My first guess is song sparrow, but white-throated sparrows are very common here and I wonder if it is a juvenile or female. Anyone?
Also, I saw a kinglet-sized bird yesterday that appeared to have very bold black and white stripes on its head. I could find nothing that looked like it. It’s possible it was a sparrow, too, but it was very small. Any ideas?
Our guest room is ready for Jordan to arrive sometime next Monday. Here’s her unadorned room, complete with Julian in his pajamas.
We went to great lengths to protect the water lines underneath the bathroom. I never dreamed the water lines for the kitchen, protected by a sub-basement, would cause any problems. Boy, was I wrong. The photograph below doesn’t look too bad, but imagine it filled with books and important papers. Luckily, this area was mostly filled with things we were probably going to discard anyway (or might have kept, but probably didn’t really need) and old version of books that I’ve since updated.
Still, there were definitely a few heartbreakers in here. This is a partial pile of them. There will be more to succumb, I’m sure, but I’m holding out hope.
The first thing I saw when I went downstairs was my old TRS-80, still in its original box. It was completely soaked. I have contemplated many times getting it out and taking it for a spin, but I’ve never gotten around to it. I thought this would make the decision for me, but the electronics inside seem untouched.
There was a bright spot, though, for at least one person in the family. While we were cleaning up, Julian discovered Alex’s abandoned toy room in the basement. Even if that area had gotten wet, it wouldn’t have caused any long-term damage except to the carpet remnants.
Anyway, Julian scavenged a couple of new Batman toys and brought them upstairs to play. I have a feeling he’s going to want to visit again soon.
The prognosis? Michelle called a plumber who also happens to be our neighbor. He’s on-site in Branson right now and hasn’t slept for two days. Apparently, pipes have been bursting all over the Ozarks. The earliest he can stop by will be Saturday and that’s not a definite. Fortunately, we have a shutoff valve for the water lines going to the kitchen so we’re not completely without water for the house.
Is it spring yet?
Although Sunday night was supposed to be as low as it was going to get, it actually got quite a bit colder on Monday night. Fortunately, the temperature didn’t get much colder than this during the overnight hours. In fact, it warmed up and we woke up to a balmy 2oF above zero!
I’m hoping this “polar vortex” scoots on out of here for the rest of the winter. I think we’ve all had enough of it.
But, the biggest news is the bitter cold we’ll endure all day. It won’t get to 10oF today, probably. This is the first temperature below zero that I remember here, although I didn’t start keeping detailed temperature records until 2011. Stay warm!
We got chickens as soon as we moved to Pearl Creek Farm. After several iterations of pen material, we settled on a sturdy fencing structure with netting and an electric fence border. But, that’s a topic for another time.
Continue reading Watering the chickens is more complicated than you think
We are at 20oF and holding steady. At 730 this morning, I measured almost exactly 3.0″ of new snow. Most had melted by yesterday afternoon, so this is all new. At 1230 this afternoon, it looks like we got an extra 1-2″ out there. The radar shows that it’s almost over and many schools in the area are closed, including Springfield and Willard. That might be as much to do with the expected cold temperatures as the snow itself.
I do and I want it back! To tide you over, here is a photo from our prairie a couple of years ago.
Okay, really Northern Bobwhite, but nobody shouts that when you flush a covey from less than ten yards. Although we occasionally hear them calling from some distance, we see them on our place only rarely. On January 1, 2014, we flushed a covey on top of the hill (I4). I hope they like what we’ve done with the place and stick around for a while.
