February 2022

 

Zzz…..zzzzz….snore….Huh?  It’s March?  What the heck happened?

I don’t think I can present a more boring month than this one. Temperatures haven’t been too hot or too cold, and spring is making itself known with the beginning of roof avalanches starting on February 10.  (This is only a big event if you are standing under one at the time when gravity prevails….)  The lake below us is still frozen over completely, reflecting the cold conditions experienced while we were gone.

We have had only a little snow, with Brian snow blowing the driveway only once.

Covid is still ensuring there is a minimum of socializing around here.  One family just below us all got Covid, probably brought home by a little girl going to school.  All four adults, who had been vaccinated, suffered only mild doses, while the two little girls experienced stronger symptoms.  Everyone has recovered nicely, fortunately.  Nonetheless, we haven’t returned to dining out much or hosting neighbourhood gatherings at all, so our social lives are circumspect to say the least.

I did get out snowshoeing once with a friend and Brian and I visited a local ski hill twice with good success.

I don’t even have any good critter pictures, although I can offer you an amusing story.  We have had three deer visiting under our bird feeders, happy to pick up cracked corn on the ground.  One was big, one was mostly big, and one was smaller.  A household tradition is to name these guys; the big one was obviously Hercules, the next one became Socrates, and the smallest one?.....ok Pilates.  Hercules has figured out there is a sunflower seed feeder just above the ground, and he now rears up on his hindlegs, bats the feeder with his forelegs and then proceeds to eat the rewards sprinkled on the ground.  It is more expensive feeding deer than feeding birds.

Last year, we booked a trip to the Russian Arctic with Quark, our favourite polar expedition outfitters.  It was postponed until this year because of Covid, and now it has been cancelled completely due to the Russian invasion of the Ukraine.  Certainly an ill-fated trip…..  The good news is that we will get a full refund, and now plan to figure out some smaller excursions.  Stay tuned.

We hope you are all well, and that we get out of this hiatus soon.

Thanks for visiting!