Pileateds Visit

  Even seeing one pileated woodpecker is rare for us but on 02/20, there were two. With the snow on the ground, they seemed very hungry and even less skittish than usual. I was doing dishes when one landed on the suet feeder so I called Tom and we both watched them for several minutes.

 They're the size of a chicken so it's quite a large bird for the wire suet feeder. They're great fun to watch from the large kitchen window.

First Eat-Out in a While

  With the recent health problems, I haven't been able to do much of anything but sit in a recliner with my leg elevated. Yesterday, though, we finally planned to meet others for a meal at El Toro.

 This is something we have traditionally done at least once a year - sometimes twice - but the only lead-up I've been able to handle has been a quick stop at a fast food joint. Yesterday my nurse didn't come so I had to bandage my ankle myself (Tom helped wrap it up when I was finished).l When I finished it felt fine, or at least as good as when I had the work done professionally. So off we went.

Bob (l) and Sam Owns

Bill (l) and Tom

Eric Oda

Margarita special on Mondays

 Bob and Sam each had two!

Veggie #4 - Cheese enchilada and bean burrito

 It was delicious food and a blessed chance to get out and enjoy some company.

Yet Another Snow

  It wasn't a big snow - only 2.5" - but it followed a big rain. We received 2.03" of rain on Saturday night into Sunday morning [02/16-17]. And the Tempest recorded 20 strikes of lightning. It was very unusual, spring like, stormy weather for February.

 By Sunday morning - even before I read my gauge at 7 am - the rain had changed to  snow and the temperature began to slowly fall (from 40° to freezing).

 An inch and a half  of very wet snow was on the ground as I brought the gauge in to melt the snow. And soon thereafter another 1.5" fell.

 By afternoon the wind was howling. We watched as two cars left the road just south of the house and we're extricated from the field with difficulty (see below) Once it was dark I watched the wind whip snow in front of the headlights of the stranded vehicles. It wasn't snowing then; it was just picked up from the fields and flung about.

 Here are some views ...

 Barely light out, this is the view I had as I woke Sunday morning.

 The picnic table serves as a good "snow board" as it doesn't quickly melt the fallen snow, allowing cold air to flow beneath it. It's also a solid surface, unlike grass, and allows for a more accurate reading.

 As afternoon progressed the wind began picking up fallen snow and blowing it east in blizzard fashion.

 Soon the trees hung down with the heavy wet snow clinging to their branches.

 The pines to the front of the house began carrying a heavy, if not deep, load.

 This shot is of the first of two slip-offs. Both occurred at the same place just south of our house. The road was covered with snow and ice there. Were both driving too fast for the conditions or was the spot just not navigable? The one vehicle must have sat there an hour or more waiting for a tow. A number of people stopped - including a fireman - so they must have flagged all help off (probably to save money). This screenshot was taken with the Wyze cam aimed south and was taken right as the vehicle was pulled from the snow.

 More Wednesday perhaps? It won't be because I'm hoping for more.