It has been very quiet here in Island Falls. Guess everyone is waiting for the next big snow storm to hit. I did get a nice letter from Clayton Varney, former resident of Island falls and now living in Humble, Texas. Said they had a cold spell awhile back and it even got to thirty-something! Now the temperature has returned to the 60s and better. Both he and wife, Priscilla, are doing well and enjoying the good weather.
I had a nice phone call from a friend here in town and we had a good discussion about all the gold finch we have had at our feeders this winter. Now I discovered recently that the purple finch has returned to my feeders to join the parade to the sunflower seeds, along with the two large gray squirrels and the three small red squirrels.
It is quite a circus to see the squirrels squabbling and dashing through the branches of the cedar tree. Gray ones are usually dominant, but the little red ones are stubborn and do not run far just wait patiently for the big guys to leave. The big ones have developed the art of hanging on the branch of the tree with one leg and the other leg is hooked onto the birdfeeder and there he is, upside down eating away like crazy.
I saw a movement out my kitchen window today and there was a ground hog coming out from under my front steps where he has made his home for a long time. Maybe his showing up will mean warmer weather is on the way?
I still have the three deer arriving in the late afternoon and have to be careful not to put the bread and apples out too soon or the big black crows that are hovering in the nearby trees will swoop down and do away with the bread — don’t believe they will take the apple chunks, but you never know. The deer have made a trail from the woods near my home to the back yard by the barn so they don’t have to wallow through the deep snow anymore.
