White Christmas Assured!

 We have a nice fresh coating of snow in preparation for Santa's arrival. Our temperature remained in the teens most of today and is now slipping back to the single numbers. Another cold night, but I don't think we'll have the wind like we've had for the past few days. I don't think we will be getting much more snow for at least a few days, and that is perfect. No travel worries for the holiday.

The birds have been busy at my feeder - mostly chickadees, nuthatches, and juncos. Today I had one persistent bluejay, but a little chickadee refused to allow him access to the feeder, fiercely defending it with angry chirps and lots of aggressive maneuvers to prevent the big blue from getting a perch. The jays are so heavy, they sometimes dislodge the removable tray with their clumsy landings and take-offs, and they can gobble up the little seeds in no time, leaving the little guys with nothing to eat. Jays are as bad as the red squirrels for raiding feeders, 

Gretchen Farnsworth was happy that a group of Evening Grosbeaks visited the feeders at her house this past week. I haven't seen any here, but occasionally they come by and raid the ornamental apple trees that still have little berry-size fruit. They are pretty to watch - their yellow flashes so bright against the otherwise dull winter landscape. Thank you for sharing these photos, Gretchen.

I spoke with Jane Milne this weekend and she is mending well from her recent fall that ended with a broken leg. Neither of us will be racing with our walkers any time soon, but we'll be in great shape by the time JPA meetings and social events get going again next spring. 

Also, Cyndi Rouleau is recovering from her fall - nothing broken, just bruised and sore. There is never a convenient time for things like this to happen, but since they do and we are fortunate enough to not be seriously injured, I say, let our friends and family do the holiday preparations this year! Try to enjoy being waited upon - it's ok to let someone else do the work!

I had a response about the Molly's Falls Dam video from a friend in Alaska. Michael loves vintage autos and I was not surprised that he identified the string of vehicles shown in that video as follows: From left to right are three half-track Linn tractors manufactured in Morris, New York; a c. 1922-23 Maxwell coupe; a c. 1918 Hudson touring car; and a 1924 Studebaker with a rare and interesting dealer-supplied/after market "Flex Top" made by the Rex Manufacturing Company of Connersville, Indiana. 

You will see those half-tracks at work elsewhere in the video. The automobiles probably belonged to some of the officials of the power company or perhaps even state representatives. We don't know who might have been on hand to celebrate that equipment arriving for the new power plant. Thanks to Mike for identifying those vehicles.

By the way, Michael said they are experiencing an unusual winter in Alaska - very cold and little snow. He said the temperature has stayed a few degrees above or below zero for the entire month of December. I'd have to say that we've had a pretty cold December, too - except for the few days of rain last week; but we've had plenty of snow right from the get-go, at least in the higher elevations. Even the recent warm weather didn't melt all of it away here at Joe's Pond, but I expect there is little left in St. Johnsbury or the Barre-Montpelier area. 

I hope everyone is ready for the holidays. It is a beautiful season, but rushing to get last minute preparations finished can take a toll. I sent out a few last-minute greeting cards today - but still have my yearly greeting to all my cousins to do. I send a group email - it is far more efficient and there's nothing to burden the postal service with or left to recycle. It may not be as personal as a hand-written note, but as the years go by, my handwriting becomes less dependable, too, so typing an email greeting is best. My big problem right now is that I did the letter on my laptop and for the life of me, I can't get it to my desktop where I want to add a little decoration before it's attached to an email. So much to learn about this Windows 11 stuff. Nothing works as it used to - and my laptop and desktop computers apparently aren't communicating. Someday I'm going to have to settle down and complete a Windows 11 tutorial, but right now I have too much to do to take the time for that, so I struggle - or find work-arounds. I attached it to an email, but so far nothing has shown up. Still spinning out in the cloud someplace, I suppose. Grinched!

Merry Christmas!!! 

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