The cold blast overnight has put an ice layer on my pond but the larger lakes retained enough heat in the water to prevent that from happening, at least for today, but soon most will succumb to winter’s icy grip.
Lake’s Morning Glow
Picture of the Day for November 23, 2013
I might have to borrow these wool coats after feeling the frigid temperatures today. I am not ready for winter yet!
Warm Wool Coats
Picture of the Day for November 22, 2013
Normally I see the White-breasted Nuthatch creeping upside down or sideways on trees but when flying into a bird feeder, they can appear “normal”. They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside.
The male typically stays with its mate throughout the years since the female shares the duties of looking out for predators and in the winter, White-breasted Nuthatches join foraging flocks led by chickadees or titmice, perhaps partly because it makes food easier to find and partly because more birds can keep an eye out for predators.
White-breasted Nuthatch
Picture of the Day for November 21, 2013
It appears like this cow is flying out on the clouds as it must heard about the cold temperatures coming so I bet it is heading south.
A weather vane is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. The first “true weathervane” is often thought to be a bronze structure that was erected atop the Tower of the Winds in Athens in 48 B.C. by Greek astronomer Andronicus. Since that time, there has been various designs and shapes of the weather vanes.
Cow Weather Vane
Picture of the Day for November 20, 2013
This old barn isn’t standing straight anymore and leans a little crooked, just like I do some mornings!
A Bit of a Lean
Picture of the Day for November 19, 2013
A hundred and fifty years ago, a speech was heard which started out with these words, “Standing beneath this serene sky, overlooking these broad fields now reposing from the labors of the waning year, the mighty Alleghenies dimly towering before us, the graves of our brethren beneath our feet, it is with hesitation that I raise my poor voice to break the eloquent silence of God and Nature”. The two hour speech, given by Edward Everett, who was considered to be the nation’s greatest orator of his time, is not as recognizable as a short two minute speech given after his which began with the now famous words of “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal”.
Everett’s oration was slated to be the “Gettysburg Address” on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, but it is President Abraham Lincoln’s short speech which is known as the Gettysburg Address that has gone down in history as one of the finest examples of English public oratory.
Remembering Soldiers’ National Cemetery
Picture of the Day for November 18, 2013
Monday is the normal start to the work week, but for this barn, there is no weekend or rest. And what history this old barn has seen over the years since one end is even log construction during the horse and wagon days. I wonder what was parked outside the barn first, an automobile or a tractor. And if a tractor, the current tractors are huge compared to the first one which the barn would have seen. And I am sure there are some marks on the walls from where a piece of equipment hit it or where the horse chewed on the boards or even cattle rubbing on the walls. If only the barn could tell its story.
Part Log Barn
Picture of the Day for November 17, 2013
A warm November day is preferable, but I didn’t feel too sorry for this thistle when it was covered with frost. But I suppose the spines might be stiffer and poke in farther if frozen so good thing it is too cold to be bare foot.
Frosted Thistle
Picture of the Day for November 16, 2013
Sometimes little things have a very important job such as this concrete anchor which holds the wood wall to the cement footings. This one has been working for a lot of years and is standing tall yet but the wood seems to be withering away.
Ancient Anchor
Picture of the Day for November 15, 2013
I think everyone was enjoying the fifty degree temperatures today including these Herefords.
Herefords on a Warm November Day
