Monday, January 21, 2008

My MMWUC Exercise. Share if you dare

The wind had died during the night, and the quiet cold settled in the usual places, around the deck, the open front lawn, and my knees as I walked around filling the various bird feeders and casting seed on the frozen ground that crunches underfoot like shredded wheat in my cereal bowl. The bird baths are frozen, so I take the little one inside and thaw it next to the wood stove that warms the inside of the house. It's cold, not bitter inside at sixty-four degrees, but the master bedroom is usually five to ten degrees cooler. The sun has inched over the horizon miles in the distance, and its light casts bony shadows in the yard. The early morning feeders, cardinals and titmouse, peck away earnestly at the seeds. The sparrows, various finches, chickadees, and other visitors will wait until the brightness of the morning signals them. A raccoon and cat have left their tracks on my deck in yesterday's fresh snow. I will have to set the re-education trap for them. I fill the bird bath with warm water that will freeze in forty minutes, and as I place it on the deck, a slight southwesterly breeze pushes the cold aside for a moment, and the birds chirp loudly in celebration.

3 comments:

Larry Kollar said...

OK, I'll take a stab, since nobody else has. :-)

The collie started whining, and Paul knew he couldn't ignore her any longer. He dressed quickly, trying to minimize exposure to the cold room, and let her out — pushing her out with a foot when she hesitated. While Miss Priss was taking care of business, Paul rebuilt the fire in the living room and started some coffee. Hearing a bark, he let the dog in; she went straight to the hearth and thawed out in front of the fire. Paul poured a cup of coffee and sat in a lounge chair in front of the fire. The dog immediately got up and rested her head on the arm, inviting a head scratch. Paul obliged, rubbing her ears and starting at the fire.

Ruth L.~ said...

No time to share . . . but I'm impressed with the description, Rich. Beautiful, and I won't say, "That's nothing. You should be in Massachusetts this week." :>) Brrrrrr!!!!!!

Rick Bylina said...

Far...Thanks for dropping a ten minute exercise.

Ruth...Saw MA during the game. Green Bay was colder. ;-)