Back Later

Taking some time to chill.  I'll be back.

A weekend of birding and a fruitless search

Sometimes we just take the wrong path.  Saturday, I headed north for some birding.  It was a cold but pretty day for it.  When I reached Brigham City, I had to choose: either continue on to Corinne and Salt Creek, or head to Cache Valley in search of that Snowy Owl and blue jay, both very rare in Utah.  Snowy Owls have not been seen in Utah since some time in the 60s.  But last year's irruption brought a couple of sightings.  Then there was a reported sighting about three weeks ago in Cache Valley.  It was a long shot.  I decided to go for the sure thing, and I chose Salt Creek.  It was great up there with lots of birds.  I got my first photo of a Golden Eagle and some Horned Larks as well. I had the place to myself and it felt so wonderful.

Imagine my disappointment when I got home, however, and found that not only was there a confirmed sighting and photo of the Snowy Owl in Cache Valley, they had posted the location online.  If "d been monitoring on my phone, I could have headed up that way and found it.  In fact, if i had chosen the other path, I might have been the one who spotted it at about 2:30. 

This was a big deal and the birder community was excited.  Next day, I didn't return because snow was predicted and I don't drive Sardine Canyon in a snowstorm ever.  It's treacherous.  But some 20 cars of people showed up in Amalga Barrens and scouted all over the western county to no avail.  On Monday I headed up that way.  I wanted to also try to find the eastern Blue Jay in Smithfield.  A number of people had seen that one within about a four by four block range.  Mostly cemetery and public park.

I spent the entire day searching.  First in Smithfield where I didn't find the jay and then in Amalga Flats looking for the owl.  I was patient but not very methodical.  There were not many birds out in that farming county.  I saw a wonderful prairie falcon and hundreds of horned larks, and a few ravens.  Lots of wide expanses of fields covered in deep snow probably make it tough for the birds to find food.  The fog had been harsh that day and the temperatures near zero, and everything was covered in a thick heavy hoar frost that hadn't burned off by the time I left around 3 p.m.  I searched all around Amalga and Trenton.  And finally, after one last pass where it was last seen, I headed back to Smithfield armed with new information for finding the blue jay.  It was so cold and I was tired, but I still tried hard to find it, with no luck.  At 4, I gave up and started the 90-minute drive home.

Upon arriving home, I saw all kinds of Facebook and email notifications that the owl was spotted about 4:30 less than two miles from where I gave up my search.  Many people responded quickly and got a chance to see the owl.   How disappointing, I was so close and missed it.  I will wait another week or so now as we have a string of snowstorms ahead.  I think I may plan to stay overnight in Logan, too, so I won't be in a hurry to get back through the canyon before dark.  The owl seems to make his appearance around 4 or so.  I am not giving up.  I'll try again when the weather is favorable.

Here are a few birds from Salt Creek:  A great blue heron, a horned lark, and golden eagle.  Also saw bald eagles, many ducks and ravens, a handful of rough-legged hawks and pheasants.  There were hundreds of the horned larks everywhere. 

Review: House of Cards

I have a new review at the Reel Women blog.  Click this link to read what I think of this new original Netflix series.  Hint: I gave it five stars.

Dense Fog Returns

Sort of like that old chant from high school:  Second verse, same as the first, but a little bit louder, and a little bit worse.

Groundhog Day

Today, Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow, which is supposed to mean an early spring.  Of course, the funny thing about that little tradition is that if he does see  his shadow, we will get six more weeks of winter--that's supposed to be a worse case.  Now count the weeks from now until the official first day of spring: seven weeks.  So early spring or six more weeks, both seem to be earlier than the official first day of spring.  But let's not quibble.  Groundhog Day always reminds me of one of my all-time favorite movies.  

I could watch this movie over and over and . . . but since it's not available by streaming on Netflix, I'll settle for this nice summary. I especially liked the analysis at the end about the difficulty we have of living in the moment. So true.

I've had my own minor existential crisis this past month.  And I hate that I've had to waste a precious month of life on that.  But I guess sometimes you just have to get through things until they are over.

February has brought warmer temps, melting snow, and sunny days.  Although the haze and inversion are already setting in again, but this time they are not expected to last more than a few days.  A little breeze around Wednesday will clear out the air again.

With these changes, my mood has improved greatly and I finally feel like a functioning human being.  I'm still off balance about my identity as a non-working person, but at least I can make myself get off the couch now. I will take it a day at a time and hope to continue on a positive track. 

Thaw - Please!

It has continued snowing every day this week.  We had another foot of snow on Monday, then a few more inches yesterday, and a few more still today.  This was to have ended yesterday, but you know how these winter storms are--sometimes they just keep going, and going, and going.

This week, they seem to let up around mid-day for awhile, long enough to shovel.  I have been trying to shovel around 2 in the afternoon as the sun starts to break through and the temps rise a little, so the shoveling goes better.  Monday, a neighbor came over and shoveled before I could get out.  I was pretty grateful as we had at least a foot that morning.  However, when I went out, I saw he has shoveled only one side of the driveway and had piled all the snow on the OTHER side of the driveway.  Oh man.  Now, in addition to keeping up with the daily snow, I have spent two days trying to clear the deep heavy snow my neighbor piled up for me.  I'm trying to feel appreciative for the thought.  But honestly, it would have been much, much easier if he would have just let me do my usual thing.  It's so much easier to clear fallen snow than piled up snow that seems to be heavier and icier.  I still have about a 10' x 12' section of that to do, and I've cleared about double that.  It really kills me and I can't just keep at it till it's done.  I just needed to complain a little here. so thanks for listening.  *sigh*

The weather guessers say this is the last storm for a week now.  I hope they are right.  The temperature tomorrow is supposed to be at or near 40.  It that happens, we'll finally start to see some melting.  We actually have a record amount of accumulated snow on the ground right now simply because of so many big storms one after another.  The piles on the sides of my driveway are taller in some places than I am.  It's going to take awhile for that to melt.

I have serious concerns about the roof.  Besides the snow depth and obvious weight, there has been an ice dam all along my rain gutters for weeks now.  I'll be surprised if my rain gutters survive the season.  And I may even have some roof damage as well.  But there's not a thing I can do right now but wait.  Next year, I'll take my son's advice and put heat tape in the rain gutters.  It must be like the heated rock I put in the bird bath.  It never gets hot or even warm to handle.  It just keeps the temperature above freezing so the ice can't form.

In half an hour, it will be time to go out and shovel for the day.  I may take a picture while out there.  Although, I'm so unthrilled with snow right now, I may not.

My biggest worry was what driving conditions would be going to the airport this evening as I'll be picking up my daughter and her husband and I just didn't want another white knuckle drive out there on that often treacherous stretch of freeway.. But the clouds are lifting now and the snow seems to have stopped falling.  And the best sign of all, the little birds have shown up at the feeders.  They always seem to know when it's safe to venture out.

Movie Review: Game Change

Click this link to see my latest movie review; Game Change.  This HBO movie has already garnered many awards.  Julianne Moore's portrayal of Sarah Palin is truly remarkable.  If you've seen the movie, please leave me a comment at the Reel Women blog.  I'd love to know what you think.

Thoroughly, utterly, completely unequivocally SICK of snow!

After a promising morning yesterday, it turned out to just be Mother Nature's idea of torture.  A serious snowstorm set in by afternoon and we ended up today with about another foot of new snow.  And yet another storm is bearing down on us, to arrive tonight and tomorrow and maybe into Wednesday, bringing another five inches or so (they say).  I've been adding up the storm totals since just after Christmas, and with the storm tonight, we'll reach about 4 feet of snow fallen.  Of course, with the freak freezing rain last week and a couple of minor thaws, we probably have 30" on the ground right now in untrampled areas.

I'm so very tired of this winter.  I don't think I can face a wintry February.  I think I have S.A.D.  I really need to see some sunshine.  There has been almost none the entire month of January.  I'm stressing about having to drive to the airport Wednesday night to pick up my kids from vacation.  My luck, it will still be snowing, icy, foggy, or all of the above. 

Bears have the right idea about winter.

Finally some relief for Utah - January 2013

It has been the worst January I remember for bad air and smog.  But today a small storm is coming in. The radar maps show it to be just on the other side of the lake now.  Sunrise brought a wonderful sight:  The moon and the sky.  The inversion appears to be breaking up.  Fog still clings to the lake shore, but everywhere else is looking sparkly clear.  I did attempt to walk down the driveway to get the newspaper, but that was a no-go.  It's a sheet of ice again.  The hospitals have been busy with people falling on the ice.  I didn't want to add my name to the list.  I'll just leave the newspaper at the end of the driveway until the ice melts.  Our temperature is right at freezing right now, but icicles are dripping, there's a slight breeze, and snow clumps are dropping from the trees.  I sense a slight thaw.

Update:  By the afternoon, winter had returned with a vengeance.  At this moment, the snow plow is STUCK in front of my house.  *sigh*

Let's get this month over with!

Really, I've had it with the weather this January.  Our air pollution and inversion has been so bad for so long, it made the national news last night.  Finally yesterday, for the first time since January 10, our temperatures reached just above freezing.  Enough that I could venture out and attempt to remove a quarter inch or more of solid ice from my driveway.  It wasn't going to happen with just a snow shovel.   And it was too treacherous to walk on while spreading ice melt (my driveway is at a significant slant).  I had to walk along the sides (in the snow where I could get traction in my boots) and toss the ice melt out onto the concrete as best I could.  With a wide driveway, that meant trips down both sides.  I let the ice melt work for an hour or so and then went back out with a snow shovel and pushed and chipped away the ice, that now was melting and broke away into sheets and pieces.  It was still treacherous in places where melting hadn't occurred, and I had to test every step as you couldn't see the ice -- sometimes it just looked like wet concrete.

I also dealt with the back outdoor faucet that had formed an icicle of its own.  The ice melted and I checked the pipes inside.  I heard no dripping and saw no water, so hopefully, there was no pipe breakage.  Outside there was a small but persistent drip at the faucet.  With the help of some WD-40 and a wrench, I gave the nut on the faucet a small tighten and I think I stopped the drip.  Hopefully, the problem there is solved.

There are ice dams in the rain gutters.  I know this is bad and I can only hope that the melting of the next few days remedies that, too.  The icicles on the house started dripping and then growing, but as the day progressed and we got into upper 30's temperatures, the icicles actually started dropping off the eaves of their own accord.

And then last night when the temps dropped again . . . well let me just put it as I said on Facebook:

And now, as if in a final act of defiance before a Sunday storm that promises to finally clean out all the dirty air, Mother Nature has us socked in with a fog to rival a Sherlock Holmes scene.

 Between the ice removal and the heavy fog, I managed to get to the grocery store to restock.  Today the weather is supposed to remain smoggy.  But tomorrow we are getting a snowstorm that is supposed to scour out all this inversion and pollution.  I don't normally look forward to the snowstorms, but I'll make an exception for this one.

Freezing Rain in Utah - January 24, 2013

A rare occurrence in Utah - freezing rain.  Even when driving slowly, cars simply don't have control.  Ice buildup on roads that resists the usual salt treatments.  Water freezes on windshields and windows.  "More accidents than they can count so far," says the Highway Patrol.   In front of my house, several people slid off he road just trying to drive down the hill.  An SUV spun completely around.  Watching news reports this morning was not for the faint of heart.  Then sometime in the morning a plane slid off a taxiway at Salt Lake International Airport, and a decision was made to close all runways (first time in 20 years they had to close all runways).  Now, hours later, they remain closed with many flight delayed or cancelled, and travelers wondering what to do now.

I had volunteered to drive my grandson to school at 1 p.m. for a little spelling bee.  His class is off-track (year-round school schedule) right now, and so is not in class, but wanted to compete.  Unfortunately, as conditions worsened at the morning progressed, I cancelled.  I was sorry to do that, but thought it better for all of us to stay home and stay safe.

Normally, precipitation falls either as snow or rain in this state.  Freezing rain is rare and requires the specific conditions that exist right now.  It comes down to this long-term inversion we've had that has kept us well below freezing temps the whole month of January (apart from just two days).  Here's how the weather people explain it:

First, remember we have a deep layer of snow this month which keeps a cold layer of air near the ground, and that's what sets us up for the inversion to begin with.  The inversion means warmer temperatures at high altitudes, currently in the 30's and 40's, but cold near the ground where the trapped air is smoggy and currently from single digits to the 20's.  As this storm passes over the inversion, precipitation falls initially as rain.  But when it hits the cold lower level, the rain turns to freezing rain.  Normally, a storm is preceded by wind which scours out all the pollution and gets rid of the inversion.  That didn't happen this time, and with the inversion stuck here, the conditions were perfect for what happened today.

This is one of the worst days on Utah roads that most people even remember.  I have felt so anxious thinking about family members who had to go to work in this.

Of course, there are the global warming deniers who take a day like today and say, "What Global Warming?"  I happened to see an interesting article just today on what's causing this fierce cold weather.  To make it simple:  Global warning = less sea ice = sudden stratospheric warming event in Arctic = colder, snowier weather in North America and Europe. 

As for me, I made a cup of hot cocoa for some extra comfort this afternoon.  Chocolate for a little lift, and a hot mug to hold onto for comfort.

Raptors - West Warren, Utah

Identifying hawks has not been one of my strengths in the past.  At first they all look the same.  But over the past couple of years I've learned to positively identify the Northern Harrier seen everywhere I go birding, as well as the Sharp-Shinned Hawk that hangs out around my bird feeders.  And, of course, the distinctive little kestrel. So when I headed to West Warren yesterday, I was hoping to see and identify a few new (to me) hawks.  I was in luck.

Not many people even know where West Warren is.  Because I grew up in Ogden, I had actually been there a time or two.  Really, you just take 12th Street from Ogden and go west until you arrive at Little Mountain and can't go any further.  This is about where the Ogden River finds its way to the Great Salt Lake.  It's fenced farmland the whole way, mostly range land really, for cattle and horses.  Lots of flat fields.  There is a wildlife management area out there and I tried to find it, but I found the approach was snow-covered dirt roads.  I knew better than to try to tackle that with my Altima.  I contented myself with staying on 12th Street, and I wasn't disappointed.

I was sure to see Bald Eagles - which I did.   My best photo though, turned out to be this young one in a tree near the road.  I thought at first it was a Golden Eagle, but examining my photos later the ID was unmistakable.

The hawk I saw the greatest number of was this Rough-Legged Hawk.  From a distance, he looks like he's wearing a tuxedo jacket and the head seems darker. The white bib is very distinct

 Here is one hanging out in a tree with the other hawk I identified today, the Red-Tailed Hawk.

 I stopped off at Farmington Bay on the way home, hoping to see owls, and I did see more Rough-Legged hawks there.  But no owls. 

 

Here is a Red-Tailed Hawk that was kind enough to pose right by the road.  You can tell how rural the West Warren area is by the old wooden telephone poles.  I saw two or three Red-Tailed this day.

 Back at Farmington Bay, I decided to check out a small clump of trees where I had seen pheasants on my last visit, but had not been quick enough to photograph them.  This time I pulled up quietly and parked and waited.  Would you believe, they were there.  Two pair.  This male crossed the road and I got photos through my dirty windshield (so not great).  The other male was in the tree and the females were huddled underneath the tree and hard to see.  I was tickled for these bonus shots.

And the end of the day, looking directly into the sun through the dense haze at Farmington Bay, no mountains visible.  You can see the man-made Great Blue Heron's nests in the distance here.  I walked about a mile on icy, snow-packed roads here.  I was dressed for it and had good boots on.  But with temps at about 18 F, even bundled up, it was a relief to get back to my car.

Today, I'm visiting my sister in Plain City which is right next to West Warren.  While out there, I'm going to try harder to see owls.  I saw one Barn Owl yesterday, but wasn't quick enough to catch him in flight.  They are being forced to hunt by day because of the deep snow and difficulty finding food.  Some are starving.  There's more than one good reason to wish we'd get out of this deep freeze and the snow would starting melting.  We need a January thaw.

Sundance - January in Utah

Every January the Sundance Film Festival descends on Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah.  This indie film festival brings in celebrities and thousands of visitors.  It provides some colorful (if sometimes tiresome) relief from the cold, snow, and smog that is ever-present in January.

You would think this would be an exciting time for someone like me - a big movie buff.  But the truth is, I have only viewed a couple of Sundance films actually during the festival over the years.  For one thing, it isn't easy to get tickets.  You have to sign up well ahead of time for a time to buy your tickets.  Before that time comes, you need to review all the available shows and show times.  And then sometimes your preferences are sold out by the time your turn rolls around.  I just hate that whole process.  Especially if you are trying to coordinate with other people who may or may not like the same movies.  We've done it, but sometimes you just have to compromise and go with what's available or what the rest of the group want.  And I'll admit, it has always been fun to attend.  There is such a sense of excitement surrounding all showings in the festival.

But really, I prefer to avoid the hassle and the crowds, and instead, write down the names of any movies that get good reviews.  Then I add them to my Netflix queue -- even if they're not available yet, they just go on a hold list until they do become available.  By adding to the hold list, you let Netflix know this is a film of interest and they are more likely to obtain it if enough people ask for it.  I do the same thing with the Oscars, particularly noting good foreign films.

You see, I don't feel the need to see a movie when it's the latest hot thing out.  If it's a good movie, it will stand the test of time.  Some of the Sundance movies will go mainstream after the festival - low-budget gems that make it to the big time.  And almost all the indie movies eventually become available on Netflix.  I'm willing to wait.  In many cases, they are out a year later.

Our local news noted five former Sundance films that are available now on Netflix  This is by no means an exhaustive list, but just some random ones that writer chose to feature.  I may watch one of those.  Two don't interest me much, and two involve phobias of mine: fear of heights and claustrophobia.  I know I couldn't watch those.  But the documentary does interest me and I'll check it out.

The thing I love about indie films is the range and depth of subject matter.  Nothing is formula.  Most are surprising.  That's not to say that every indie is a fantastic movie, or even necessarily interesting to me.  But the choices are great and once you start watching, you're liable to be hooked and may never be satisfied with a blockbuster, big budget (but likely formula) movie again.

I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open.

Adrift

More angst.  It's not out of my system yet.  Give me a little more time, I think.

Two weeks since I retired and I'm still floating along getting nothing done.  I seem to have caught up on my sleep and am sleeping longer at night; thus not more than one daytime nap is needed now.  I still function best after 4 p.m., my old quitting time.  These days I feel good if I accomplish one thing per day on my to do list.

I've come to realize that a job is an anchor in our lives.  It holds us down and stops us from doing a lot of things we imagine we'd rather be doing.  But there's predictability and security in that anchor.  And there's a certain Stockholm-syndrome-comfort in that.  Once we let loose of that anchor, it sets us off balance.  No-one is telling us what to do.  Every minute of the day is filled with something of our choosing.  And sometimes that's nothing.

It's a huge luxury of time I've never before experienced.  Clearly, it does not matter whether I vacuum today or wait until tomorrow.  And with no more pressing time schedules, I am drifting along, sitting on the couch, playing on the internet, watching TV, eating, and wasting a lot of time.

And maybe I need to do that for a bit.  I'm certainly giving myself a break with this.  But I don't want this to continue.  I'll be bored out of my mind and I'll become huge.  Well, I think I'm becoming both of those.

I blame the weather partly.  It's been a long time since we had such an ugly January with extended sub-freezing temps and the inversion that traps the smog in the valley.   Not to mention the short days.  I know this part will change and I believe I'll wake up more when it does.

And I realize I'm coming off an apparently stressful period.  About six weeks before retirement, when I started training my replacements, my old eye twitch showed up.  I hadn't had that since my previous highly stressful job.  I still have a bit of that twitch a couple of times a day.  I think I've failed to acknowledge how stressful the past few months have been in so many ways.  Another reason to give myself a break.

I've decided to think of this as the first two-week vacation I've had in probably 20 years or more.  Really.  I hadn't thought of it that way before, but my vacations have been snippets for many years.  So now I've had a good long rest from all kinds of work.  But I'm feeling the need to return "home" metaphorically, wherever that may be now.

(And gawd I hope I get over all this angst soon.)