Energetic Spring Storm

        We had a very energetic spring storm here this morning. It was a typical March blizzard.

        At 7 AM we had 3 or 4 cm of snow. When I looked out at 8:30 I said, "Ooh, We've had a lot of snow!" It was snowing heavily and the visibility was down to 1 Km.

        We had an appointment at 10:00 AM. The road was still good...not slippery. By the time we left the appointment at 10:45 much more snow had fallen, the temperature had risen to close to zero and the visibility had dropped some more. Needless to say, the road conditions had deteriorated greatly. The highway between Edmonton and Calgary was treacherous and not recommended for travel. Many people had hit the ditch.

      The snow slacked off just before noon and stopped during the noon hour.

      I had shovelled snow before leaving for the appointment and shovelled after returning from the appointment. I went out after lunch and shovelled again. We had about 15 cm of snow altogether.

     So this is a typical spring storm here. Short of duration and heavy snowfall. It was not forecast to any extent. We were told we would get 2-4 cm. So I got my exercise today!

Ellis Bird Farm Web Cam

         Today I have installed a link that takes you to a live web cam of an owl nest at the Ellis Blue Bird farm. I hope enjoy watching a great horned owl on its nest.

        This great horned owl has nested for several years in this location. The nest is built in shelter belt trees of the Ellis Blue Bird farm. The Ellis blue bird farm was established when a large chemical company established a huge petro chemical plant on farmland near Red Deer Alberta. Charlie and Winnie Ellis who farmed the land had been great bird lovers. They had put out bird boxes for blue birds and had a sizable nesting population on their farm. It was decided that the original farmstead should be turned into a research facility on birds The nest boxes are still maintained and research is carried out at the site.

       Visit the Ellis Blue Bird Farm website for more information.

Book Review: Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson

        I few weeks ago I did a small review of Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea. Since that time I have finished Greg Mortenson's second book Stones into Schools.

        Stones into Schools is a continuation of Three Cups of Tea. The work of building schools and establishing positive relationships continues. There is more of an emphasis on girls education and the expand into Afghanistan. With all this activity the challenges faced also grow. There's no free ticket that comes with experience in these projects.

       At the end of Three Cups of Tea some tribesmen from Afghanistan meet Greg and want a school . They have ridden a long way to find Greg and of course Greg promises them a school. However, it takes ten years before the school is built. All sorts of road blocks appear that delay the project. The location is extremely remote and pack animals have to be used to carry supplies in the last few miles. However, the school is finally built and a desperate people have an asset that their government and no other NGOs could produce.

      Greg suffers some break down as a result of pushing himself for too long. He deals honestly with his difficulties .

      I find Greg's story fast paced and he has an excellent segway from one area  of his activity to another area. He spends time in Montana with his family, speaks at fundraisers and travels to Pakistan and Afhganistan so all of these activities take place at the same time. He tells of one activity and when it's just right he leads you into another area.

     I enjoyed Stones into Schools every bit as much as Three Cups of Tea. I'm looking forward to the third book Listen to the Wind.

Excellent Winter Snow Skiing Conditions

        Today I went out to my favorite cross country ski trail. There were excellent winter snow conditions.
The trail I ski is about five kilometers around a local golf course. Most of the trail is beside the river. 75% of the trail is through heavy mature spruce. This protects the trail from sun, but certainly contributes spruce needles.

       Winter snow condition means that the snow has not thawed. It is still powdery and easy to ski on and you have good control of your skis. I thought this might be the last winter snow to ski on as it is forecast to be above zero tomorrow.

       We will have a great spring skiing season. The trail has a great base that will not melt away very quickly. I don't do spring skiing as I find it difficult to handle those snow conditions. People who have mastered spring skiing conditions love it . It's fast and takes little effort to propel yourself down the trail.

      I like this ski area both summer and winter. Part of the river is open all winter. Quite a few ducks stay in this area all winter. Today there were scads of golden eye ducks and a few mallards. Bohemian waxwings were on the ice where there was overflow. They were drinking but I didn't see any of them bathing. It's common to see both bald  and golden eagles. They patrol the river and feast on ducks and fish which have not survived. I didn't see eagles today.

     There certainly was evidence of moose in the area. We are at the top of the snowshoe hare population cycle so there are  many runs and lots of evidence where the rabbits have been eating bark from young trees.

     Altogether it was a very pleasant afternoon for probably my last ski of the season.

My Dishwasher Blues

      There are two dishwashers in my house...ME and the machine.

      Now I'm a capable dishwasher. I get the job done. I'm steady as I wash dishes three times a day seven days a week. Sometimes I wash more than three times a day if there is baking or extra food prep. On the other hand I'm pretty old and wiggly. Sometimes I don't see the dirt! Maybe I've had one too many whacks with the cast iron fry pan? But I'm the kind of person who doesn't look for dirt. I just don't see dirt very well. I also don't see dirt in people. I look for the good stuff and ignore the rotten stuff.

     Now the machine is 24 years old. So it's old and wiggly. It has been on a down hill roll for several years. It runs well, but it doesn't clean very well. Maybe it doesn't see the dirt too well? Maybe it's tired? Several years ago I stopped making the old dishwasher wash glasses. They just didn't come clean. Then I stopped putting cutlery in as it was always spotted. When the rest of the dishes showed some stain I decided to quit using the dishwasher and washed dishes by hand. The dishes shined up in a hurry. Then I read the old manual and found out I was supposed to put soap in two places instead of one. I tried putting soap in two dispensers and the dishes came out perfect. The next time I ran the dishwasher the second dispenser did not release the soap  so my dishes were a mess again. The sensor to release the soap door did not release. On my next wash there was a big click while the water was heating? Oops I think the second soap release door opened. Sure enough! It had opened. So I'm going to try the dishwasher one more time.

    This dishwasher being twenty-four years old doesn't owe me anything so if it doesn't work I will throw it away.

    Now new dishwasher shopping? That's another story1 I posted long ago that I hate shopping. I think you''ll probably have to read one more whiny post!

You Know It's Spring When...

      You know it's spring when you get up to cook breakfast and you don't have to turn the lights on! This morning when I came out to the kitchen  the room was light and there was no need to turn on lights. What a treat! The sun rose at 7:01 and tonight it sets at 6:29 so we get about 11  1/2 hours of sunlight.



Three Porridge bowls



      Now I will enjoy this treat for only four more days as the time changes to daylight savings time. Then I will be making breakfast in the dark for a few weeks. When the time does change we will instantly get long evenings. So next week the sun will set between 7:35 and 7:40. It will be very pleasant for evening walks from now on.

    So it doesn't matter what end we get the daylight on it still means the days are getting longer.

A Sure Sign of Spring in Central Alberta

       This morning I was out just a few minutes before 7 AM and I heard a chickadee "fee beeing." It was minus 26 C(minus 13 F). Now people will all know what I'm talking about if chickadees are resident in your area. The fee bee call is one that catches your attention right away. This chickadee  was doing his call constantly which indicates he's pretty serious about spring and mates.

  

My snowy bird feeded this morning.

       The male chickadee selects a territory which has suitable nesting habitat and a good food supply. Then he sings his little heart out to all the females in the area to come and have a look at him and the fine territory he has chosen. The interesting thing about chickadees is that they sometimes really rush the season and give a few calls in January. These are usually just one or two calls. So when I heard the call this morning it was a very good indication of serious mating activity which really says that spring is here.

      A few years ago I happened to be surrounded by three male chickadees doing their call. One female was in the area. These little guys really called with all the vigor they had. The female went and took a look at all three callers and then flew out of the territory. She could probably hear anther male calling which my ears were not able to detect. The three males she visited all called after her as if to say come back and take another look at me.

     So some people see robins as the perfect indicator of spring. Others see first green plant shoots of some kind as their sign of spring. Other people have a favorite blossom which to them indicates that spring is here. For me the little chickadee is all I need to hear for a sure sign of spring.