#1 Songs For the Week Storytime #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday.  And it's time to enjoy some music!

Let's introduce the Music Moves me bloggers:  We blog about music each Sunday or Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post may be removed, or may  be labeled "No Music".)   Our head host is Xmas Dolly, and our co-hosts are Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and, last but not least, me.

Today, it's time for musical creative writing.  Our guest host for this week, John at The Sound of One Hand Typing, suggested this theme:  write a (clean) love story and use the names of two or three (or more!) songs from the Top 40 on Valentines Day of some year. Here’s an example John did for another challenge to help get you going.

I'm going to do a slightly different take on this theme.  Since today is March 11, how about I do something with number one hits on this date in 1958, 1968, 1978, 1988?  I will use any list, including United States, UK, rock, R&B, country, or whatever else sounds good, for the #1's.

First, my little love story. 

"Don't".  I gave my husband a look when he suggested a busy day of adventure on our vacation.

"Sitting on the dock of the bay is all I want to do today", I explained.  "Why can't we just relax and watch the tide roll in?"  But there was that look in his eyes.  The "love is blue" look.  He really wanted to do something special with me.  Awww, how can I resist those eyes?

So I agreed.  After all, love is higher than a mountain.  Some even say love is thicker than water. 

My husband's face immediately brightened.  "Never gonna give you up!", he laughed, as we made our way down the street, and into a new music adventure.

And now, the songs.  Interesting that they all have love as the subject, in some way.

For 1958, I chose Elvis and "Don't", a song I heard for the first time in researching this post..

For the #1 song of March 11, 1968 I came up with two great great songs, and so I am going to use both of them.  (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay from Otis Redding was the #1 R&B song.

Love is Blue from Paul Mauriat came up on a different list.  I always love a good instrumental, so I'm using it.

For March 11, 1978, Andy Gibb and "Love is (Thicker than Water)".

 The March 11, 1988 Never Gonna Give You Up selection gave rise to a practice called "Rick rolling".  But no matter; I love this song.  It's gotten more than one billion views on You Tube.

And that's a story well told wrap.

Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.

Blogging From A to Z Reveal 2024 #AtoZChallenge #AtoZReveal

It's March 10, and time to reveal my theme in the annual Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

I always start out as a "no, I've done it enough."  Then, a little voice says to me, "You know you want to do it."

Well, OK, little voice.  I'm going to do it.

Before I reveal my theme, a bit about my blog and what I've done for past challenges. 

I started to blog in 2009, and started to blog daily in 2011.  I blog about music on Mondays, a Wordless Wednesday on Wednesday, Skywatch Friday on Fridays, Shadowshot Sunday on Sundays, and, on the 15th of the month, Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. I will keep up this schedule as much as possible in April.

I've taken the A to Z Challenge every year since 2015.  Last year, it allowed me to extend a blogging streak (I've blogged daily, starting from May of 2011) because I pre wrote blog posts.  It allowed me to coast during part of April, when I was not feeling well due to COVID.

If you aren't familiar with the Challenge, we blog something starting with A on Monday, April 1. On April 2, we start with B, and so forth, until we end Tuesday, April 30 with Z.  We have Sundays off.  26 days, 26 letters, and some letters are a real challenge. (X, I'm looking at you!)

Most all my previous themes have been related to travel.  As my regular readers know, I am a confirmed photo hoarder.  As of today, I have 50.3 GB of photos on my phone.

Wherever I go, I take pictures.  Pictures of things.  Quirky things.  Historic things.  Plants.  Flowers.  Sunsets.  Graves of famous people.  I weave some of these into my daily posts and will this April, too.

Here are my past themes, and you can see a pattern here:

2015:  America the Beautiful

2016:  Days of our Lives (no not the soap opera)

2017 - Traveling Through Time and Space

2018 -  Florida Outside the Theme Parks (this may have been my favorite one)

2019 -  Finding America Through Photos

2020 - America the Beautiful (I never realized I repeated my 2015 theme!)

2021:  New York State

2022:  From Florida to Vermont with Stops Inbetween 

2023:  Exploring South Carolina and the Eastern United States.

For 2024, I looked back at 2023.  I visited gardens, historic houses, and local libraries that presented me with the unexpected.   Not only that, but I have photos on similar themes from previous years. How best could I use these photos?   

With that in mind, I announce my 2024 theme (drum roll): Gardens, History, Art and The Unexpected.

I reserve the right to deviate from the theme, but I hope not to do that too often.  I may even repeat a post from years past that will hopefully be new to you.  For "C" I have a yearly theme and on Wednesday, April 3, you'll see why.

I look forward to reconnecting with previous bloggers, and meeting some new ones. We'd love to have you.

If you’d like to sign up for the Theme Reveal, after you’ve written your post, go here and fill out the form. A general signup sheet will go live on the Blogging from A to Z home page two weeks from today, so if you have no theme, or if you hadn’t planned on announcing it just yet, you’ll have another opportunity to join us on April 1.

See you there, starting April 1 with the letter "A".

Earliest Crocus #ShadowshotSunday

I'm posting my #ShadowshotSunday on Saturday, as I'll be posting something else tomorrow.

Shadow of a gate at a local park.

Meanwhile, my crocus are coming out.  This is, I believe, the earliest blooms ever for me.  These pictures were taken yesterday, when we almost reached 60F.  Today, we are under a flood watch and will have heavy rain changing to snow at some point.  Tomorrow is supposed to be even worse.

Spring, please come back.  In the meantime, some white crocuses.

Yellow.

Also, we have two purple ones but they aren't open yet (and won't be in this gloomy weather).

Have a great weekend. 

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for #ShadowshotSunday.  Why not come out of the shadows and join us with a shadow picture of your own?

January Puddles #SkywatchFriday

Now that it's almost spring, I should post these January puddle and sky/reflection photos before it's too late.  

Where I live in the Southern Tier of New York, one doesn't expect to see puddles in late January.  

Green grass is a welcome treat.  No snow, either.  Just reflections.

You don't expect to see these flashes of blue in the sky, either.

Or a line of puddles with blue sky reflections.
 

Another puddle, with reflections of power lines.

The weather has been so Topsy-turvey.

But now it's time for the sun to say goodnight.

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.  Yogi calls Skywatch "A gentle corner of the internet where never a discouraging word is heard.".  If you like photographing the sky, or anything reflecting the sky, why not join us?  We all need a gentle corner of the internet where never a discouraging word is heard.

The Ever Repeating Post

 Today, it's time to repeat a semi annual tradition on my blog.  My regular readers have seen (and read) this before.

Yup.

It's almost that time, here in the United States, to spring ahead.

Almost time for many to suffer a couple of days of disorientation.  (I'm one of them.) 

Time again for people to beg, "Someone make it stop!  Why don't they make it stop?"

Yes, it is time to spring ahead an hour to Daylight Saving Time. (Side note, it is Daylight Saving Time, not Daylight Savings Time).

I do a variation of this post twice a year.

Oh, does Daylight Saving Time bring back memories.

I remember too well how, on January 6, 1974, we had Emergency Daylight Saving Time implemented. It was supposed to be for 16 months, due to the energy crisis.  I don't have fond memories of stumbling to my 8am college class in the dark.  It was so unpopular that the 16 month idea was abandoned.

Also, there were the several car trips we took through Indiana in the 1970's and early 1980's, when we weaved back and forth between Eastern time on Daylight Saving Time, Eastern time on Standard time, and ditto for the part of the state in the Central time zone.  (This was before the day when one's phone would automatically show the correct time.)

Sleep experts tell us year round standard time would be the best solution.

Right now, in the United States, it is legal for a state to not implement Daylight Saving Time (which is why Hawaii, and Arizona outside the Navajo Nation can do it), but that is the only deviation that is permitted.  Yet, a number of states have passed legislation mandating daylight saving time, ready for the day it might be allowed.

Although most Americans (some 60%, from what I've read) oppose the spring ahead/fall back practice, no one can seem to agree on exactly how it should end. Should we have year round daylight saving time or year round standard time? Or, should we go back a half hour so no one is happy?

Federal legislation would be needed if we want to go to year round daylight saving time.  (We don't need federal legislation for year round standard time, as stated above). Should we have state referendums?  Should we throw darts at a dartboard or spin a wheel?  Should we sacrifice a clock and examine its innards?

It's like we are stuck in some horrible quicksand, unable to move, unable to legislate anything.  Hmmm, come to think of it, that's a familiar occurrence in our country right now.

So around and around we go. As the saying goes, where it stops, nobody knows. We've been doing it for years.

Get ready. 

Sunday, March 10, at 2am, we do the time change again.  We'll complain for a couple of days and then forget about it.

That is, until we go back to Standard Time Sunday, November 3.

Hidden Snowdrops #WordlessWednesday

A year or two we found a patch of snowdrops in our local park.

These early spring flowers are not native to my United States but naturalize easy.  I wondered how they got there.

Back in the fall, the park flooded.  Some trees had fallen (apparently helped by beavers) and there was a lot of natural debris where the patch was.

Would the snowdrops come back?

Check out the center of the photo-it was as close as I could get with the debris

Monday, we had our answer.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Crocheting the Temperatures - March Report

I'm making progress with my 2023 temperature afghan. 

I first blogged about crocheting a temperature blanket on  November 17, 2022.  On January 25, 2023, I told my readers I was underway.  

For accountability purposes, I told you, my readers, that I would report every month on my progress.  Here's my report for February.

To recap: A temperature blanket uses colors to record highs and low temperatures (more on that later) over a certain period of time.  They can be used to record temperatures for a year, perhaps a calendar year, or the first year of a baby's life (to be presented as a birthday gift).   Some knit these, some quilt these.  Some make scarfs or sweaters.  The variations are endless.

So, in other words, Nature determines the colors and patterns of your work.

I recorded the high and low temperatures for every day in 2023 and my plan was to crochet one row for each day's high using its assigned color yarn as follows: 

0 F (-17.8 C) and lower:  Pale Plum.  It would be most unusual where I live to have a high less than zero F, and, in fact, 2023 did not offer such a high.  But we did have a low of -5F (-20.5 C) one night so I decided to include a strip of low temperature color and high temperature color for that day.

Here are the rest:

1-21F   Dark orchid

21-32F  Royal blue

33-43F  Turquoise

44-53F  Spring Green

54-66F  Kelly Green (think of St. Patrick's Day, coming up soon)

67-77F  Bright Yellow

78-88F Carrot orange

89-99F  Pretty in Pink

100F (38C) and above - Fruity Stripe (shades of pink - a variegated yarn) I didn't have to use it. 

On January 30 (my last report), I was working on the row representing May 3 2023.

So, as of today, March 5, I have gotten up to:  (drum roll) May 21, 2023.

January is on the left and the most recent is on the right.  The last row is yellow; if you see some red on the extreme right it was part of what I was trying to rest the afghan against when taking its pictures.

It's going to be fun figuring out how to photograph the afghan next month because it is getting big.

I'm racing against time in a way right now, because I normally don't crochet during the warm months.  I don't want it to languish. 

Let's see how far I get by the end of the month.

Pretty Fly for a Monday #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday and it's time for music.

Let's introduce the Music Moves me bloggers:  We blog about music each Sunday or Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post may be removed, or may  be labeled "No Music".)   Our head host is Xmas Dolly, and our co-hosts are Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and, last but not least, ME.

I was thinking of a couple of songs.  A slang meaning of the word "fly" can mean attractive or sophisticated.  Of course, it can also mean to travel in the air.

So how about some songs with the word fly?

I am required by law to start this set with Gonna Fly Now from Bill Conti, better known as the theme from Rocky. 

Now, that we are in the mood to fly, let's get going.

Let's start with The Offspring and Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) from 1998.

Weird Al Yankovic has done a couple of songs with the word "fly" but I'm inspired to use his parody of Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) called Pretty Fly for a Rabbi, from 1999.

 

Here's the song that started my train of thought running.  Curtis Mayfield and his 1972 hit Superfly.  Back in the day, we owned the vinyl album. And no, we've never watched the movie.

How about a song from 1987?  Pink Floyd and Learning to Fly.

Let's end with a classic - Frank Sinatra and Come Fly with Me.

And that's a wrap!

Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.

Fencing with Shadows #ShadowshotSunday

Joining up with Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for #ShadowshotSunday.

Good fences make good shadows.

We had some sun this week.  Not that usual for late February into March.

Why not come out of the shadows and join in on the fun, as we march into spring?

Spring in Winter Continues

After a spell of weather which included us setting a record heat for one day of 65F (18.3 C), we went on a walk yesterday to get pictures of crocus.

We had already seen snowdrops the week before.

Our own crocus are not out yet, but the unseasonable weather has them blooming early.  We had seen crocus on one of our walks this week (our crocus aren't out yet, probably because where they are planted is a northern exposure) but it was too far away to photograph.  That was in late February.

On our walk yesterday we saw two spots of yellow crocus, but they were too far away to photograph.

But then we saw this.  I took two other pictures but they were too blurry to use.

I thought we were done, but Nature had one more surprise for us.  My spouse pointed it out to me.

A bee.

There have been other signs of spring.  Our local birds seem, in the middle of February, to start singing again.  We've noticed this same pattern for years.

I heard the first Northern cardinal songs around February 21.

On February 26 we heard our first blackbirds and spouse saw our first common grackles.  I know that they will socialize with each other during the winter.  So none of this was a surprise.

But the crocus blooming the end of February isn't .  This is reminding me a bit of 2016 when we had an early spring.  And then we had a snowstorm.

We never got forsythia blossoms that year.  The cherry blossoms were out and died.  Many magnolia blooms did, also.  Daffodils drooped to the ground, never to return that year.

It was the year of what my spouse called droopodils.

We are in an apple growing area, and we've had two years recently with big failures due to early flowering and late frosts.  I do not deny climate change.  It's all around us.

The year of the droopodil was heartbreaking. I hope it doesn't happen again.

February Sky Lines #SkywatchFriday

It's March, finally.  Oh, that extra day!  Where I live, we had a record high temperature on Tuesday and then, Wednesday night, a powerful cold front came through.  Thursday was uncomfortable. We had periods of snow squalls and some peeks of blue sky in between the lake effect snows. 

Today is supposed to be better.  

Speaking of blue skies...

For this first day of March I'd like to show you four views of the same sky as we walk along a somewhat circular path in our local park.

 I was struck by all the contrails in the picture.

Some interesting clouds underneath the darker patch.  I didn't see the dark patch with my eyes but that is what my iPhone 13 mini camera showed me.

Moving along...

This last view is pointing towards the sun.  What a difference the lighting made in this angle.

Joining Yogi and other skywatching bloggers each Friday for #SkywatchFriday.

Leap Day Birthday?

Leap years. The day that only comes once every four years.  Let's start this post, then, with something totally unrelated.

I know someone who was born on July 4.  

Here in the United States, July 4th is our Independence Day.  It's celebrated with fireworks, outdoor BBQ's, and parades (not necessarily in that order).  In my youth, most people had the day off.  It's a national holiday.

I asked this person once, how old were you when you first realized all the celebrations weren't to celebrate your birthday?  She just chuckled.  Maybe she's been asked that a lot.

It makes me think, every February 29, about all those born on February 29.  Technically, they only have a birthday to celebrate once every four years.  It's kind of the opposite of the Fourth of July.  No fireworks.  No bonfires.  No parades.

They only get to celebrate their true birthdays once every four years.

So, what about these people?

Some talented people were born on February 29.

So what happens if you are born on February 29?

Congratulations!  You have the rarest birthday a person can have.  There's only a one in 1,461 chance a baby will be born on February 29. The link in the last sentence also explains why a leap day every four years in our Gregorian calendar.

Most people born on that date celebrate (except in leap years) either on February 28 or March 1.  

February 29 remains your legal birthdate for official IDs.

But you don't age 1/4 as fast as the rest of us.

And you have restaurants and other businesses celebrating with specials - like these.

So, if today is your birthday, celebrate it in style.  You are special!  (although maybe not as special as someone born on July 4th....only kidding!)

And if any of my readers happen to have a birthday today - happy birthday!

Is Pluto a Planet? #WordlessWednesday

Last year, a Planet Walk was installed on our local Rail Trail.  They managed to fit in all the planets over its span of 3.8 miles (6.12 km), including one that has an interesting back story.

Yes, Pluto.  The planet that suddenly wasn't a planet.  Except, maybe for Rail Trail purposes.

Pluto was discovered in 1930 and was named by an 11 year old girl.  All through my childhood, I was taught that Pluto was the furthest away of the planets and the last discovered.

But times have changed.  Pluto was demoted to "dwarf planet" in 2006.  People were upset.  Really, many people were upset.  But we've all had time to adjust now.  And maybe that's how Pluto ended up on the Planet Walk.

Yes, it's small.  But it has at least five moons. It just hasn't "cleared its orbit", whatever that means. I read that, except for that cleared its orbit thing, it meets all criteria for being a true planet.

Come on, how about it?  How about reinstating it to true planet?

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

The Annual Pondering

Last Tuesday, I blogged about Aging with Grace.  In that post, I blogged a little about blogging:

I've also thought about cutting way down on blogging. Several bloggers I know have either quit in the last year, or cut way back.  I hope it is for good reasons....

 I've blogged daily since May of 2011.  In a way, my blog has become an online journal. It's a fragile journal, one that could go "poof" at any time if Google decides to discontinue the platform.  But, for now, daily blogging serves my purposes.  It's a journal I can look at any time I have an internet connection.

There were some interesting comments from fellow bloggers.  I thank everyone who commented on that post.  Here are two of the comments, edited for length:

From reader Liz at Laws of Gravity:  "Lately I've begun to think of my grandfather with regards to blogging. He had a CB radio...My brother and I would sit with him when we were kids in the '80s. But looking back, CB radios would have had their heyday in the '70s. I think blogging is becoming that. It's still here, but people are falling away from it as newer social media has come in and shortened our attention spans (yet again)."

 And Yogi, who heads the Friday sky watching meme I participate in at his blog Skywatch Friday, commented:  "I posted daily on my blog for years. Now it is three or four times a week. You see it with everybody else with the decreased number of people participating in the various memes....And I think we have lost lots of bloggers. It seems to be an older person's passion. Some people just go dark and I don't know if they have passed away or just tired of it all."

They both make good points.

I wonder what I am going to find when it is time for an April blogging challenge I've participated in since 2015 to have its signup.  Signup is starting on March 10 for the 2024 Blogging from A to Z Challenge (A to Z for short).   

This challenge started in 2010 and continues every April for the entire month.  Bloggers who sign up (and some who don't) start April 1 with a post whose title and subject begins with "A". This year, "A" day will be Monday, April 1. Tuesday is for "B", and so on, except for Sunday. We follow this pattern all the way to Z on the last blogging day of April (a Tuesday).  So, 26 blogging days, 26 letters of the English alphabet. Some letters are easy.  Some are hard (think Q and X.)

But each year, it seems fewer people participate and I get less eager to join up. Last year, especially, a number of blogs never even started (and didn't explain) or quit midmonth without even a "Thank you, and goodbye".

Some statistics:

2010 (the first year) nearly 100 participants.

2011 - nearly 1300.

2012 - nearly 1700 

2023 - if my math is correct, 231.

 A to Z turned out to be good for me last year when I contracted COVID, had a few days of feeling crappy and tired, and even a day when I would have been hard pressed to remember my own name, never mind read any blog.  My blog posts, prewritten, posted on automatic pilot, so to speak.

Years ago, I was introduced to some great bloggers (like Liz of one of the above comments) and I think an A to Z Blogger led me to Skywatch Friday.  An A to Z blogger also invited me to join the Monday Music Moves Me I participate in.

A fellow Music Moves Me person also co-hosts A to Z, and I respect this person highly. Actually, I respect all the co-hosts:  this is a LOT of work.  I don't want to waste their time.

I agonize each year about signing up, I know.  And, truth to tell, I already have a theme in mind.

But...do I still have the ambition? Is it still right for me?  Have I done it too long?  Is the joy gone?

Will Blogging from A to Z be for me this year?  Or will I take a Leap (this is a leap year, after all) of faith and seek something different?

It's the hour of decision.

Pistachio Music #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday.  It's time for music!

Let's introduce the Music Moves me bloggers:  We blog about music each Sunday or Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post may be removed, or may  be labeled "No Music".)   Our head host is Xmas Dolly, and our co-hosts are Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and, last but not least, ME.

We have a guest host this month-Mary Burris from "Jingle Jangle Jungle". 

For today, we have a choice of themes: either (since it is National Pistachio Day) spelling Pistachio using the first letter of song titles or artists/bands or, since this is a leap year, choosing songs with Leap or Jump in the song titles. 

Let's give Pistachio a try, since I love these nuts so much.  I have ever since I was a small child.  So, in honor of that, I will also try to include some songs that mention food or have a food in the title, even if the song itself isn't about food.

For my first song, I've had this on my blog before, but I thought of this right away.  

Popcorn, from 1972 - a cover by Hot Butter.

Next, from 1983, a song from "Weird Al" Yankovic.

I Love Rocky Road. (Not sure Rocky Road is only an American thing, but it is a flavor of chocolate ice cream with nuts and marshmallow).

For S, a song from 1967.

Strawberry Fields Forever from the Beatles.

For T, I am going to choose an artist's name:  Taco, who is an Indonesian-Dutch singer, actor, and more.

Taco with his 1983 hit Puttin' On the Ritz, which was a cover of a 1930 song written by Irving Berlin.  Super duper!

For A, let's choose an instrumental.  This is a 1960 song by Bobby Scott, who also co wrote the song.  On this particular video, the song appears three times during the total of eight or so minutes of music written for the Broadway version of the British play from 1958.  Later, this was famously covered by Herb Albert (and sped up).

A Taste of Honey - Bobby Scott.

For C there were many choices but only one song I could pick.

Cheeseburger in Paradise from Jimmy Buffet.

The next song, from 1972, has a double meaning, and one of them isn't about food.  

Hot Potatoes from The Kinks. 

Now we need some wake up music. How about another song with a double meaning?

Ice Cream Man a cover of a John Brim song by Van Halen.

Last but not least, for O, a duo by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. For this 1969 song, I Omitted the "The" in the title but I really want to end this post and go eat some pistachios.

Onion Song.

And that's a wrap!

Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.

Snow and Sun #ShadowshotSunday

 After a day in the deep freeze, we are going to be back above freezing.

Plants from my flower garden covered in snow, February 17.

Several days later, shadows on the Vestal Rail Trail.  Our snow is almost all melted.

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for #ShadowshotSunday.  Why not come out of the shadows, if you have one or more shadowy pictures, and join us?

Unseasonable Snowdrops?

Snowdrops, where I live in the Southern Tier of New York, are more a late March or early April bloom. 

But, more and more, our climate is shifting.

The plant zone people have noticed this too, with the recent changes in the zone maps.  Our area has been a zone 5b (minimum temperatures -10F to -15F or ) and now it is 6a (minimums -5Fto -10F or -20.6 to 23.3C).  The climate zones represent averages.  It's not a reason to run out if you live in New York State and buy a, say, palm tree. 

But back to this winter.  Our low so far has been 10F (-12.2C).

These pictures were taken February 22.  

These aren't my snowdrops, but are on a busy residential street in Binghamton, New York. 

No crocuses yet for us but a Facebook friend in New York City had crocuses blooming a couple of weeks ago.  And yes, he's in a different climate zone.

Climate zones are an interesting topic to gardeners.  This is an interesting discussion about someone being reclassified.

True, we've had early springs before.  There was 2012, when snowdrops and crocuses were blooming the first week of March.

True, we've had bloom before in February. 

But it isn't everything.

Still, when I first moved here in the 1980's, I never would have imagined snowdrops in February.

February Drama Skies #SkywatchFriday

During this past month, the up and down weather we've been experiencing here in the Southern Tier of New York has continued.

This made for some interesting skies.  The first three are from February 18.

Between the ground and the first level of clouds, you can see some ray like things, which my spouse told me was snow falling that wasn't reaching the ground.
 

We walked to where we could get a better picture and zoomed in a little.

We walked still further and passed some trees which were loaded (the small dots towards the top of the trees

These last two pictures were taken in the same park on February 9.

Two Canada geese flying, towards sunset, to their night time sleeping places. They are the dots in the center right.

Four more in flight.

And to all, a good night.

Joining Yogi and other skywatching bloggers for #SkywatchFriday.

Snowy Thoughts #ThursdayTreeLove

Snow has not been common this winter where I live in the Southern Tier of New York State.  I would estimate we've gotten less than half the snow we normally get.  I'm noting here that our record snowfall for a winter season was 135.2 inches (343 cm)  in the winter of 2016-2017. 

But I finally have some snow pictures for you.  And some thoughts.

A tree shadow in snow.

A close up.

Love that deep blue sky after a snow.

Evergreen bushes.

And now, the thoughts.

According to our local National Weather Service office, Lakes Erie and Ontario have less than 2% ice cover.  This is important, because we are prone to what are called lake effect snows, fed by moisture from those lakes. At this time of year, the lakes should still be frozen over and in those circumstances, we don't get those lake effect snows. 

This winter, I don't think those lakes ever froze over. I think the highest in mid-January they were about 13% frozen over.  They should have been 60-70% frozen over, if not more. 

No ice cover now means we may be getting set up for a major dump of snow in March, and possibly even April.

So?

April snows, when they happen, are heavy.  Trees break and fall on cars and on houses.  Bad for the trees.  Bad for houses and cars and those who get in the way of the falling trees.  It's dangerous.

Also, there is a total eclipse of the sun on April 8, and the area of totality will cross New York State (it won't be total where I live, alas).  Thousands of tourists are expected in cities such as Buffalo and Rochester, both of which are in the zone of totality.  And both cities are near these lakes and both cities are known for their snowfall.

Buffalo's record snowfall in a winter, for example, is 199.4 inches (506 cm)

This may get interesting for those who love trees.

Joining Parul at Happiness and Food for her #ThursdayTreeLove.

Miles of Smiles #WordlessWednesday

Here's a delightful piece of Americana.

I'm introducing you, dear reader, to a vehicle shaped like a hot dog which is driven around the United States.  Not only that, but people compete for the chance to be able to drive it around our country for a year.

Sure, why not?  It gives out (one of their slogans) Miles of Smiles.

The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile visited our area at the end of January.  The vehicle (obviously, this isn't the original) have been entertaining adults and children since 1936.

Here it is in all its beauty.

Its back.

What it's looked like through the years.

This is as close as I could get to the driver's side.  Here's more views and a history if you are interested.  I wish they had been offering tours. I was like a little kid.

Fun facts about the Wienermobile.

And a short video.

Joining with Sandee at Comedy Plus and her #WordlessWednesday.