Monday, January 5, 2015

Where Early the Sweet Birds Sang

The birds were singing sweetly and energetically in a nearby parking lot when I started my exercise walk yesterday.
It was a winter Sunday in upstate New York.  The day before, a thin snow had covered everything.  My little snow angel statue in my back yard stared at me, deep in thought, perhaps wondering what would happen next.

Today, the scene was totally different.  DIFFERENT is my word for 2015 and even the weather was paying attention to my word.
Rushing water, Vestal, NY January 4, 2015

This was the scene I saw just a few hundred feet down the trail off to one side.

You usually don't hear masses of birds singing in early January here, and I was wondering what it all meant.  DIFFERENT.  We do get January thaws here, but this is not the normal type of thaw.

The rivers are not frozen.

A friend who lives out in the country told me she had seen a bear last week.  Aren't they supposed to be hibernating by now?

Perhaps not.  This winter has been so up and down it is making me dizzy.   I wasn't wearing a coat or even a jacket as my spouse and I walked our four miles.  The temperature made it to 50 (10C). The snow had mostly melted.

It was so nice to be walking outside for a change, instead of in the local mall with its stale air, hard floors and scents of perfumed candles and potpourri. The grass was still green.  Knotweed (hardy bamboo) glowed brown, almost like sap was running in it.
Later, nature treated us to a brilliant sunset.

I do not know why the sweet birds are singing.  I don't think it was just the warm day.  I wonder if the birds know something we humans do not.

If they do, though, they (and we) will have to wait.  It's in the 20's, with howling winds, right now, and by Wednesday night, we are predicted to be down near zero (F).

What's the weather like right now where you live?

23 comments:

  1. It's winter in our part of the world too (India) and like you, we are also witnessing so many ups and downs. Some days are soooo freezing cold and the very next day the sun is all out and shining in full glory! I like your word for 2015! May the different experiences continue to enrich and amaze you! Cheers :)

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    1. Thank you for your well wishes. Please send the sun our way.

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  2. I just read an article yesterday about how they put little GPS data backpacks on golden-winged warblers and discovered that the warblers arrived in Tennessee from South America, started their nesting behavior, took off and flew almost five hundred miles to the south and then returned a week or ten days later. Their sudden flight south occurred four days before the chain of killer tornadoes hit Tennessee! We had a snowstorm and a cold snap that started on New Year's Day, and today the snow has mostly melted (we don't get much in the the high Arizona desert). I do a link up on Mondays (Inspire Me Monday), and a lot of bloggers are leaving links about their one word for the year (mine is 'deeper').

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    1. I hadn't heard the story of the warblers. That is fascinating!

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  3. Replies
    1. I'm sorry. We went through massive floods in 2011. I wish you the best.

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  4. I'm in Missouri and last week was rainy and mild, but the child settled in yesterday and appears to be here at least for the week. It's 26 right now and that's about as warm as it's been all day.

    We did get to see some sun, however, which was very coherent!

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  5. Replies
    1. I kind of liked coherent. The coherent sun. Perhaps a topic for a future blog post?

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  6. Your pictures are beautiful, specifically the sunset photo. Weather is so strange, it was similar here; very warm yesterday and now it's frigid. I like your reflections, this was a very nice read :)

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    1. Thank you. It was a beautiful sunset. My picture didn't capture the full beauty.

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  7. Crazy weather in Southern CA. I bundle up for the cold--it is winter after all--and it's warm out! Go figure!

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    1. Now it's freezing out (13 right now) please send that warmth!

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  8. I know what January Thaw in North Idaho. But this morning I woke up with 12 inches of new snow.
    Coffee is on

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    1. You need coffee on a morning like this! We are starting to get the bitter weather the middle of the country has had. Brrrr.

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  9. The photos are beautiful! Currently in Georgia, and last week we were experiencing high 50s, or lower 60s, and this week we are expected to hit the 20s and possibly single digits. It's also been raining nonstop it seems for 2 weeks now.

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    1. Single digits in Georgia. Yikes. The poor camellias, a plant I love, and can't grow here in upstate New York. I hope your weather gets better soon.

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  10. My daughter in NYC has told me how up and down the weather has been. It has been a bit similar here temperature-wise -- quite cold the week after Christmas, and suddenly much warmer.

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    1. It seems the weather is strange, no matter where in the world you live Even the clouds look different nowadays.

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  11. I always enjoy your posts and pictures! Our weather in Maine just took a frigid turn to about 7 degrees, but MINUS 14 with wind chill figured in!

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    1. I fear the weather is going to get worse - for both of us! Let's hope not. Thank you for the kind praise.

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  12. The weather bureau in Britain has announced that 2014 was the warmest year ever recorded. Her right now it's 12C. So far, we've had no snow.

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