Well, that was a weekend. I live halfway between Green Bay, which officially received 11 inches of snow Friday and Saturday, and Sturgeon Bay, which received 14.4 inches, so you can imagine how much snow landed on Three Willows.
I had to shovel the stairs three times, so the dogs could reach the backyard and take care of business, as well as to rescue my beloved wind chimes so they can sing again.
After the snow passed, a brisk northwest wind brought colder air into our area, and the word is we should expect single digits and awful wind chills for the next week or so. After a gentle December that felt like an extended autumn, winter has finally arrived with a vengeance.
I wanted to rescue the wind chimes because I knew that harsh wind was coming, and the chimes bring some sonic beauty to the harshness. They sound a little like bamboo chimes at the moment because the ice buildup dampens their sound a little bit.
As I was snow-blowing Saturday morning, a bald eagle flew slowly overhead, probably looking for breakfast. I tried snagging a video, but it’s just a dot in the sky at the beginning of an 11-second clip. I remember a time when bald eagles were a rare sight, but efforts to keep the birds from extinction have borne fruit.
While I was scribbling away in my journal Saturday afternoon, a variety of birds hovered around the feeders, which I tried to keep full during the snowstorm. Some watched from trees as if waiting their turn, making sure they could swoop in and take some seed safely before swooping back to the branches.
I have books that would help me identify what kinds of bird they are, and I recognize some — cardinal, blue jay, chickadee, woodpecker — and I ought to know the others. The main thing is they are living creatures, and I hope I can make their way a little easier, at least today and perhaps tomorrow and tomorrow.
