January Sunshine

New Parks!

We are going to have 2 new parks in Madison County. What a wonderful gift. The first is in London at the site of the old tile works where the red clay drainage tiles were made to drain the flat Madison County land. The picture above was taken standing on one of the ponds that dot the property. They formed after the clay was dug out of the ground. The ice was at least 5 inches thick when I was there.

The second is 200 acres along Little Darby Creek in the northeast part of the county. This will be a good year!

Confusion?

I learned a new story about my mother today. She played too many rounds of golf at the London Country Club to count. And for most of those rounds walked, crossing Deer Creek on a cable bridges with a wooden floor. Near the end of her golfing days they installed electric golf carts and created stable bridges beside the old cable bridges. On day my mother tried to drive a golf cart acoss one of the cable bridges, dumping the cart and herself in the creek. The assumption was that she had too many refreshments before starting her round.

I am no so sure it wasn't just habit. To say that my mother was a very competitive person is an understatement. I never saw her drink until after the playing was done. Either way, it makes one heck of a story.

Mid-Winter

The sun was shining when I woke today, but it was ZERO degrees! The good news is we are just past the coldest part of winter as temperature averages go. And this would be that day my son-in-law needed firewood. It was 16 according to his car when we started work. Cousin Brooks let us use one of his chain saws. This is BIG! In Madison County the rule of thumb is that you loan a guy your wife before you loan him your chainsaw. I did refuse to take more fuel as I was not interested in spending that much time outside. And we ran out of gas just as the Outback ran out of room for more wood. My hands were getting cold, even with heavy leather gloves over the brown cotton work gloves. The sun is still bright and the sky a deep blue, even from the bedroom window where I am composing this entry. May you enjoy a quiet Sunday afternoon.

3 Uncommon Books

Bill Bryson's Shakespeare is a meditation on the Bard and his time, with emphasis on his time. Along the way he explains why we should not know very much about his life. And he does the best job of deconstructing the silly argument that only a member of the aristocracy would have been mentally capable of being Shakespeare. This is another Bryson gem that should not be overlooked.

Ronald Manhiemer's The Map To The End Of Time is a philosophical exploration the process of aging that leans heavily on non-philosophers. At the same time I am tempted to start reading some philosophy at MY advanced age! Bravo for Manheimer's inquiry into this normally shunned subject.

Robert Pyle's Sky Time in Gray's River is a meditation on this author's home in southwestern Washington. I only thought I was tuned into nature, but Pyle certainly is. This a book to read slowly and carefully, something I normally do not do. I highly recommend this book.

Vexing Change

Today was the last day to wake to classical music on the Bose radio. WOSU FM will be broadcasting NPR news programs from 5AM to 9AM and from 4PM to 7PM. I will try to be thankful for the classical music the rest of time. Just another cost cutting move, I fear. American Express told investment analysts today that their profits will be lower in all of 2008 because their customers can't pay their credit card bills. Methinks the fit must be hitting the shan if the high end folks can't pay their bills. My goal is to start paying cash for everything this year. Odds are the credit card companies will start charging customers who pay their bills on time, thus robbing the company of any interest payments. And finally, I just read an oil production analysis that identifies 2005 as the peak year for crude oil production. If true (and I believe it is) , $150 a barrel oil is right around the corner. It took three years to identify the US production peak in 1971.

And to round out this light-hearted post, two more dead coyotes were left that the Wilson Road parking lot for the Roberts Pass bike trail.

First Robin Sighted

On the new bike trail near Glade Run... BAD IDEA! While it is 65 today, winter returns. I would rather not have a replay of last year when a cold snap left many dead robins here. Sigh.

Go Ahead, Laugh Yourself Silly

This picture was taken 27 years ago. This was the best of the many wonderful groups I worked with as a software developer. From the left: me, Marv, Keith, Georgina and Ann. Sadly Marv and Ann are no longer with us. It was Anne who replaced the Help Screen with a hand with only the middle finger extended especially for our manager the first time he logged into the HCF application we were developing. "What can I do?" he asked. "Hit the help key" said Anne brightly. "I didn't see that" was the response as he walked out of the room. It was also Anne who yelled "Help, Help" when I was talking to Marv in the next office. "I have a headache!" yelled Marv back. I miss them both. Thank you, Keith for sending this memory.

The Chicken Hawk is Back!

The (AKA) Cooper's Hawk was back yesterday nailing a dove feeding on the ground in front of the kitchen window. When I stepped out the porch door it fled with it's prize. Thankfully our cat is way too much for that small hawk. Hamlet is 18 pounds of bushy, long-haired Maine coon cat with a rear end as big as a German shepard's. He should be safe. But I wonder about the small stray car that I have not seen lately.

When I mentioned that hawks LOVE cardinals, Patricia vowed to shoot the damn thing the next time it showed up. The fact that it is illegal to shoot them anywhere and doubly illegal to shoot them inside the city limits was irrelevant! Also irrelevant is her usual position that all guns should be tossed in the middle of the ocean. That aside, there was my father's penchant for shooting undesirable animals on this property. Before the houses were constructed behind us, he would shoot any groundhogs in the back yard. That was relatively harmless. It did take YEARS, however, for the smell to go away after he shot a racoon in the attic... NO, he didn't remove it. You could periodically smell something bad in one bedroom for years after we moved in. Thankfully that problem is no longer with us!

It Was A Mystery

I spent years showing everyone in London this picture to identify the people in the picture. I was sure that the little boy was my father. Finally at my Aunt Marilyn's funeral, one of her friends solved the mystery for me. This is a picture of the Sark girls and some of the Fitzgerald children. My mother is standing next to the horse and Dot and Marilyn are the lighter haired girls. The picture was taken in the alley next to my grandfather's house!

For the Birds

The new year brought snow and 10 degree temperatures this morning. The bird population has changed with the weather. The first slate colored junko appeared the morning, and presumably more will follow the outbreak of cold Canadian air. The powder-puff white belly disappeared when the bird was on the ground. This afternoon brought 6 pairs of cardinals to the feeder at one time... a record for my viewing. I was highly pleased with that until the cashier at Dwyer's Hardware told me she had 12 pairs at one time! Whatever the number, the bright red birds are such a joy to see this time of year. One of the females at the cashier's feeder is an albino... something I have never seen. Pure white, like the junko's belly with just a hint of reddish orange outlining the wings and tail. Oh my!

We both have Cooper's hawks hanging out to feed on the feeding birds. I have not seen ours since I saw it dive into a bush full of thorns after a sparrow. That had to HURT! The sparrow got away that time.

Winter Shadows

I am interested in reactions to this photograph. This is usually the time of year when I try new approaches... and, not surprisingly, I get the most negative reactions. What think you of this?

Welcome, 2008

The year turns fresh,
and the wind blows.
Can it sweep away,
All that was stale?

This appeared in my morning journal unbidden today.