Sun, Wind, Changing Weather

The old joke about Oregon weather is if you don't like it, wait five minutes and it will change. That has certainly been true for the last few weeks. We had a spell of gorgeous sunny days with frosty nights. We took advantage of the sunshine to get a lot of chores done around the farm... Johnny splitting firewood, me pruning dead limbs off our arboretum pines plus other garden pruning.

 The winter blooming jasmine by the back door made it seem like spring.

 A pair of Ravens sat close together... perhaps thinking of nesting already?

 Several Downy Woodpeckers, a Hairy Woodpecker, and a Sapsucker all convened one day in the old orchard. I only got a decent photo of one Downy.

But there must have been a major windstorm in our woods, as when I hiked down to the creek, the path was blocked by downed trees. Downed trees were everywhere, in fact. I had heard strong wind one night but we had no trees down by the house or in the arboretum.

Rain or shine or wind, the cats come into the mud room twice a day to eat their food in peace, without the big black mangy feral cat attacking them or the dogs chasing them.

We took one sunny day, with two friends, to tour Yoncalla Falls, see the Cascade mountains from the spot we had found in the last sunny spell, and survey Dippers along Agency Creek.

Conditions were right for Hair Ice and we found it everywhere.

This Dipper was singing when we spotted it...

And then it rained again.

Yesterday, Feb. 2, was cool but dry. In the afternoon, Johnny and I gave a talk on "Citizen Science for the Birds" at Fendall Community Hall. It was an appreciative audience, many of whom we knew. Friend Matt Huegli projected my Power Point photos onto a screen for us. He is the computer whiz who takes care of all things computer at our house. Johnny and I then went to the Willamina Museum's Chocolate Tasting fundraiser.

And now the weather has turned yet again... pouring rain today, snow tonight. It's Oregon.