Okay – I’m looking outside now at a bright, glorious sun. The little piles of snow that clung to the flagstone this morning are gone, leaving behind
only a dark spot. The skies are blue. The trees, like skinny soldiers, stand still, tattered leaf rags clinging to their branches. Out front, the daffodil buds remain tightly closed. They
are asking the same question I am. Is it Spring? Is it safe to come out?
…
Groundhog Day is coming!
The following is copied from the National Wildlife Federation’s email which I regularly receive. Fun facts – enjoy! (And be sure to read to the bottom of the post for an extra note from me.)
Cold enough for you?
Here are some interesting facts about winter weather.
WaterFreeze – Shallow areas of a body of water freeze before deeper areas. The deeper the water, the longer it takes to change its temperature. Water reaches its densest state at 39
degrees F. (4 degrees C).
IceCloud – In winter, low temperatures and water vapor in the usually cloudless stratosphere trigger the formation of ice clouds.
LightRays – Although the …
Look around. Eyes are everywhere. People have them, dogs have them, squirrels have them, insects have them, turtles have them, spiders have them,
squids have them, and on. and on. and on.
Eyes tell us a lot about the habits of animal species (whether mammal or insect, fish or bird). Look at the location of the eyes. A predator has eyes that face forward, so they can see their prey
and zero in on them. Prey species, mammals …
What do you see when you look outside right now? Take a second to check it out – then come back to me.
Here’s what I see.
A sky of gray, white blue
clouds, bits of sky,
like dabs from Monet’s
paintbrush, poking through;
Bare branches of oak trees,
scaly gray/brown alligator bark;
Brown leaves, dried bats hanging
from tenacious oaks –“I refuse to ‘bare’ it all …
What’s more boring during a road trip than straight, flat road? In my experience, nothing. Give me some twists and… Read more Peaks and Valleys
Today’s post features thoughts from Henry David Thoreau, found in his slim volume of mini essays called “On Man & Nature,” compiled by
Arthur G. Volkman,1960.
In northeastern Oklahoma today, in my world, the sun is shining brightly. The last scrappy remains of snow from the winter blast on the 6th and 7th of December, is finally melting away. Now, all
that remains is sand on the hilly roads and intersections, and a brown coating all over my …
The days are soooo short. I feel it in my bones and in my psyche. I long for the sun.Too cold to sunbathe outside, I lie where sunbeams pour
through the windows inside the house on the floor. The warmth soaks into my skin.
We are in the shortest two weeks of the year, and I feel that especially on cloudy days. Without the holiday parties and preparation for Christmas, I would be a homebody, content to sit and
…
Today I’m sharing a link, rather than creating a new entry. This link is to The Crime Writer’s Chronicle –… Read more Crime Writer’s Guest Blogger – ME! – On Finding Story Ideas
Last week, I posted an excerpt from Aldo Leopold’s “Thinking Like a Mountain” with his ever-popular essay about understanding wild things,
especially wolves.
Recently, during a stay in the New Mexican high desert, I stared into the eyes of a coyote.
She stood not twenty feet from my window, looking at the house, seeing, I supposed, the reflection of the bright midday sun on the window. She appeared curious, unafraid but cautious.
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Mary Coley Writes 