You can tell when we drop down to below freezing: the cheeper water dish has a layer of ice. Time to plug in their heated dish in the coop. And at the farmhouse -- time to load the mouse traps. And time to bake those cookies.
But wait, it's a partly sunny day, no?
(Breakfast...)
Didn't I claim that sunshine on a cold day is lovely and inviting?
Shouldn't we be taking a walk?
Cookies first!
And now the walk. I haven't much time and so we drive over to the nearby county park. I am forever grateful for how close it is to us. A hop and a skip. You have no reason to make excuses. It's there and it's lovely.
Especially on a mostly sunny day.
(Turtles share my love for cold weather sunshine!)
But in the course of the hour we are out, the clouds roll back in. Oh, faintly at first. But thoroughly and completely by the time I head out to pick up Snowdrop at school.
This presents a dilemma. It's cloudy and in the 30sF. (Oh, maybe 3 or 4C). The Bug that had been with me last week is on the retreat, but it's not totally gone. I don't want to take her to the playground.
Is there an alternative? Something modest but exciting?
I have this idea: Ed and I had spotted a handful of sandhill cranes on our way back from the park. The little girl had loved greeting them when they came to the fields across the road from us. Wouldn't she be thrilled if I took her to their new resting place? They're not here for long -- in another several weeks they'll be off for Florida.
Snowdrop, let me show you where your friends are gathering...
I'd like to say she was thrilled.
It is a beautiful sight after all...
But the outing leaves her clinging to me in ways that are not typical for her. Snowdrop isn't a fan of loud noises and we are in the thick of a cacophony of sound. We are near the dog park and the dogs are raising a ruckus. She clings harder. I like cats, grandma. At home, we have cats. Her grip tightens. When we step into the overgrown fields, a pack of shrill birds flies up to get away from us. A tractor plows the field, three fighter planes zip across the skies just above. I mean, it's a loud world all around us!
Grandma, can we go to the farmhouse?
Indeed! And guess what, little girl? There are freshly baked cookies! Can I interest you in a ginger cookie?
You really appreciate the warm, quiet farmhouse after an outing in search of cranes.
But wait, it's a partly sunny day, no?
(Breakfast...)
Didn't I claim that sunshine on a cold day is lovely and inviting?
Shouldn't we be taking a walk?
Cookies first!
And now the walk. I haven't much time and so we drive over to the nearby county park. I am forever grateful for how close it is to us. A hop and a skip. You have no reason to make excuses. It's there and it's lovely.
Especially on a mostly sunny day.
(Turtles share my love for cold weather sunshine!)
But in the course of the hour we are out, the clouds roll back in. Oh, faintly at first. But thoroughly and completely by the time I head out to pick up Snowdrop at school.
This presents a dilemma. It's cloudy and in the 30sF. (Oh, maybe 3 or 4C). The Bug that had been with me last week is on the retreat, but it's not totally gone. I don't want to take her to the playground.
Is there an alternative? Something modest but exciting?
I have this idea: Ed and I had spotted a handful of sandhill cranes on our way back from the park. The little girl had loved greeting them when they came to the fields across the road from us. Wouldn't she be thrilled if I took her to their new resting place? They're not here for long -- in another several weeks they'll be off for Florida.
Snowdrop, let me show you where your friends are gathering...
I'd like to say she was thrilled.
It is a beautiful sight after all...
But the outing leaves her clinging to me in ways that are not typical for her. Snowdrop isn't a fan of loud noises and we are in the thick of a cacophony of sound. We are near the dog park and the dogs are raising a ruckus. She clings harder. I like cats, grandma. At home, we have cats. Her grip tightens. When we step into the overgrown fields, a pack of shrill birds flies up to get away from us. A tractor plows the field, three fighter planes zip across the skies just above. I mean, it's a loud world all around us!
Grandma, can we go to the farmhouse?
Indeed! And guess what, little girl? There are freshly baked cookies! Can I interest you in a ginger cookie?
You really appreciate the warm, quiet farmhouse after an outing in search of cranes.
