Sunshine, Peanuts, and Friends

Great sunny day today, but it is COLD! We had a low of 7.4F last night, according to my thermometer. It's still only 19.1 in the shade where my outdoor sensor is. The sun is nice, but doesn't seem to be warming things up very quickly. There is still frost on the grass, and as the sun was rising over my side lawn, I noticed there were ice crystals in the air, reflecting perfectly in the sun's rays. It was beautiful to watch, like millions of tiny fireflies in the daytime. I tried to get a photo, but it doesn't show up the same. I haven't been outside at all this morning, and don't intend to. I opened a window long enough to replenish the bird feeder and that was enough fresh air!

I had a lovely note from my friend, Mary Whitcomb, yesterday, with this great photo of oneof the gray squirrels she has at her house. She gives them peanuts in the shell, which they love, of course. She said recently after she'd tossed some peanuts out for three grays and closed the slider, one began hurling himself against the glass, trying to get inside, apparently for more! Mary said, "He scared me, so I closed the drapes and he stopped." 

They are smart, and persistent. I don't have any grays, and don't often see any in our area; but I do have one very bold red squirrel that visits my bird feeders every year. He makes tunnels in the snow that open directly under the feeders and lead to his nest in the stone wall. All summer he played around my gardens and whenever I'd sit for a moment to rest in a chair in the garage, he would invariably scamper past me, across the driveway, coming really close, no matter where I was sitting. Then, yesterday, I was outside trying to figure out some way to keep him from climbing on the feeders and frightening the birds away, he defiantly clung to the feeder when I approached. I was about to reach for the broom to bat him off when he finally jumped down. He ran only a couple feet away and stared back at me and for a moment I wondered if he was going to charge at me. He didn't, and I attached some foil pie pans over the feeder. I watched from the window later, and saw gun fall off once trying to reach the feeder over the pie pan; but then he simply climbed the pole and waited for the feeder to swing close enough so he could jump onto it.  I swear he looked up at me with a big grin on his furry face!

I really don't think there is any way to keep those pesky pests from gobbling up the bird's food. Last winter I kept snowballs on the porch and managed to make at least a couple of direct hits from the side window in my living room.  It cranks open but I have to throw left handed, and because it isn't very far to the feeders, with a little practice, I may be able to score a few more surprise hits on the culprit - once we get some snow for ammunition! I don't want to really hurt him - just knock him off the feeder and give him a good scare from time to time. It makes life more interesting - for me and probably for him, as well! We have to devise our own entertainment during the long, Vermont winters, and harassing the squirrels is at least part of mine.

The other is connecting with friends, and I did some of that on Thursday when a long-time friend, Lindsay Townsend, visited. I first knew Lindsay, his wife, Wilma, and their three youngsters when we lived in St. Johnsbury, well over 50 years ago. Since then, we've both lost two spouses, we've each held numerous jobs, seen our kids grow up, been through the usual life dramas, and finally retirement. We've kept in touch from time to time, but not in recent years, so it was very nice to spend some time catching up with his busy life and exchange news about our respective families. 

Then, yesterday, I visited two friends from even earlier times - John Greaves who I have known since we went to high school in Cabot, and Sally Goodrich, who I've known almost as long. Andy Rudin had sent me a photo of himself and Sally when he was about six and she was a young woman. Sally's grandparents, the Wilbur Farrs, were the Rudin's next-door neighbors here at Joe's Pond. I knew Sally would appreciate seeing that photo, so I printed it and took it to her at John's yesterday. I hadn't seen them since last spring, so it was time  to check in on them. They live in Walden - not far from me, actually, and it's always fun to visit them. John is quiet and thoughtful, but doesn't hear very well; Sally is bubbly and chatty and is inclined to carry the conversation, which sometimes mildly irritates John.

After I left John and Sally, I went to Diane Corcoran's to pick up a copy of Crystal Foster Fox's book, My Memories of Frankie & Ginny, about her parents and family in Walden. It is a charming book and gives wonderful details about growing up in a very large farm family with not much money but a heap of love and kindness. Liz Sargent had lent her copy of the book to me, but after I read it, having known both her father and her mother, and because she wrote about so many neighbors we had in common in Cabot, West Danville and Walden, I wanted to have my own copy to re-read on occasion. Anyone interested can find it at the Corner Stop Inn Shop at the corner of the Cabot Road and Route 15 in Walden. 

Store owner, Diane Cochoran told me Chrystal has a new book coming out soon. I will probably want a copy of that, too. I applaud Chrystal for doing this. I wish more people would write about their family history and/or memories of growing up. Valuable information will be lost if those stories are not told.