Picture of the Day for April 28, 2013

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A lot of the snow has melted but there are still no wildflowers blooming. The Jack-in-the-Pulpit also called Parson-in-the-Pulpit seems like an appropriate picture to post on a Sunday. Jack (or Parson) in the Pulpit alludes to the resemblance of the spadix (Jack) in the spathe (Pulpit) to a country parson perched on an elevated stand over his congregation.

One would think that they could have given the preacher a better name than Jack since it sounds like Jack-in-the-box. Now Luke, John, Paul, Mark, James, Daniel, Nathan or Peter would be a better sounding name for a preacher.

Parson-in-the-Pulpit

Parson-in-the-Pulpit

 

Picture of the Day for April 27, 2013

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Spring officially arrived yesterday when the temperature finally got above 60 and the warm wind brought the return of the bluebirds. The robins, red winged blackbirds, wood thrushes, killdeers, grouse, chickadees, warblers, woodpeckers, cardinals and finches were all singing announcing spring but the loudest voice was the chorus of frogs who had emerged from the cold of winter.

Another sign that spring had finally arrived was the pussy willows catkins merging. Before the male catkins of these species come into full flower they are covered in fine, grayish fur, leading to a fancied likeness to tiny cats, also known as “pussies”. The catkins appear long before the leaves, and are one of the earliest signs of spring. Even though I had to walk through snow to find these pussy willows, finding them is definitely a sign that winter may  be over.

Pussy Willows

Pussy Willows

Picture of the Day for April 25, 2013

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This barn seems a bit sad. Maybe it is sad because there is still snow this late into April. Or maybe it is sad because it is remembering ANZAC day, a day celebrated day remembering the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. ANZAC Day’s motto is ‘Lest We Forget’.

So let us remember all veterans worldwide, especially the veterans in Australian and New Zealand on their celebration day, but also all the other sacrifices made by policemen, fireman, farmers and others that protect us, provide services and goods that allow us to enjoy our existence in this world.

Lest We Forget

Lest We Forget

Picture of the Day for April 24, 2013

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On April 24, 1916, Ernest Shackleton and five men of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition launch a lifeboat from uninhabited Elephant Island in the Southern Ocean to organize a rescue for the ice-trapped ship Endurance. After four rescue attempts, Shackleton made it back to Elephant Island on August 30.

The Endurance became trapped in the Weddell Sea in February 1915 and the expedition had to abandon ship at the end of October. The ice condition made it difficult to travelthan a mile a day so the party camped on the ice waiting for the ice to breakup. Finally in April 1916 the crew made it to Elephant Island and remained there until their rescue in August. It would be more than 40 years before the first crossing of Antarctica was achieved, by the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1955–58.

After some icy winter days here, there is no way I want to endure the Antarctic ice!

Icy Tree

Icy Tree

Picture of the Day for April 22, 2013

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Earth Day is an annual holiday, celebrated on April 22, on which events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, the date proposed for Earth Day was March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. A month later a separate Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970.

Nelson chose the date in order to maximize participation on college campuses for what he conceived as an “environmental teach-in”. He determined the week of April 19–25 was the best bet as it did not fall during exams or spring breaks and was late enough in spring to have decent weather.

You would think a senator from Wisconsin would know that April is not late enough to have ‘decent’ weather, especially since it is snowing very heavily on this Earth Day in Wisconsin.

Earth Day

Earth Day

Picture of the Day for April 21, 2013

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Yesterday the sun was out and some of the snow was melting. Seeing the water running, it reminded me of all the times as a kid when we would play with the water. A stick would create new streams (course they were only few inches wide) or open up a dam where the snow or ice was backing up the water. Hours were spent creating ‘rivers’ in the barnyard and if the snow was melting quickly, a discarded hunk of wood became a boat on the newly created rivers.

But today, those ‘rivers’ are covered over with snow again so I guess I have to wait for another sunny today to ‘play as a kid’ again.

Melting Snow

Melting Snow

Picture of the Day for April 19, 2013

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It is getting very old looking at snow falling like it is again today! I rather look at old machinery like this old potato planter. But this potato planter would have trouble planting through the snow and I bet your butt would get rather chilly on the metal seat since it is below freezing outside.

There is an old wives’ tale that planting potatoes should always be done on Good Friday which would have encountered a frozen ground this year. The tradition of Good Friday planting seems to originate in Ireland. The potato came from an area around Peru and came to Europe about 1570 but took a while for the potato to catch on. In the 19th century, many Irish Protestants refused to eat potatoes on the grounds that they weren’t mentioned in the Bible. Irish Catholics skirted the issue by planting them on Good Friday, thereby baptizing the little spuds and making them holy.

But now every Irish man, woman and child eats more than 250 pounds of them each year. I must have some unknown Irish ancestor since I love potatoes too. The planting of potatoes have changed over the years. The International Harvester General Catalog published in 1927 had this McCormick-Deering One-Row Potato Planter listed on page 193. The horse-drawn planter could hold 3 bushels in the hopper and the planter weighed 580 pounds and could have an additional fertilizer attachment.

Old Potato Planter

Old Potato Planter

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