I was a little late getting this picture this morning–the time is 8:08–but, as you can see it was still 7 below–it had been lower. As luck would have it, however, there is no wind so the windchill is the same as the temperature. The sun, such as it is, is shinning so it may warm to plus numbers before noon.
Finally got my new amaryllis to come into bloom.
But fire is so delightful.
So let it snow, let it blow–who cares?
We’re finally getting snow along with cold weather–up until last week there had been more snow in Southern California than here. The birds are happy that we have a place for them to eat.
BTW there are gold finches, chickadees and purple finches in the photo but they are not the only species to visit the feeder. Depending on the time of day, however, the finches of both species, make up the largest mass at the feeder. The chickadees, juncos and doves come in a few at a time all day.
When you have a friend, you will always have a pillow.
Nature Girl by Carl Hiassen.
I’m a big fan of Carl Hiaasen, having read not only all 11 of his novels but his two nonfiction collections of columns and expose of Disney World. (On the other hand, I must admit to not having read either of his kid’s books or having seen the movie, Hoot, which was made from one.) I like the way he takes a subject near and dear to his heart—primarily the rape of South Florida—and then uses a bizarre plot and wacky characters to get his point across. Maybe the reason I enjoy this kind of writing is because it follows closely the way I like to plot my stories.
In Nature Girl, the main theme is telemarketing harassment—in this case a mother trying to teach an especially obnoxious telemarketer a lesson in courtesy. In the process he brings in Jesus freaks, ecological tourist tours, marriage infidelity, and sexual stalking with just enough mayhem to make the reader keep turning pages—and stay up until 2 am to finish the book. Sure his plot may come out of left field and his characters are strange but this doesn’t mean it can’t happen and the people couldn’t exist. The combination, along with his writing style, are what make his novels so enjoyable and plausible—certainly not great literature, but worth reading. On the other hand, while I don’t think this is his best—there is no “Governor†and Sammy Tigertail is not a good replacement—but it definitely is in the top 11. Skinny Dip, the novel that preceded this, was much better and if you aren’t familiar with his work, one that I’d recommend as a good start. This doesn’t mean ignoring Nature Girl, it will keep you going until he writes his next.
A Season in Dornoch, Golf and Life in the Scottish Highlands, by Lorne Rubenstein. This book was a birthday gift from my oldest who thinks I should be reading more about golf. However, like it’s subtitle says, it is not strictly a golf book and whether you’re a golfer or not, you will find something to enjoy in it. In fact, if you were to read it just for the golfing information, you might be sorely disappointed. Rubenstein writes about three months in the summer of 2000 that he spent in the Scottish Highlands at Dornoch, ostensibly to play the local golf course, Royal Dornoch Golf Club—a links course on the edge of the North Sea. There is enough golf information to make this a good read for a golfer but there is more to the book than that—it includes a history of the area of Scotland as well as a look at the people who live there now. Rubenstein and his wife, Nell (a nongolfer btw) explore the area and Lorne writes fairly extensively about the “Highland Clearancesâ€â€”the removal of the local farmers(crofters) by the Duke of Sutherland to make room for sheep in the early 1800’s. To someone unfamiliar with Scotland, this is an intriguing and sad piece of its history.
Rubenstein is a good writer whether about golf—he is, after all, a golf writer having written books with many of the top teachers/ players of the game as well as coauthored A Disorderly Compendium of Golf (see “what I’m reading”) and plays to a three handicap—or describing the scene from the top of Ben Bhraggie. In between, you will get into the mind of a golfer as well as meet some of the people that make Scotland an interesting place to visit. I highly recommend this book to anyone whether a golfer or no, it is a good read. I guarantee you’ll find something to make you keep turning pages.
My wife is, justifily, proud of this Christmas cactus that she reblooms every year. It was a bit slow starting and only put out a few blooms by Christmas Day, but is in its full glory now.
Where is a person supposed to sit?
Top to bottom, left to right: Bibs, Marshmallow, Cuddles
For those of you who love fresh eggs but live in the suburbs this is for you. In fact, I think it will be an ideal birthday present for my grand daughter who just loves chickens.
Just imagine, room for four hens that would give you two or three eggs a day plus all the fertilizer you’d need while keeping the lawn short. Sounds good until you realize there is a problem: winter. Once the ground freezes the chickens have to be supplied with food and water every day. No one ever thinks about that.