Birds and Blizzards

The birds have been busy at the bird feeder. I have seen as many as four female cardinals at one time on the feeders. I've also noticed that the juncos are perching on the feeders now to eat and not just eating off the ground. There is room for 10 or maybe 12 birds at one time at our feeder, so often the birds have to wait in the tree for their chance to get a good spot.

We are winding down from our first significant snow of the season and it has been a blizzard. So far we have about 10 inches. Schools, churches, and many businesses are closed. Meetings have been postponed and smart people are staying off the roads if they have the option of staying at home.

Student Dashboard

Occasionally I look at the webcam from the University of Minnesota's Institute of Technology. Today the weather is great. At lunchtime there were lots of students walking on the Mall, plus students sitting on the grass studying or talking and even two guys playing Frisbee. I looked around a bit more at the other links on the IT website and found that they even have a link to find food and restaurants in the area. It's good to know that they can keep important stuff in focus.

Colder, Windier, Rainier

"The livecam is currently unavailable due to the weather. Enjoy this photo of Lake Superior big waves."

That's from the Visit Duluth.com Livecam today. It could be that there's just raindrops showing up and blocking the view or maybe it's all blurry from blowing back and forth in the wind. I didn't really think there would be kids playing at the beach today.

The LSMMA webcam shows the true weather in Duluth. I can't see that it's colder, but I'm pretty sure it is. The water is browner that usual. I'm assuming that is from the wind a few days stirring things up so much. The green gates are open again today. There's more water on the sidewalks than a few days ago when I last posted. And at about 10:30 a.m. some of the lights are on.

Perhaps summer really is gone.

Cold, Windy, Rainy

One week ago I got my flu shot. I wore a short-sleeved t-shirt. It's amazing how quickly the weather can change. We have not had frost overnight here yet, but we have come close. It's 50 degrees now and raining on and off, mostly on. It's been like this for a few days, so we can sadly bid summer good-bye.

Today I have been looking at the Duluth Web Cam at LSMMA, the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association. It is really, really windy there. The green gate is closed, the waves are reaching the top of the canal wall and all the sidewalks are wet. Even so, the Web Cam usually shows a person or two braving the blustery winds and rain to take a look at the canal.

The photo shows a warmer, calmer day with lots of people watching the Walter J. McCarthy departing Duluth. I took this photo at 11:11 a.m. on 11/11 of 2006.

Flu Shot

I got my flu shot today. There were about 30 people in line before me, but the line moved really fast. When I got into the room where the shots were being administered, there were four or five stations to get the shot. I sat down, got my shot and it bruised immediately. When I donate blood I am always told that I have good veins. I also bruise really easily. So, it's not surprising that I would get a bruise. Plus it bled a little bit, so I got aBand-aid.

No problem though. I went home and got the grass cut. Tomorrow rain is expected and the grass was really getting long, so I'm glad that's done.

Are you wondering if you should get a flu shot? The answer is YES. About ten years ago I had the flu. Ever since that experience I have made sure to get a flu shot each fall. Dave Barry wrote about that flu. The Martian Death Flu he called it. "The main symptom is that you wish you had another setting on your electric blanket, up past High that said: Electrocution."

He was absolutely right. I had on my pajamas and bathrobe. I had four blankets on and I had the electric blanket turned up as close to Electrocution as I could get. I took a long nap and eventually got warm enough to go to the kitchen. I sat in my chair and promptly fainted. That meant a trip to the emergency room to make sure it was nothing more serious than the flu and overheating. I got some medicine that I was supposed to take with food but I had absolutely no interest in food or any ability to make the effort to chew and swallow any kind of food.

Flu shot - Yes! Martian Death Flu - No!!!

Finally Some Rain

It's been almost a month since we have had any rain. Some parts of the state have had even less rain. And unfortunately, some parts of the country are getting so much rain that serious flooding is taking place.

I know that's the way it goes, but it is nice to finally have some rain. We are getting close to having an inch in the rain gauge for the last 24 hours. That means I don't have to drag the hose over to water the new grass seed I planted, at least not for a day or so. The seed has sprouted already, faster than I would have thought possible. Maybe watering it three times a day helped speed it along some.

It's not the best time of the year for starting new grass, but there's not ever an ideal time. One year I planted grass seed at the end of October and we had a mild November. That grass has done very well, thanks to a very mild and long autumn.

The temperatures now have been good, but trying to keep a smooth surface on the dirt when the squirrels are busy burying nuts in our yard is a test of wills. Will the squirrel dig yet another hole where my grass seed is? Yes, he will.

09/09/09

Just for the fun of it today, I wrote that date the way my friends in Switzerland do, with the day first, then the month, then the year. Oh, I'm just joking - I did put the month first. Another special day for those of us who like math and the numbers that make it possible.

Actually it is a special day for another reason. I donated blood, my 75th time doing so at the Mayo Clinic. Last week my hemoglobin was only 12.4 which is too low to donate. I rescheduled for today and lucky me it was up to 12.5 which is the minimum for donating.

But back to the number 9, 9, 9. Some years back there was a wonderful kids' show on PBS called Square One TV. It was great for learning a lot of different concepts in mathematics and also had a lot of humor. There was usually a song performed for each show by members of the regular cast. One of my favorites is "Nine", which you can watch on YouTube here.

University of Minnesota Marching Band

Ah, the Trombones. You probably don't want to stand right in front of them when they are playing. Not that they won't sound good, but you might get a whack upside your head! They sing, they march, they play their instruments and also they are always moving the instruments up, down, left and right. Who doesn't love a parade, especially with the University of Minnesota Marching Band leading the way?

University of Minnesota Marching Band

March On March On To Victory!

Not only can they play musical instruments, not only can they march in formation, but they also sing and they are good at that too. If you lean close, really close to your computer screen, you can hear them singing.

If you can't hear them, then there is another option. Go over to the website and buy their CD.

Scroll down to the bottom where you will find "Latest CD Now Available"

University of Minnesota Marching Band

The Drumline. Probably that is what you hear first. And yes they are good at what they do and yes they also have fun. Every once in a while I drum along with a song. It goes okay for a while and then by beat gets off and my hands trip over each other.

University of Minnesota Marching Band

Another proud symbol of the Band are the Cymbals. You notice the bright bandanas they are wearing? Do you wonder why they are wearing them? The answer --- Because. A few years back I remember them wearing goggles. And why were they wearing goggles? Again, they were wearing them Because. It's fun, it's what they do.

University of Minnesota Marching Band

We were at the Minnesota State Fair on Sunday for a few hours. We always try to go when the University of Minnesota (Pride of Minnesota) Marching Band is in the Daily Parade. And we always try to plan it so that we can watch the Marching Band at the beginning of the parade and then run to the end of the parade route and catch them again.

This photo shows the clarinets, my favorite section if you must know. Within 10 seconds of when this photo was taken all band members were in their straight line formation with horns up and playing yet another wonderful song.

Pepin, Wisconsin

We went to Winona, Minnesota today for a meeting, and then headed to Pepin, Wisconsin to eat at the Harbor View Cafe. We had never eaten there before, but finally made time to go there. It was as good as people had told us. We had pork tenderloin with red potatoes, broccoli, and red cabbage. The bread was excellent, the salad with peppercorn dressing was nice and peppery, and the desserts were delicious. We walked down by the harbor after eating and enjoyed the view. Most sailboats were in the harbor since it was a blustery day, not suitable for leisurely sailing.

We will go back there again soon when we are in that neck of the woods. The drive was very scenic and the food was delicious.

123456789

I missed the big celebration. Twice on Wednesday, shortly after midnight and shortly after noon, we had a number event! The time and date could be written as:
12:34:56 7/8/9

I don't know what I would have done for those two seconds during the day, but it would have been nice to acknowledge that it was happening. If someone reads this the next time it occurs, please write a short comment to this post. Thanks!

Good News

Wrens.

We have a few wren houses in the yard. Luckily, we also have some wrens that make their homes in the wren houses. I have tried a few times to get a photo of a wren feeding babies. Typically I can't get close enough to get a good picture. The wren keeps scolding until I finally leave. Only then will the wren fly into the wren house with a treat for the babies.

But this time I was able to snap a few photos of the wren getting ready to go in with baby food for the baby wrens. I was so happy when I saw this photo. Look what is on the menu for tonight! An earwig. Yea! The baby wrens are happy to eat them. I'm happy that there is one less earwig in the yard. And the parent is one bug closer to not having to feed babies all day.

So, I am going on record as saying I am a big fan of wrens.

Bad News

Earwigs.

Three years ago we never saw any. Yes, we would see centipedes and sow bugs in the basement. And of course lots of different bugs outside in the garden. But never earwigs.

Now they are everywhere. I pushed aside a board on the compost pile last year and about 100 earwigs dropped to the ground. Last night I found 10 in the house around 2:00 a.m., mostly in the basement laundry room and bathroom. And they leave "stuff" where they have been.

So, I am going on record as saying I am not a big fan of earwigs.

How Cold is Too Cold?

I do like my pop to be cold and I don't always remember to put a can in the refrigerator before I get thirsty for a Dr. Pepper. When that happens, I put a can of pop in the freezer for about 30 minutes to get it cold quickly.

Unfortunately, sometimes I forget that I have a Dr. Pepper in the freezer. You can see what happens to a can of pop left in the freezer for too many minutes. Luckily, it expanded but it did not spring a leak, so I did not get pop spraying all over the inside of the freezer.

From now on I either have to remember to put a can in the day before or else remember not to forget that I have a can in the freezer.

Abraham Lincoln

I watched Saturday Night Live tonight*. It was a repeat, an episode with Justin Timberlake hosting. In the opening sequence, Justin wandered through the halls of the SNL studio and talked to people along the way. As he passed one doorway, an Abraham Lincoln look-alike came out and walked away from the camera. It dawned on me that it seems like any time someone is wandering the halls of SNL, an Abraham Lincoln look-alike is also there, wandering the halls.

At least, I assume it is a look-alike. Mighty curious.

* Not actually tonight, since it is now early Sunday morning. Let's just say a few hours ago. Yeh, that's fine.

Sit and Read a Little Bit

This will be the last garden photo for a few days. But don't worry, I have lots more that I will put up. This shows a bit more of the layout of part of the garden area, including some ponds. There are many benches in the gardens, all different kinds. I always think it looks so inviting to just sit there for an hour and read a good book. When I was growing up I loved going to school, but I also couldn't wait for summer. Why? So that I could go to the Library, get as many books as I wanted and read all day. A place like this would have been just wonderful, especially with just a gentle breeze blowing and a few birds singing in the trees.

Arborvitae Stalagmites

Well, I'm pretty sure these are Arborvitae and they do look somewhat like stalagmites. I would like to have known more about these. Is it just four Arborvitae, or are there multiple bushes growing in a clump? Imagine seeing these on a dark night. They might look like scary creatures. I also imagine that you could have fun using these in a musical number where all of a sudden about twenty dancers pop out from behind them. Or you could do a spy thriller or horror movie with the bad guy hiding behind them. In real life though, these are most likely condominiums for the birds.