Alright, you win – UNCLE. I realize now that I should never have mentioned the bad weather here to my friends in North Carolina. I hope I never encounter the storm borne fury visited upon them in the last year. “So you got caught in a little May snowstorm,” they say. “We can generate thunderstorms with baseball size hail and flood the entire state in a flash!”
No More Hostile Weather!
Please no more horrible weather contests! I am heartbroken to learn of the weather induced damage around my old stomping grounds near Hwy 40/42 this week. At least Dean and Terrie (and their car only recently repaired from the last huge storm) aren’t actually bombarded with ice balls this time. I hope my many other friends in that area also escaped harm.
To prevent further destruction, I propose a weather ceasefire. Let’s turn our thoughts away from the now all too common bizarre atmospheric occurrences and focus instead on the fleeting joys of Spring. For example let’s revel in the re-appearance of some colorful birds.
Canada Goose Family Tale
A mom, dad and 7 baby Canada Geese are the talk of the hatchery for the first week that we are here. The goose family (or clutch) has lots of adventures while on the grounds here. Everyone at the hatchery hoped to watch the goslings grow up, but within a week of hatching the parents and all babies move on to parts unknown.
Mom and six of the goslings get swept into the creek and separated for a while from Dad and one struggling gosling. As seen in the video below, Dad patiently works to get his errant charge past obstacles to rejoin the flock.
Glad to see the little fella finally made it. ;>) Thanks for staying with it till the end. This has been a crazy year for weather to be sure, hope things are better where you are and your having a good time. Did you get the leveling system fixed yet?? Look forward to the next post. GOD BLESS
JD
Jim
The leveling system is better, but we are not sure it is 100%. They replaced the valves that they found leaking which was 14 of 18 valves. Charlie thinks we should have gone ahead and gotten the other 4 done too as we still have to have a tiny bit of a leak. Oh well, maybe next time through we will stop in Iowa and get them to tweak it some more.
This may be the most wonderful thing you have ever made, and the music was absolutely perfect!
As one who knows the sweet and bitter joy and grief of hatchling goslings on my ponds every spring, carefully counting them initially in the certain knowledge that the hawks will snatch them and the turtles pull them under in some certain number daily, so that only a small fraction ever will survive, and re-counting in worried expectation and inevitable sadness every succeeding morning, I watched the magic moments of your video, as if shot, out of time, but against the background of Papa’s certainty that the sound of his voice would lead the little fellow back to his side. I am left weeping tonight, by this very righteous moment. Thank you. Thank you.
N. Clement
You are so sweet!! I was rooting for the little guy all the way as the Dad kept telling him he was getting “a little warmer.” Thanks for your very kind words!!
I just listened to the weather forecast for today in Spearfish. I do not believe all the birds in the state would be enough for me to ignore it.
Amazingly the birds are still out today, but it is hard to pick them out between the falling snowflakes….brrrr