Hopefully this will be the last dusting of snow for the season and the rain tonight won’t have the white flakes but just rain to flow into the river.
On the Banks of Eau Galle River
Yesterday, the critters were enjoying the warmer day and the little red squirrel was chattering my cats on the ground. He would go from branch to branch, but out of range of the leashes the cats were on, teasing them. Although my cats couldn’t reach him, the other little red squirrel could and they chased each other. Today the critters aren’t playing as much with the snowflakes falling around them.
American Red Squirrel
The weather has been rather fickle this morning as one moment it is dark, then the sun pops out, and the next minute it is snowing. While I didn’t spot any ducks in this pond when I drove by earlier in the week, my pond has been revolving door for ducks with mallards, hooded merganser and wood ducks. This morning the pair of mallards was sharing the pond with two pairs of wood ducks. On the edge of the pond, robins and blackbird were bopping on the grass. But that wasn’t all on the edge of the pond, as a stray black cat was eyeing up a roasted duck dinner, although he gave up after a while since the ducks were teasing him by swimming around pond staying out of reach.
Springtime Pond
Many social media sites users post older photographs on Throwback Thursday as a look back to their past. Although my photo isn’t an old photograph, it is taken of something old and of an era lost. This pump’s dollar amount only has room to display $9.99 at the max, which doesn’t take long to surpass that now when filling up. And at one time, all gas stations were full-service, but that era has mostly disappeared after the first self-service opened in California in 1947, except for the states of New Jersey and Oregon with laws prohibiting self serve at gas stations, although this year Oregon counties with populations less than 40,000 people will be allowed to offer self-serve pumps during the night hours only.
So for most, no attendant will check the oil, wash the windscreen, pump the gas and take your money inside to get your change when the world wasn’t in such a hurry. Now it is a quick in, pay at the pump and leave. And it isn’t the man at the pump talking to you but the little screen on the pump showing you news and other information so you don’t miss out on being connected to some electronic device the few minutes it takes to fill the vehicle.
Pump of the Past
My little “friends” were racing through the woods and across my lawn on Sunday when it was a little warmer outside, but there was a trouble maker on my porch too. I imagine the little rodent was checking if I have put my garden and flower pots out so he could dig up my plants and seeds. Chipmunks hibernate throughout the winter and they might want to go back to sleep this week. During hibernation, every few days they get back up, eat from their hoard of food that they gathered in the fall. One tiny chipmunk can gather up to 165 acorns in one day and they do hoard more food than needed. A group of chipmunks is called a scurry and they better scurry if I catch them in my garden!
Chipmunk Awake from Winter Nap
The first wildflower in my woods finally opened yesterday but its head was bent over like it had the weight of the world on its shoulder which was probably just the weight of snow from the prior days. The poor flower has a break today before more snow can make it bend over again.
First Hepatica of Spring
Some sunsets can last for a while as it changes from the more orange, yellowish colors to the purple, reddish colors. Other times, the sunset can be very fleeting like on a cloudy night when a brief break in the clouds allows some color to form. Last Sunday night, I only got four shots taken before the gap closed up and the sky turned dark again.
Brief Sunset