These are the views from my two studio windows as I weave this morning. I live in what is typically called the 'banana belt of Colorado.' We usually have more than 300 days of sunshine here, and when it snows, it snows in small amounts that usually melt by noon. I can go entire winters, wearing just my wool sweaters with no coat over them. My snow boots are typically reserved for visits to the cabin. That has not been the case this year. We had a big snow at Thanksgiving, and it has been so cold that the ground has had snow on it since then, until it finally got into the upper 30's earlier this week, and the snow began to melt.
It was actually good to see some muddy ground! But this morning, the ground is frozen and again covered with several inches of fresh snow. Booker does not mind it, but I do. (Booker would be happy to live in snow, all year round, except for a few days, in which he would love to wallow in the mud.)
I tend to get a bit of seasonal depression during the year's longest month, February, and this year's weather does not seem to want to help me ward it off!
OK, I will quit whining now, as I know that this has been a long, hard winter in many parts of the country, and not just outside my own studio windows.
Speaking of outside the windows: I have been keeping an eye on this Prairie Falcon for several weeks. I see him in the trees in the neighborhood most days. We have been finding the remains of doves in our yard, and had been blaming it on a couple of 'gangsta cats' that also have been roaming nearby. But I think the falcon is the one to blame. The other day, it landed on Booker's yard fence and just sat there, while I shot a few photos, checking out a large flock of finches that were eating berries from the vine across the yard. I love this look the falcon gave me, as if to say, 'you mind your business, and I'll mind mine.' I actually did not begrudge him a finch or two, as we have so many coming to our bushes and feeder. But when it chose one, and swooped across the yard after it, the finch got away. Later that day, I found more dove feathers littering the yard. I think the finches are small and fast enough to get away from the falcon, so our slower (and meatier) doves are feeding it. I believe I DO begrudge the falcon my doves! As they mate for life, I hate hearing the lone left-behind dove out there crying so mournfully! But, as we have found dove feathers four or five times in our yard recently, maybe the falcon is clearing out the mourners, as well. I sketched the falcon and a few of the dove feathers in my sketchbook. Now you can move on to another yard, if you please, Mr. Falcon!
Back to the loom, as I weave and listen to The Turn of the Screw on CraftLit and watch the snow as it continues to fall outside my windows.
1 comment:
I am so glad I am not suffering the cold. We are having some very hot days but the streets are traversable. We have recently heard an owl in our garden and are welcoming it with open arms. It is fruit season and we usually lose a lot to the rats, not so this year. We are losing some to the rainbow lorikeets but we are getting more this year than usual. So these predatory birds are welcome.
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