I should have gone out and cleaned it up, because today it’s turned into big icy boulders. Even my neighbour couldn’t chip away at it. Normally I’d just gun the car over it, but I’m afraid it might damage the car underneath. So now I’m trapped here until it melts, which probably won’t be until Tuesday. Winter can go away again anytime.
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I had a similar tale, though not as bad as yours this weekend. We had a snow emergency in place from midnight Friday night until 8:00 Saturday morning and that meant no cars to be parked on the street or they would be ticketed or towed. Three neighbors, on either side, parked anyway and the plow could not clean the city street at the end of the driveway due to the cars, so I had half the street in front of my house to shovel and that snow was heavy as you know. I pushed some of it, but had to shovel most of it to get it out of the way. They were not ticketed or towed BTW. About five years ago, during the first Polar Vortex, that happened to me too with the plow. We had a big snow and I shoveled the driveway in the morning and the plow came along in the afternoon and we had freezing rain that night – it froze the mound of snow, about knee-high, in place and I could not move it using ice melt or even salt for months! Since I stock up on pantry items, I was fine with everything except greens for my canary and I went with my neighbor to the store to get some fresh lettuce every other week – she liked to go shopping nearly every day, (small shoppings only) so that was not a problem. But I had to to the allergist once a month and relied on her by tagging along and she dropped me off, and waited on me, to get there as the roads were icy and I could not get out of the driveway til it melted – that was mid-March! My car was not out of the driveway in two months. I pulled it out of the garage and ran it in the driveway to keep the gears moving, but needed a new battery in the Spring.
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That’s scaring me Linda! I’m hoping the sun this morning will melt it enough to get mushy so I can move some of the bigger boulders. If my snowshoveller shows up (he had car trouble) he can try it. It’s not to warm up until Wed. so I may be stuck for a few days.
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Hopefully he can make it Joni – my driveway and sidewalk are all clear now as I got all the snow and ice off there once the rain softened it … there was a brief window of time on Saturday when it got to 40 degrees so that helped a lot. The freezing rain arrived again, but did not adhere to anything thankfully as it was still mild. Hope he can get rid of that pile. No mushy snow this week ’til Thursday but the sun may help tomorrow for you. I was aggravated as the snow as so heavy and we’re not supposed to push it into the street, but it was too heavy to lift up high and only so many places to push, then distribute it. Grrrr – I hate Winter!
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No, he couldn’t make it today, but he says he’s coming tomorrow. I was able to get out, but my mothers is a mess with a wall of ice at the end of the drive. Oh well, it’s his problem. At least no more big storms in the long range.
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Hopefully he can do both of your driveways and you have no more issues. I heard after this little mess on Friday night, it will warm up again!
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You must be missing your walks! Lots of sunshine today though.
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Yes, it was sunny, and hated that I hung around here due to the ice. The sun makes you feel good doesn’t it?
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Dang Linda you are getting hammered this winter. We keep missing almost all of it. It keeps hitting East of us. We only got about 1-2 inches Saturday with just a few ice pellets and everything melted by noon We even went to visit my son over an hour away. Stay safe!
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I am surprised you did not get more Diane … in Michigan, Monroe got hit the hardest with lake-effect snow from Lake Erie. They got 8 inches of snow and usually the northern suburbs get more snow than we do, but not this time. It was very heavy snow and hard to shovel, so I did it in layers. We have really cold temps this morning, a “real feel” of 8 degrees, a tiny bit warmer (if you can that warm) than yesterday, but thankfully no more snow or freezing rain. Thanks – I will not be walking until I know it is safe at the Park as they often do not plow down there – since it was on a weekend, and now a holiday today, I wonder if they plowed at all? If not, it will be very icy for walking. I can walk in the snow, but need to go on concrete to get to the grass.
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Mother Nature doesn’t likes ya! …..but it appears she’s treating everybody equally, so what the hey eh!
I feel for that mangy squirrel! Poor thing, as If things aren’t tough enough for a creature trying to eek out an existence!
You should name it “Willard”?
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No, you’re right Wayne – someone ticked off Mother Nature I guess. This morning it is a “real feel” of 8 degrees – brrr. I have to sweep a little as I went out yesterday to sweep the morning snow and it started snowing hard, so another inch fell. At least no more freezing rain. Worried about my Park pals, but until the roads are safe to walk and/or drive, I won’t get down there. At the Park, they often plow the parking lot, sometimes the asphalt path, but they had their hands full this weekend and today is a holiday so they may be closed. I feel for the mangy squirrel too. He is so tiny and only has tail fur – without the tail fur for balance and to wrap around part of his body when he curls up to sleep, he could not exist. The look in his eyes was pure terror and he has seen me around when I see him or the others, I put out more peanuts as I know they’ll eat them right away. So he should know I wouldn’t hurt him … but the squirrels, when they are scared and perceive danger, start making this cry and loud noises and he was doing that before he took this leap. I’m so glad he didn’t get hurt … I held my breath as he flew through the air. I see them fly through the air from branch to branch and marvel at that, but not that long of a distance. I don’t know how he survives without the fur in the Winter … he is always alone, so I wonder if he has his own nest, or he climbs in with the others as mange is contagious? He is definitely a gray squirrel from his size and he hops … if you could see the prints well enough, you see how he hops from place to place, landing on all fours, like a rabbit would and that is what I see the other gray squirrels doing. I will look for him this morning – at least keep him fed, if not warm, til this weather improves. “Willard” after the movie about the rat? I never saw that movie but heard of it. The first time I saw him, creep from under a bush, I thought it was a rat and I nearly had heart failure.
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You got the winter that was originally predicted for here. It takes some mental fortitude to face the grayness of it, and a good sense of balance so that you don’t fall in the snow. You’re so good to your squirrel friends. I feed them occasionally but do so with a pile of nuts under one particular tree. I’m more of a fair-weather squirrel friend.
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You were lucky you didn’t get it Ally. My county is usually spared the large snowfall and this time the northern suburbs got nothing and we got it all. The snow was so heavy and wet that snow plow drivers took out a mile of privacy fences that separate the highway from a condominium community. The wet snow shooting from the plow pummeled the fences, knocking them over like dominoes! I do enjoy feeding the squirrels as I have no pets, so I’ve kind of adopted them and by the looks of the icy streets (and no doubt icy sidewalks if people did not clear the snow/ice while it was mild on Saturday), it might be later in the week until I get there. We are warming up Thursday then another precip event on Friday.
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Oh my word – I can’t even begin to imagine what your winters must be like. Here I’m at the other end of the spectrum so hot, and the South-Easter is reaching 40 and 60 kph speeds – par for the course in our summers, but you can have enough of it, I’ll tell you!
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I’d rather have your warmer Winters – I have never liked the ice and snow as they are dangerous and, perhaps if I had a snow hobby, like skiing or skating, I’d feel differently. That is very windy! I converted it to miles … that would be worrisome to me too Alison. We have had a lot of high winds the last few years and I’d say our weather has changed dramatically the last three years – none of the seasons seem “right” anymore. It is like we can’t have anything “normal” anymore, it has to be extraordinary but that is how the weather seems to be all around the world, just look at Puerto Rico or Australia as examples. Bigger hurricanes, or earthquakes and wildfires. My heart goes out to Australia with their wildfires and so many species of animals native to that country have been lost.
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Just to set the record straight: in the southern hemisphere it is summer now. Our winters are roughly from May through to September. You’re right about weather being up the pole worldwide: its called Climate Change, despite what the denialists say!
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I remember you said it can get horribly hot when it is Summer … we have had uncharacteristically hot Summers and lots of humidity and this will happen for a few weeks’ time, only to be followed by a period of cool weather – I saw the Park squirrels begin to bury their peanuts in the ground in August when such a cool spell happened. I’ve been walking at the Park since 2013 and that never happened. They are confused by the climate change and even the trees are confused. My ornamental tree has not yet lost its leaves and I’ve had the tree since 1985 – this is an unusual occurrence. I’ve seen magnolia trees bud/boom three times in one year as opposed to just in May – the plants and animals are confused … make no mistake that there is climate change and we all laughed at the concept when Al Gore first uttered it … it has arrived.
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Winter sure is crazy. If it’s winter I want snow. I can’t stand frozen brown dirt.
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This Winter is a little too wacky for me too Cathy, but the last two years, all four seasons, have been erratic and made no sense either. The snow comes, then is washed away and ice is left in its place. I don’t like snow but it is better than ice. I heard we are having more snow/rain and/or icy precip on Friday again. Not as bad as last weekend but it’s five days away so hopefully they are wrong.
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I think you deserve to count your steps at least triple when you get out in that weather! I was whining this morning because I had to walk in 58F temps (yes, I am a big baby). Those little critter tracks are so sweet!
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I think you’re right Janis as I take baby steps when there is any ice or any frozen precip that I don’t know what is underneath. Well 58F sounds good right now – our temps dipped down to single digits with the windchill last night and will do so tonight as well. I guess Winter is here to stay. Yes, these gray squirrels have tiny footprints and they like to hop – the bigger squirrels run, not hop. They are really cute little guys too.
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Miss Linda………………………….the only good thing is that the roads are cleared and good for driving and all businesses are cleared and not icy…………………………………….its getting from your porch to your car and out to the street thats dangerous!!! !this is when I say THE smart people go to the warmer places in January and February………………………its all the rest of us who stay behind that have to put up with the yo-yo temps and icy sidewalks
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The sun is nice to see again Ann Marie. Our street is just half clear as we had a snow emergency but three neighbors were parked on my side and the plow could not come by and salt, nor plow properly, so I’ll be walking before driving I think. At least you had no issues getting to Detroit today. Yes, the temps are crazy – freezing cold or mild like Saturday – it is just crazy anymore.
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Wish I could have seen little Skitty- wonder how he keeps warm.
No squirrels out here at all. They must be sleeping.
Saw a few sparrows here yesterday – who are collecting twigs or worms ?
Its almost the end of January, Linda- how fast the days have gone.
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I will try and get a shot of him Susie – but yesterday I went out to put peanuts out and run the car – no walking as it’s quite icy here and he saw me and bolted. I don’t know why he is so afraid – he is very tiny as he has no fur. I wonder if he was traumatized by a human at one time? The other smaller squirrels are timid and skittish too, but not like this one. I heard them say that today 1/3 of Winter has passed, 2/3rds to go … does not give me comfort even though we had a mild Winter thus far (except for that little blip on November 11th, the Veterans Day storm). We have more precip this weekend – they say it is too early to tell if it will be rain, freezing rain or snow – they don’t know the track of the storm nor the temps. It is very cold again today … had to leave cupboards open and a trickle of warm water to keep pipes okay and did a small load of washing for the same reason. Sigh. Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day – going to send you the link I just published … you will smile on your first day of school 🙂
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Poor squirrel! I can’t imagine it feeling very good being outside naked in those temperatures. Good thing he’s getting some peanuts from you. Hopefully it will contribute to his healing. You’re a kind person Linda! 🐿
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Thanks Sabine – I am worried about this little guy – he is very skittish around not only me, but the other squirrels. He is so timid, he bolts and runs up a tree. I never saw him until maybe a month ago. I really enjoy interacting with them here at the house and the Park. I know they each have peanuts buried all over the place but the ground is frozen solid right now, so no chance they can get them.
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Being naked and exposed makes this poor squirrel vulnerable. If anyone attacked him he’d get hurt more easily without his protective fur. Maybe he should be named Lucky? Lucky to have a kind woman with a good heart watching out for him! 😊
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Yes, I am worried for him being so vulnerable Sabine. I saw him yesterday and even with peanuts set down on the pavement (and I’m sure he wanted them), once he saw me, he bolted for the nearest tree. If I drive to the Park, I put out peanuts, then go pull the car out of the garage, then come back and get my bag of peanuts for the Park from the cellarway (since I got this new garage door, I need two hands to pull it up since I opted for manual, likely a mistake as it was not that difficult to open the former door). Anyway, that gives me the opportunity to check out who is showing up, sometimes even take a few pictures. But he sees me come back and is gone again in a flash. I hope I can keep him sustained with food and if he would come closer, I’d give him an orange or some peanut butter on crackers to maybe fatten him up a little. No chance now to do that … I hope he survives the Winter. I like that name “Lucky” – thank you for saying that Sabine. We have some rain and sleet this morning, so no walk for me and it is mild so I’ll not run the car, just poke my head out to feed my furry and feathered friends who “call” at the door. I took a slew of photos the lasdt two days, so I’m going to be looking through them to do a post on the aftermath of the snow storm.
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Brr seems cold by you…
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Yes, went out and walked again today – still icy but we have rain most of tomorrow so it will likely melt.
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Sounds like you got hit hard with the weather. You are such a caring soul to still go out and see to that poor squirrel . You have such a big heart. ❤
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Thank you Zena – I am a bleeding heart when it comes to animals, especially this poor little guy. I’ve tried to get a picture of him, and I’ll put out peanuts, go around the corner to get the car out of the garage and come back and he’s there eating, but as soon as he sees me, he bolts. He has mange so bad his fur is all gone and his tail is very sparse. I feel so badly for him.
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