2015 - April - Transition

The first day of April for many people is a day of pranks, or at least being alert for them.    Mike O'Connor, who owns the Bird Watcher's General Store in Orleans and writes the 'Ask the Bird Folks' column in the Cape Codder Weekly, never misses an opportunity to pull a leg, or talon as the case may be.  This year's hoax, entitled Welcome To Native Bird Island, was Mike's answer to "Judy from Centerville" about the Cape's newest nature reserve for birders.   Seriously, you don't have to be a "Birder" to love Mike's store or his column, and it's a recommended stop for all of our guests.  So anyway, Mike wrote... well 
here, you can read it for yourself if you'd like to:    

Click on:  Welcome To Native Bird Island

But for us, April 1st marks our wedding anniversary.  And, that's no joke!  We decided to celebrate this year at our friend's [click for menu] Rock Harbor Grill in Orleans.  We send many guests there and none have come home disappointed.  I highly recommend the lamb pizza and Portabella Burger, and Ron loves the duck sliders and RHG burger, but this time we really splurged and our dinner looked like this:

Grilled Coulotte Steak

Butternut Squash Puree / Crushed Fingerlings / Great Hill Bleu Butter 

Hazelnut Crusted Faroe Island Salmon

Crushed Fingerlings / Sauce Romesco / Broccolini / Basil Oil 

P E R F E C T I O N !

As I anticipated, when the snow stopped falling, the blissful quiet season also ceased abruptly.  With the official start of Spring, reservation inquiries started rolling in, and we decided to make a run for it, ourselves.  We took the P&B bus into Boston for a quick, anniversary getaway.  It's always of interest to us to be on the other side of the hospitality industry as guests, instead of hosts, and to experience different styles of hosting.  Ron chose the lovely, old Buckminster Hotel near the hallowed grounds of our Red Sox's Fenway Park.  It did happen to be baseball's opening night, but for the Sox, it was in Philly, not Fenway.  As we checked in, they casually informed us that they were upgrading our reservation to a suite, for no apparent reason.  It was a little like putting a credit card in a slot machine to play, and hitting a jackpot.  Then, along with the key cards, they gave us a $10 gift card to use at their restaurant.  I could get used to this kind of treatment.  Once settled upstairs, with thoughts turning to dinner, we looked at the many possibilities in the neighborhood, and then looked at the menu downstairs and decided to try it.  From exquisitely comfy lounge chairs, I savored every delicious bite of marinated sirloin steak tips, garlic mashed potatoes and gently sauteed carrots and broccolini, as we viewed the bustle of city life through the big windows.  Ron's steak did not disappoint him, either.  And then, we did what we love to do in cities, we strolled.  Since both of us have previously lived in Boston, it was pleasant just to remember places and recall memories from the past.  A stop at a Starbucks for a decaf mocha latte and a tiramisu latte on the way back was dessert enough.  We only stayed in Boston for two nights, but that was enough to break routine, miss home and experience the kindness of many strangers out in the big world.  And now, it's our pleasure to pay it forward.     
   

Easter Weekend-that's the most people I've seen on Fort Hill since Labor Day.

You can still see where the National Seashore workers mowed the wildflowers last Fall.
In a couple of months they'll be over my head and teaming with wildlife.

Even with dirty snow still in parking lots at the first of the month, April lived up to its reputation for showers and flowers.  The peepers were right on time, providing music from the pond three doors down, loud enough to hear on our porch at night.  The many bird operettas drown them out during the daytime.  Literally every day, there is something new popping its head out of the mulch.  The ME-first snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils, as usual led the way, with hyacinths, tulips and columbine following, their elegant designs gracefully emerging and reaching towards the rain.  The beach roses, lilacs and pussy willows are swelling with life, and that last leaf on the copper beech tree in the front yard finally gave it up to Spring gales.  Orange slices and grape jelly have attracted the first orioles and the hummingbird feeders are full and have already hosted the first ruby throat.  Cushions are back on the porch furniture, inviting one to stop and acknowledge the transformation. Snow shovels and deck salt are once again stowed in the garage.  Mesclun mix and cilantro, basil and parsley seeds are planted in pots on the front porch, and Agway excitedly announced that the first pansies have come in.  The watering can fountain is providing soothing sounds on the porch again, inviting newbies to try to figure out where the water comes from.   And, no one complains about the rainy days, noting "at least I don't have to shovel it."    

Red Wing Blackbird mid-song

Lions & Tigers & Sharks & Whales!

Just kidding about those first two, but two of the questions we get asked about frequently have to do with the proximity of great white sharks and whales.   There is a wonderful online site available to identify tagged great whites, thanks to the dedication of Greg Skomal and his team.  You can access it at http://www.ocearch.org/#SharkTracker, or just click on Great White Shark Tracker.   They seem to be off the coast of North Carolina, this month, but will no doubt, include Cape Cod in their vacation travels, owing to our plentiful and tasty seals.  Ocearch also reports Right Whale Sightings, and, needless to say, if you want to see some, Cape Cod is a great place to try.  This is what I pulled up for this April:

That's Cape Cod underneath the big concentration of whale tails!

More Filming on Cape Cod

Last Fall, it was the big Disney production about the shipwreck of The Pendleton in Chatham, and this month, filming begins in Wellfleet to bring Joan Anderson's popular memoir, A Year By The Sea to the screen.  The book chronicled her retreat on Cape Cod to take time to care for herself after years of caring for others. and it resonated with a large fan base.  She chose to stay in Cape Cod and continued to write five more books since the first was published.   

Another exciting announcement, at least for us, comes from the writer of the short film that Ron was in, running through the snow on Commercial Street in boxers and cowboy boots.  It's a sight the neighbors won't forget.  

Arthur Egeli

I am proud to announce that Misconception will show at the New York City International Film Festival running April 30 to May 7th. Showtimes to be announced. Hope to see you there actors Heather Hayes, Cindy Harrington, Kate Wallace Rogers, Ron Daniels.

April 14th was Ben & Jerry's annual FREE SCOOP DAY at the North Eastham location.  As usual, this was a well attended event with long lines.  6,290 kid-sized cones [usually at a cost of $3.75] were given away and the favorite flavor of the day was "The Tonight Dough", named for Jimmy Fallon, who took over "The Tonight Show" from Jay Leno.  It boasts a chunky mix of chocolate and caramel ice creams with chocolate chip cookie dough, peanut butter cookie dough and a crunchy chocolate cookie swirl.  When it was brought to Judy Tarr's attention [the franchise owner] that people were taking advantage by getting back in line again, she said, "O yeah, maybe three, four times."  But, when asked if something should be said to them, her reply, "No, it's a happy day."  Why do all Ben & Jerry's have an annual free cone day?  "Well, it's our way to celebrate and say thanks for another year of support, and we've kept it up every year since, spreading the peace, love and ice cream around the globe."   The first one was in 1979, celebrating the company's first anniversary. 

Here's some B&J trivia you might not have known:  With a $5 correspondence course in ice cream-making from Penn State and a $12,000 investment, Ben and Jerry opened their first ice cream scoop shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont in 1979.  There are now more than 300 shops in 30 countries.  The socially-conscious company gifts 7.5% of the company's annual pre-tax profits to fund community-oriented projects.  It's one of the very few chains allowed in Eastham.    

Garden Time

I've always embraced the philosophy, "work smarter, not harder", but it seems that I have a blind spot when it comes to gardens.  The raised beds Ron designed seemed like such a great idea, with a place to sit on the side while I tended them.  That's easier, right?  Who knew that they would become full of roots that needed to be wrestled out each year to make room for enriched soil and new plants?  I guess I would have if I'd thought that far ahead.  This realization is generating a wicked-brilliant change, which not only supports a less labor-intensive garden, but will hopefully provide Ron's favorite preserves, which we can't find in the stores, anymore.  I've ordered lingonberry seeds to put in the center bed with blooming, evergreen shrubs that give two crops of berries per season.  A Scandinavian favorite, I found that Massachusetts has a comparable growing zone for lingonberries to thrive, if provided an acidic soil.  With as many coffee grounds as we generate, it shouldn't be a problem.  Waste not, want not.    

Oh sure, if I really wanted to keep tabs on when tourist season starts, I could look at a calendar.  But, there are other ways to know these things.  For instance, as I walked to my mailbox, I noticed a car pulled over next to the stairs I use, and the top of a woman's head bobbing at the bottom of the hill.  I decided to be friendly and ask if she needed any help with anything, but as I got closer, the situation became clearer.  Leaning over her toddler, she held him steady, both his arms held high and pants down around his ankles as he relieved himself on the bank.  That's the official beginning of tourist season 2015.    

April brought as wide a variety of guests as the flowers popping up in the gardens.  A couple from Oklahoma combined business with pleasure before heading to the Boston Marathon as one of their vendors.  Another couple enjoyed a weekend in the Cottage, courtesy of a gift certificate from one of our former guests.  Couples from upstate New York and Boston came the following weekend, both with quiet, walking-in-nature getaways in mind.  We hosted a couple from New Hampshire the following week for a birthday surprise weekend.  And, the biggest surprise was on me from a San Francisco friend I haven't seen in a few decades.  Cheers, and happy Spring!

What happened to the snow?

2015 March - The Big Melt

Hi, NASA!  That's us, about an inch north of the frozen elbow, Atlantic side.

An early March visit from THOR - another 8-12" blanket.

Let there be light!  

The spring forward to Daylight Savings Time on March 8th came to the rescue of sun-deprived winter warriors and provided a welcome relief to those looking for a reason, any reason at all, to think that winter will actually come to end.  We were already noting the increase in light at the end of day, but an extra hour all at once is something to get excited about.       

And, that's why they call them Snow Drops.

Here's another sure sign of Spring!

With the Sox clinching that last place spot last year, there's nowhere to go, but UP!  Accordingly, there are lots of new faces hard at work in Spring Training in Florida, looking to clinch their spot on the team.  We even have our first Cuban player.  Hopefully, Fenway will have melted by opening day.

Play ball!

Long before the first hopeful day of March, there is a sub-group of zombie-like people, stuffed into their winter gear, dreaming of warm sun and ice-free beaches [with the exception of their Duncan Donut frozen frappucino].  Advertisers know this and Agway, my favorite garden store, offered this email message of hope:  

Note the tiny disclaimer on item #4.  

Here's something else that just popped up.  If you were a reader last year, you might remember that Ron participated in the Provincetown 24-hour Play event, which later led to the play being filmed.  The writer's goal was to enter it in various film festivals.  The preview last winter in Provincetown was premature, but with the completion of the editing, it appears to be on its way, including Ron's infamous sprint down snowy Commercial Street in boxers and cowboy boots.  Not many lines, but great ACTING!  And, please note the credit for the photograph.     

Arthur Egeli

I am proud to announce that our film, "Misconception", shot here in Provincetown last March, will debut at the Arizona International Film Festival running April 9th to the 26th. The film stars Heather Hayes, Kate Wallace Rogers, Cindy Harrington, and Ron Daniels. It was co-written by myself and Heather, co-produced by Judith Richland and originally directed for the stage by Alison Hyder at the Provincetown Provincetown Theater (photo by Andrea Daniels) and edited by John Randle— with Heather Hayes.

 A pair of European Starlings

Last month, I mentioned a few reasons why I enjoy the winter so much.  I neglected to speak about the wildlife we get to enjoy that we wouldn't see otherwise.  The first time I ever saw a European Starling was on a trip to Copenhagen a few years ago, and I was fascinated with the unusual markings.  I took a picture to identify the breed when I got home since it wasn't a bird I'd seen here before.  This month, I learned from our Orleans bird expert, Mike O'Connor, that the Cape has many of these birds, but the reason we'd never seen them before is that they prefer feeding on "buggy and wormy things" in the salt marshes.  When the marshes are frozen, as they have been most of this winter, they seek dinner elsewhere, and suet is their second favorite entree.  I'm glad to say that word has spread about the fine dining options here and they've been constant visitors all winter.  Another benefit to a snowy landscape, at least for us, is that the deer sightings are more plentiful, simply because they show up better against the snow.  Not to mention, if you ever wonder who parties in your yard nocturnally, the fox, raccoon, deer, skunk, coyote, squirrel and bird prints are all there in the morning.  

Hi, Neighbor!

The town of Wellfleet, just north of us, made the national news this month when ice floes began making what looked like icebergs on the beach.  I don't know if any of them would have sunk a ship, but they made for an unusual landscape.  About a week later, on my way back from Provincetown, I stopped to see what might be left after our big melt began, and I wasn't disappointed.  

Wellfleet Harbor - crunchy style

BOSTON, STILL STRONG! 

As of 7 p.m. on  March 15th, The National Weather Service in Boston announced that Boston Logan Airport had officially received a record breaking amount of snow for the 2015 season.  For perspective, the average seasonal snowfall at the airport is 43.5 inches.  I've been unable to locate our total snowfall for this winter here in Eastham, but we don't really need the numbers.  Codders will be using the winter of 2015 as a comparison for years to come, as the one that didn't get a chance to melt before the next, and the next, and the next.  In fact, we had another 2" on our first day of Spring.  To give another perspective of what that has looked like, Arnold's restaurant summer devotees may recognize this ice cream sign in the parking lot.
  

Where do you think all that ice cream comes from?  Just kidding, of course.

The March blog wouldn't be complete without a wildlife report.  Just because we're still huddled in front of the fireplace doesn't mean Spring's not here.  So, if you've had Robins all winter, how can you really tell?  The Ocearch Shark Tracker, for one, is showing Katherine, one of our frequent Great White visitors, moving up the Atlantic coast.  The first Ospreys have been officially sited in the towns of Orleans and Eastham.  We heard the squawk of the first Red Wing Blackbirds a couple of days before we spotted the first one on our feeders on the first day of Spring.  And the grackles, also known as "suet-piggies", with their gorgeous, iridescent blue heads, have also returned.  With the grass once again peeping out, I have much less tolerance for watching the squirrels draining our bird feeders.  With three feet of snow on the ground, I could afford to be generous, but it was time for those pesky Reds to move on, learn how to feed themselves and start their family elsewhere.  It took a couple of weeks to entice them, but patience was rewarded with two at once.  

See:  Red Goes to Orleans

This month's B&B visitors from Medford, MA, wisely brought their snowshoes with them and trekked Fort Hill without benefit of the usual neat pathways.  I could still see their tracks when I went for a walk a few days later.

We know where you've been!

We also hosted people from Springfield, MA, who braved the weather.  They had been to the Cape before, but never this far down, and were elated to discover the distinctive beauty of the Outer Cape and Fort Hill.  It really is a different world north of the rotary.  We were also happy to get a last minute booking from last year's winter guests, who decided to leave Boston for an evening in the Cottage.  Being good Wisconsin-Cheeseheads, they agree with us that winter is the best time on the Cape.  Following them were a couple coming to supervise the placement of their new house, which will transition them from summer residents to year-rounders.  Finally, a couple from Germany braved the rains (but, at least not snow!) to get away for a couple of days.  This winter's snow brought a blissful rest from the attention to detail necessary to tending to guests, but it's back to work now, with its own rewards.      

And now, it really is time to give John Deere, Jr. some much deserved R&R.  The plow will soon be disconnected and he'll be returned to the lighter duty of mowing.  What a trooper he's been!  

March decorations were courtesy of Thor

With Spring having sprung, I was thinking about all the projects I was going to get done over the winter. and I commented, "Once again, winter has just flown by!"  Ron gave me his "you're crazy, but you're mine" look and replied, "You know you're the only one on this planet who has uttered those words."  So, for all of the rest of you,

Happy Spring, and let the daffodils bloom!  

Click here to:  Meet & Hear the Redwing Blackbird  [scroll down to click on the audio/video]

February, 2015 - The White Month

The mighty Snow Wolf...

After about the fifth blizzard update to concerned friends and family in the first week of the month, I decided they'd probably had enough.  Some were no doubt even thinking, you said you loved snow, well, you got it.  And, yes I do, and yes we did, and then some more.  It does tend to wear me out, but I'm still captivated by watching it come down and hearing it crunch under my boots.  I've graduated from athletic fun, like sledding, to more gentle snowflake catching, and photographing whatever the drifts allow me to reach.  The toboggan has become more functional than recreational, using it with a step stool as a bridge over snowdrifts to get to the bird feeders, or as a rescue vehicle.
      

...and, the not-so-mighty Snow Squirrel

Sadly [and, what I really mean is, catastrophically], my camera started malfunctioning after our first big storm.  It's always been the best diversion to keep me from picking up a snow shovel.  I actually love tunneling my way through snow, but it's #1 on my doctor's list of NO-NO's for me.  My attempts to use Ron's iPhone camera were less than stellar, but I got some dandy pictures of my fingertips.  One day, trying to stay out of shovel-trouble, I devised some Rube Goldberg-like contraptions using extra gutters to divert melting icicles from the steps.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, but, I really needed my camera.  

  February's timeline started out like this:

Thank you, Ponderosa Landscaping

We started the month having cried uncle, and had both front and back driveways professionally plowed, leaving impressive snow mountains and glistening, black asphalt pathways for the cars.  The John Deere plow wasn't going to cut it, and it was our only chance of ever seeing our driveway again this winter with more storms on the way.  

The Before Picture.  We had to show them where the driveway should be.

Superbowl Sunday was a gorgeous, sunny day, perfect for getting out beyond our own mailbox for a change, so I decided to check on the damage to Coast Guard and Nauset Light beaches.  If I thought hiking through sand dunes was getting to be difficult, I found that it's a lot more of a challenge doing it through snow drifts with icy, imbedded footsteps.  For my efforts, I found a gnarly, driftwood walking stick, and made friends with a lady I recognized who works at the Stop & Shop.  As for the beach, the cliffs looked like a giant earthmoving machine had a ravenous gobble-fest for miles, and part of the buried cedar bogs that appeared after last year's big Nor'easter, reappeared.  It's all part of coastal life, like losing the stairs to Nauset Light beach again, for the third time in five years.  We adjust and go on.

That's where they used to be, so watch that first step!

On the way home, I decided to drive up the one plowed lane to the top of Fort Hill at the end of our road.  On the way, I passed a couple, happily show-shoeing by rows of mailboxes, which peeked hopefully above snowbanks.  People were skiing down one side of the hill, and sledding down the other.  The ocean was calm and the salt marshes frosty.  But, as I said, it was Superbowl Sunday, and Patriots fever was on the rise.  Returning to my excavated spot in the driveway between snow mountains, I put on a big pot of Portuguese Kale soup and spent the evening as most Codders did, glued to the most stunning New England win, ever.  I was promised some pictures from a friend who says he made good on his pledge to dive into the snow in his underwear if the Patriots won, but I haven't seen proof, yet. 

First Encounter Beach sand dunes a la mode

The evening not only brought New England another Superbowl trophy, it also delivered more snow, which became the every-other-day pattern for most of the month.  Our days have been filled with rediscovering the walkways, wet clothes, filling bird feeders outside and humidifiers inside.  But, the weather didn't deter me from making a trip to The Orleans Camera Store for a consultation with the owner, Dick Mack.  Not only is he extremely knowledgeable about his field, it's clear that he's as fascinated with it as his customers, and shares his time and knowledge generously.  A quick examination of my camera yielded the bad news that it needed to go to the Nikon dealer for what could be a pricey repair.  The good news came in the form of technology advances since purchasing mine almost eight years ago.  It didn't take long to decide that the money would be better spent on something new, rather than repairing something old.  [Remember when less than a decade wasn't considered old?]  So, I now have an amazing new camera and a learning curve as steep as the snowdrifts. 

The second week:  Progress!

It took a pickax, but Ron cut a path through the snow mountains in the front driveway
so our little plow can get through from the lot next door to maintain it.

But, it's not only about snow, this month.  At the Lower Cape Outreach Council, my fellow members of the Development Committee are planning the upcoming 2015 fundraisers that support our neighbors in need.   Our February "Dinner with the Presidents," the "Annual Super Restaurant Raffle", the "Spring Week of Hope", the Fall Gala and many other efforts don't just happen spontaneously.  New ideas and the volunteers to implement them are a year-round quest.  LCOC is quiet, but we're definitely not hibernating.

There isn't enough money in the town budget to plow the bike paths, too, 
so diehard winter cyclists have had to hit the main roads.

And, the doors reopened at the Orleans Community Exchange, the oldest Thrift Shop on the Cape, after the annual break to clean and begin a new membership period.  It's an out-with-the-old event, followed by the inevitable in-with-the-new.  Nature abhors a vacuum, and our avid year-round consignors returned with new treasures to offer eager shoppers.  "Thrifting" remains one of the more popular pastimes for locals and visitors, alike.  Sweaters were a popular purchase this month, but between storm closings and a furnace malfunction in the building, February turned out to be just a teaser.  We hope to reopen in March with a new furnace.        

The third week:  Neptune - another 14"

You know when you see the words 'frigid' and 'howling' in the same forecast, it's going to be another heck of a Nor'easter.  

Not to let Boston outdo us with their highest total snowfall, ever, Neptune graced the Cape with another foot [or, so] of snow.  It didn't seem to be as cataclysmic an event as Juno, or perhaps, with mountains of Juno still on the ground, what's a little wind and another foot of snow?  Plowing began early this time, on the roads and on our driveway, before the snow could exceed the capacities of our little engine that could.  

The engineer, at least, was determined.  

Valentine's weekend, or not, we encouraged cancellation for both expected guests at the B&B.  Safe travel always trumps all.  But, that didn't stop us from making a run between storms to Plymouth [about an hour's drive] to leave Ron's Boxter to have the back windshield replaced.  Yes, Plymouth with the rock, "America's Hometown", but the rock was nestled under a couple feet of snow.  It took a lot of windshield wiper fluid and Polarized sunglasses to cut the glare, but it was kind of nice to see what other people who were snowed in looked like for a change of pace.  I noticed a number of icicle-laden roofs that had definitely been relieved of some of the snow burden.  Roof collapses have been the bane of this winter's frozen bounty, mostly large commercial structures, but many people aren't taking chances.     
  

And, Octavia - another  6"

With more to come.  Now, we're starting to be accused of hijacking other regions' winter weather and they actually seem to want it back.  As much as some people hate snow, their water supply depends on it.  Meanwhile, our fences and gates seem to be getting lower and landmarks are disappearing.  The walkways are definitely growing smaller.  The most common question heard these days is, "Has Andrea had enough snow, yet?"   

Redundancy in Art

So, here's the way I can answer that question.  Nobody would have even thought to ask my mother, "Have you had enough chocolate, yet, Lorraine?"  Or, my dad, "Have you caught enough fish, Sam?"  How would I possibly get too much snow in only three out of twelve probable months?  That's one season out of four.  I've only lived in New England [where there's a much better chance of snow than Virginia] for eight out of fifty+ years.  That means I've spent more than half a century hoping for snow days that never came.  Now, I don't like math very much, but I think that, in this case, the numbers say it all.  I have a lot of time to make up for, enjoying peaceful, lacy curtains of snow and gentle, snowflake eyelash-kisses.  It brightens the otherwise bleak landscape for awhile, and I get to wear sweaters that feel like warm hugs.  Didn't you love finding out for the first time that you could blow 'smoke' with cold air?  And, who else couldn't resist making cracks in icy puddles on the way to school?  As an adult, I also appreciate that the passing snow plows represent paychecks that feed and warm families in the off-season.  So, to answer the question, has Andrea had enough snow, yet, in MY winter wonderland, we've maybe had more than our fair share, BUT it's not too much for me.  Disclaimer:  as always, please bear in mind that I have no connections with any higher power to cause snow, I just appreciate it.    

This is what Cape Cod Bay looks like at First Encounter Beach. 
If you look closely, you can see where the ice meets the horizon.

Pandora graced us with flurries and sleet, while the South got deadly ice, snow and cold in places that never see it.

I overheard two old women talking about the weather the other day.  One exclaimed that she'd been living in Eastham for 64 years and she'd never seen anything like this winter.  "Oh, sure, we got snow," she said, "but, it usually melted before we got the next storm!  My yard has disappeared!"  With March rapidly approaching, I wonder what people will find to talk about next month?  If you can't find anything else useful about snow, it at least unites and engages people in a common state of affairs.  February has proven most of us to be a resilient, if not weary bunch.  There are the usual achy snow-shoveling muscles, and the constant interruption of routines that confuse otherwise clear thinking.  A case in point: when our friend said he uses sand for the snow in his driveway instead of salt and I asked him where he buys it.  DUH...we live at the beach.  Our regulars, Dave & Ray don't let the snow stop them from coming over for lattes and snow stories the morning after a storm.  Neighbors help out neighbors wherever it's needed.  And, since I'm banned from shoveling, I made a big lasagna to feed our determined volunteer shovelers.  Some days, when the sun comes out, the glare from the white drifts are so bright, we actually lower the blinds.  Snow or shine, I manage to keep our birds happy and even get a little exercise high-stepping through the drifts to get to all the feeders.  

The Latte Regulars - Show & Tell Time

Quantum - the big February finish? - another 5" predicted. 

The Winter 'Howdy' Tree

Only one out of three scheduled guests actually got to stay this month because of the weather.  They flew in from Virginia, luckily squeezing in between storms for their grandmother's birthday party.  As for the rest, it just wasn't wise to mess with Mother Nature, but our summer bookings have been brisk.     

Yes, it's really a Robin, but don't let it fool you.  We have them all winter, here.

For anyone who has been struggling to remain upright on the ice and snow with just a little dignity, I leave you with this short video, which will make you count your blessings:     

Click here for:  A Winter Walk

2015 Mid-February - Mid-Thigh Snow

This is what you do when you promised not to shovel snow anymore:

David 'Papi' Snow-tiz

John Snowball-ushi

If John Lennon was a Snowman - "Give Snow a Chance"

Kenny McSnowmick

Where's Waldo-Man?

Nom, Nom-Man - "One less squirrel for mankind."