The temperature on our thermometer right now is -3 degrees! I don't care where you live or what you are used to, this temperature is COLD! The last couple of days we have had a lot of activity at (and below) our feeders. We always have a lot of animals and birds visit for food, but there were several events that were unusual. The first was a daytime visit from an opossum. We had never seen one in our yard in Minnesota before. He spent quite a bit of time eating and seemed in no hurry to leave.
The next thing I noticed was that we had more birds visiting at once than we normally do. The feeders were full of birds eating.from every available port!
We also had lots of squirrels scurrying away with feed, and tonight we had 3 deer on our deck eating corn. It is clear that the animals knew what to do when the temperature turned cold! That made me wonder: what do we do to prepare for these cold days?
You have heard the stories of people in the South emptying store shelves when they hear that snow is approaching. We don't see that happen here in Minnesota since we are used to a lot of snow. I think that we do go to the store, but we go to get specific ingredients. Facebook is full of accounts of people cooking on these very cold days. My daughter-in-law made some potato leek soup that sounded wonderful. We had chicken wings and tomorrow will have ribs. Others spend time baking. Heating the house with the oven is a welcome enterprise. Soups and chili are popular, but I think any kind of comfort food fits the bill.
These cold days we also look for indoor forms of entertainment. Many people hop on their computer to play video games, browse the internet, or connect to others through Facebook My younger son was on his computer a lot today. This connection to others sends some of us to the phone to talk to friends and family Grabbing a hot cup of coffee, cocoa, tea, or cider and immersing oneself in a book is another pleasure on these cold days. My oldest son was reading a book when I called him earlier. We rented two movies from Redbox to watch: one action movie and one comedy. Television and movies are a big hit today. So are fireplaces! Many are cuddling in front of the fire with a loved one and a glass of wine.
Finally, my thoughts and gratitude go to those people who have to work outside in this weather. I'm particularly grateful for the police and firefighters who put their needs aside to protect us. I hope that you are safe and warm with your loved ones and finding ways to enjoy yourself in spite of the weather.
I would be interested in hearing what you are doing during these cold days so please write a comment to let me know.
Have you found your joy today?
The next thing I noticed was that we had more birds visiting at once than we normally do. The feeders were full of birds eating.from every available port! 
We also had lots of squirrels scurrying away with feed, and tonight we had 3 deer on our deck eating corn. It is clear that the animals knew what to do when the temperature turned cold! That made me wonder: what do we do to prepare for these cold days?
All I wanted to do today was stay indoors. Good time to work on some home improvements tasks on my list, I thought. But, it didn't go as well as planned.
ReplyDeleteA long while back, I removed some old carpeting from the dining and living rooms in our home. The carpet was actually pretty new still, but it had been ruined by our poor old feline friend, who just wasn't getting to the catbox during the latest months of his life. We have been living with nothing but plywood on the floors for months, because I'm such a bad decision maker when it comes to choosing new carpeting.
Finally getting over my procrastination, I now have new carpet on order, to be installed on Friday. But before that happens, I wanted to coat the plywood with some stain-and-odor blocking paint, just in case any of the cat's urine ever soaked through the old carpet and padding, and reached the floor. I applied it to all the cat's "favorite" locations in the room, and the paint fumes... well, the fumes were unbearable. All I wanted to do was stay home and stay warm, but I was forced to leave.
So, I made an impromptu trip to visit my mother. And I brought her ice cream, which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever when all one is thinking about is keeping warm. I blame the ice cream shop for having such an irresistible sale today.
-Gina J.