Friday, January 29, 2010

Excuse me, I think hell just froze over

Yes indeed, there is snow in Southtown. And for once, the "Chicken Little" approach to school schedule management appears to have been justified - the chance of anything frozen falling from the sky triggers a knee-jerk reaction here. The school board not only cancels school on inclement weather, but apparently at the thought of inclement weather. I made a quick run to the grocery this morning and was blocked by a cavalcade of mothers in SUVs picking up their children at the local elementary school. School had been let out at 11:30.

Then, at 1 o'clock, the snow started. And there's actually measurable accumulation - don't expect me to wade out in the cold with a ruler, Dear Reader, but there is enough of the white stuff to measure. So someone in the Administration Building is breathing a sigh of relief because he made the right call. Ok, that's one for you. But don't forget that the last time, you cancelled school for rain.

I put out the last of my sunflower seeds in the feeders scattered around the backyard, which have been mobbed by an unending stream of feathered moochers topping off their tanks with easy to procure sunflower seeds instead of working for their dinner on the bushes around the house, which are laden with berries and other birdie edibles. Little do they know that when these seeds are gone, it will be Monday before I can buy more and refill the feeders. I wish it wasn't so, but there you are.

There is a red winged blackbird working away at the suet feeder, so picturesque in the snow. A single scarlet cardinal sits on the weathered gray fence, and the crape myrtle is filled with mourning doves, their feathers puffed out as big as softballs against the cold. My footprints out to the feeders are obliterated by new snow, which stopped for a bit after I took that picture but has started falling again.

I think I'll make a cup of tea and watch the snow for a while.

4 comments:

momtofatdogs said...

4 inches on this end of Nashville. it's still falling & it's ICE under the snow. I got home right around 11 AM & my driveway was already a 1/4 sheet of ice.

Still snowing & looking at possibly another 4 inches. I'll get photos tomorrow!

Sam

*karendianne. said...

Your title grabbed my attention and cracked me up! I love reading your blog. I completely connect with the way you describe the entire world with the sudden onset of snow. Living in the South myself, I can imagine. Although for us, this would be disastrous. Hurricanes we can manage - snow, we freeze. Double entendre there... for the fun of it. Thanks for the pictures and the updated on the winged nesters, too!

Linda said...

I can relate to your post so well. Our whole area shuts down like this when we see this. Our schools are the same way. Of course, when we get anything it's usually not just snow but ice along with it. We are not prepared for weather like this.


I love your description of the birds, I can just see them. I used to feed the birds too but I don't do it very much. We have a pond in our back yard with ducks and the occasional crane, they help themselves to our fish...We have 6 big, fat, healthy ducks in our pond and one gigantic crane. He looks like a B52 bomber coming in for a landing but he's so fun to watch. Very awkward and gawky until he catches a fish.
Stay warm and you can keep your white stuff, thank you very much, hugs, Linda

catsinger said...

...I miss watching the truly colorful birds of the Midwest/East...
the only color I see here are the blue jays...I used to really enjoy watching the cardinals in the snow...
when I was in the 8th grade[1962], it snowed 8 inches in central CA, south of Fresno[hasn't happened again since...] NOBODY could get anywhere...
schools were closed for a week, 'cause it "stuck"... ahhh...the good old days...