The dark-eyed juncoes returned to our backyard this morning.  I saw one flitting among the branches of the dogwood outside my window and so got up to check on the ground and sure enough, there was a small flock hopping around, looking for bits of discarded black oil sunflower seeds.  Now next on my list, I'll be watching the air for flurries of ( Read more... )

The red-breasted nuthatches are here this morning using the black oil sunflower feeders quite a lot.  What does that mean besides they're hungry?  Are they gorging after a long fall's flight?  Are they preparing for another leg to go?  It's cool & rainy right now so maybe fall truly is in the air and these nuthatches are proving it ( Read more... )

Good grief!  Why in the world didn't I write about Cannie's visit this past March?  That was definitely the highlight of my winter...along with our own visit to San Antonio last December which included my 41st high school reunion with 6 girlfriends.  She had such a great time here in snow country.

Cannie flew into Cleveland March 9, just a day after ( Read more... )

I am SOAKED!  It's been raining all day since sunrise or maybe even before that.  It finally stopped around 11:20 this morning AFTER I had to keep an appointment at 11am in Painesville.  There was no way to change the meeting at that late date and it was VERY important for Vaughan's well-being for me to be there at precisely 11am.  That may seem ( Read more... )

Such a beautiful day deserved seeing & experiencing so I took the opportunity today after my MRI to take a ride in the new car, moonroof open.  I hadn't seen such a day since sometime in November on our trip to Texas and we haven't had anything like this in Mentor since three days last October.  Kids were out on their bikes and folks were walking ( Read more... )

Still it's warm for this time of year. New Year's Eve day was in the high 50s and today, New Year's Day, has been in the 40s although the temp did drop during the day. A bit of snow is expected tonight but without accumulation and tomorrow should be warmish again. No significant snowfall is forecast for the coming week which seems so strange for ( Read more... )

I've been chilled all night but the temp's only in the 30s, warm for this time of year. It's been this way since that big snowfall early this month. Everyone still is wearing lightweight jackets to go out. No one has to step gingerly to avoid anything unless it's the skateboarders. The winter solstice is just around the corner but the weather says ( Read more... )

The forecast said maybe an inch of accumulation...haha...but in actuality the lake effect snow machine cranked into high gear and gave us around 3-4 inches...and we're just a mile from Lake Erie. Further inland in the buckle of the snow belt (Chardon) it is quite deep. Finally it stopped pouring around 9am. One to three inches more is expected ( Read more... )

Sleeping with the fan on during every night is par for my course...but I surely needed it last night. The house temp was trying to descend from 74° and finally made it to 71° this morning, so if the fan hadn't been churning away I'd be feeling more tired now than when I lay down last night...and the truth is, I don't feel very rested. Heat does me ( Read more... )

November has been balmy in comparison to October this year but certainly fall is in the air. All deciduous trees are bare now and everybody has raked leaves probably for the last time. Lawns are cut low and very green. Jackets are hung by the back door, eager to be donned.

This past week has been gorgeous with lots of sunshine and fairly clear, cold ( Read more... )