Hoarfrost

Because the air temperature has been well below freezing, it was a delight to see the hoarfrost crysrals on the trees and cacti in my front and back gardens.

Hoarfrost (which I've never seen before) is formed, I read,  'by direct condensation of water vapour to ice at temperatures below freezing , and occurs when air is brought to its frost point by cooling.'

BEAUTIFUL!!

Fifi and Bertie

Bertie and Fifi are now fully fledged house cars, enjoying their new lives sitting in the sun watching the birds..............

   

Pandora

After a really snowy and windy night, I lit the fire early on this morning, fed the birds, and sat on the sofa............I read the NYT, made some journals/notebooks from food boxes for my next science class, watched the boring news about the government shutdown, and listened to Pandora on the TV, especially the Simon and Garfunkle collection.

Each song was accompanied by photos of the singers when they were in their physical prime (many of them are around my age, mid 70s.)

I was so struck by their youthfulness.............their innocence...........the energy in their eyes..............and the touching, poetic words to their songs.........................hey, hey, aging AIN'T for sissies..............neither is touching music........................

Johnny Paull's Bird Restaurant

JOHNNY PAULL’S BIRD RESTAURANT

I’ve just returned from the local food shop with three big bags of bird food.
I’m stocking up Johnny Paull’s Bird Restaurant as I’m expecting more
and more visitors as the weather gets colder.

The bird bath has just been cleaned and refilled, so I’m now sitting
and watching the birds (at least 13 different species) eating and drinking
their mid-morning brunch. Bertie and Fifi are watching, too!!

Mourning doves, collared doves, goldfinches, grackles, juncos, tree creepers,
sparrows, grosbeaks,  blue jays, woodpeckers, yellow bellied sapsucker,
chickadees, and the occasional very large crow

( I think I got them all!  Wish I could photograph them………..if I venture
outside, though, every dicky birds pushes off!).

Jeannine made some Pine Cone delights. She smothered the pine cones
in peanut butter and then rolled them in a variety of bird seed.
A minute or two past after she hung them on a tree the birds discovered them
- and loved them.

As per forecast, it snowed very heavily through last night, covering
everything with about 4” of very white fluffy snowflakes…..and that
pleased me as my trees and other plants so need a big, drink!

My bird restaurant clients were not too happy, though,  as they had to dig
for the food I put out last night. And, again, the Pine Cones were a favorite
and easier to feed from as they hang from the tree branches.

My science class at the nearby Senior Center...................

I started this class, at the request of Peggy (aged 97) and Carol (aged 83 ) in February, 2018, thinking I could lead science discussions on a range of topics, for, say, three weeks, or, perhaps, six weeks at the most.

6 people came to the first session.............the right number for a class...

It's now the end of 2018..............and the class continues!!

Everyone loves sharing their knowledge and their enthusiasm.

I'm now looking forward now to more energising science discussions throughout 2019. The topics vary, but the best and most animated sessions happens when I give everybody a tin and ask them to find sometvhing of interest to put inside, bring to the class, and tell them what they have found.

Yesterday I found............

Can anyone help me?

I co-authored a book with Dorothy, YESTERDAY I FOUND, in 1971, when we were working with David Hawkins at The Mountain View Centre for Environmental Education, in Boulder, Colorado...................and I would like to get it republished.

Does anyone know of any publisher who might be interested?

It's a really good description of a super teacher's upper junior classroom science and, I think, would be of great interest to elementary school teachers today.

Mother Nature

MOTHER NATURE

This morning, as I was clearing out the ashes from last night's fire, I heard a thump at the window. 

'Oh, no,' I thought, not a bird flying into the window...........and, sure enough lying on the ground was the most beautiful bird, prostrate. I opened the door, picked up the poor little feathery delight, hoping I could massage it back to life. 

But, no, it was gone............gone to join the stars.

I laid it on the table, reassuring myself that, at least, its pasing was quick.........I went to the garage and selected a tin in which to bury it. 

Jeannine was in the kitchen..........I told her to go to the front window ...........she did and I heard her shout, "John, John, come quick!"   

 "Crikey," I thought.........."what's happening now?"

 I got to the window just in time to see the biggest hawk picking up the dead bird and flying off to the nearby tree. I assumed that earelier the bird was so frightened by the hawk that it flew off as fast as it could, straight into the window.

So, it was a Free Hawk breakfast..............hey, hey, Mother Nature................why didn't you make all birds vegetarians! 

And us humans, too, for that matter.