Looking back, bittersweetly

This past week we, with much of the Midwest and Northeast US as well as Canada, endured the passage of a severe weather system which produced a "bomb cyclone," a hurricane-like storm caused by the sudden collision of a tropical air mass with an arctic cold front. Hot air rapidly rises and creates an area of very low pressure  encircled by high winds and intense precipitation. In low light before the storm struck I obtained a few poor photos of feeder birds.

Mourning Dove and Northern Cardinal feasting on safflower seeds

A couple of views of White-throated Sparrows, which have been strangely scarce so far:

House Finches:

We were spared the blizzards endured by most of the northern areas. Instead we had heavy rain, followed by a precipitous drop in temperature from the mid 60s°F (18°C) to the low single digits. High winds toppled trees which fell on power lines, causing widespread loss of electrical service. Luckily, we only had brief power interruptions. On the morning before Christmas Day our outside thermometer recorded temperatures as low as 5°F ( -14°C).  

Cazador, our daughter's Standard Poodle, was reluctant to go out in the cold:

The weather was so vicious that we could not take our daily walks. One day I didn't even venture out to put up the feeders. I reflected on fair-weather header images provided by some of these feeder birds, among the 72 species I have identified on or from the property since we moved here just a year ago--

Northern Cardinal: 

White-throated Sparrow:

Black-capped Chickadee:

Tufted Titmouse in snow:

Christmas morning was clear but still very cold (10°F/-12°C). Temperatures remained below freezing the rest of the week, but winds were relatively calm and the sun shone brightly. Shooting through the window glass, the sun helped sharpen my photos. 

A male Dark-eyes (Slate-colored) Junco posed atop the granite ledge:

Late afternoon sun displayed the brown plumage of a female Junco and brought out the colors and patterns of the granite

A White-breasted Nuthatch perched nearby...

..and headfirst, descended the wall:

Street scenes along our walk

View of sunset from our bedroom window, December 28:

 

Christmas time can be a mix of joy and sadness. Memories were ignited by a couple of old photos, of our granddaughters (now 17 and 18 years old)...

...and my first date with MaryLou, 69 years ago on December 27, 1953, a  Dinner Dance at The Meadowbrook in New Jersey. (Not much came of it as we did not start going steady until well over a year later). Betty and Tom, respectively classmates of MaryLou and me, occupied the middle seats at the table. My dear sister Ellen "fixed me up" with MaryLou, whose brother Larry was seated on the left. He was my classmate in High School and College-- Ellen was his date. We all were fast friends. Sadly, of the six in our party, we two are the only survivors.  

We did not participate in late evening extended family gatherings, as  respiratory diseases are running rampant. We have been sheltering in our Casita and masking up even when interacting with the immediate family. I do not want illness to interfere with upcoming CT and MRI examinations which will gauge my progress and help plot a future course for chemotherapy, now as I conclude my 10th 3-week treatment cycle (two weeks on, one week off). 

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Linking to:

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

Garden Affair

All Seasons

Image-in-ing

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World
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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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