“ The desolate, deserted trees, The faded earth, the heavy sky,” Oh, I can’t help but quote Robert Frost’s My November Guest when one of my absolute favorite months settles in. Indeed the trees are bare, and skies have turned heavy here right around the year’s earlier Thanksgiving. This, however, only after weeks and… Continued
To be sure this October has been fine as any I can recall. Following the sowing of our winter peas we received a good ½ inch of rain here – our first, really, since May. And after some mountain snows and blustery early October weather, the high pressure settled in. For almost two weeks now… Continued
Sandhill cranes sanctified the autumn equinox, making their punctual southbound journey way up in our September sky just a couple days before the “official” calendar date. Each September, I anticipate their lofty chatter. Sure enough this year we heard them, and then looked way up to see 100’s scarcely below the puffy afternoon clouds: at… Continued
We all know much can change from month to month. Here in the Methow following as nice of a June/July as I can recall, August arrived with our first wildfires of the year. The good news: fires held off until August this year! The bad: the West is stuck in this seemingly endless annual fire… Continued
Fledgling bluebirds, flycatchers, hummingbirds and yes, wrens! One morning about 3 weeks ago I stepped onto the “coffee” porch for the early hour and suddenly, all was quiet. After a month or more of ‘wreny’ chatter, it had ceased. That fast. Soon I spied a few chicks taking short flights, and they were gone from… Continued
The common house wren – easily confused with the winter wren: Tenacious, noisy, spider-man like the way it clings sideways to siding, posts, tree limbs…alas, does not just like houses. For two years now one particular mother has nested up above the exterior lights in our John Deere’s cab. To be exact, directly on top… Continued
Most all of the Methow’s spring birds have returned, so far as I know. It isn’t hard to know when the house wrens return! This year they arrived the first of May, and have been the voice I wake to most every morning now. Truth to tell, there are far worse things to wake… Continued
April – ever the month of change. On the coat-tails of the wettest spring in years last year, this April is proving to be even more so. Living in what is still classified as a semi-desert climate, as we are here in the Methow, abundant water is always exciting. This spring is proving to be… Continued
Writing this on the first “official” morning of Spring 2018. The thermometer reads 26 FH on the back porch at dawn and already I hear restless geese down along the river as the night-time owls grow quiet. A week ago we had a solid rain during the dark hours and the very next day as… Continued
Mother Nature has surprised us once again, switching gears just when she looked to be leaning toward an earlier spring. During the first week of this month a true Chinook wind blew through our valley for most of a full week, the snow sunk as temperatures soared and it sure seemed winter had lost its… Continued