Spring Arrives with Snow!

Winter's hold on us continues with a snowy Easter weekend. A brief thaw gave us hope in mid-March for warmer days, melting our earlier snows to nearly nothing. At least 10 inches have fallen since last Friday, but with temps flirting above 32 degrees, it melts quickly.

At Richardson Nature Center, the maple syrup season is getting a late start, but if the temperatures go above freezing this week through next weekend, we may have some good days for demonstrating the maple syrup process to visitors. During the first weekend of March, we demo'ed how to tap the trees and hang the buckets, but it was too cold for the sap to flow. And we had water boiling in the evaporator. A little disappointing for the guests, but we should have a better demonstration next weekend, if spring would finally arrive.

Winter reading continues while the weather provides incentive to stay inside. I highly recommend this book: Babylon's Ark by Lawrence Anthony. Anthony staged the rescue of the Baghdad Zoo while war was raging throughout the city in 2003. His story is one of courage, leadership, hope, and compassion. He set out to achieve a near miracle despite dire conditions and extreme danger. His vision for the zoo and single-minded determination help him and all who work on the project toward their eventual success. The animals he and his team save are symbols of strong will and the power of positive thinking. It is a very inspiring story with mostly happy endings.

Last Gasp of Winter

The sound of melting snow and glisten of ice puddles are welcome signs of winter's end. The plot in Wisconsin slowly transforms into spring. Not a bird or deer in sight this weekend, and only a couple of new animal tracks in the snow by the house. A few snowmobilers took advantage of the snow cover and warmer weather, though. Within a few weeks the ground will be very wet and our outings to the beaver den will need to wait again until next winter.

This weekend we were glued to the radio for news of the state of emergency declared in Armenia following their Presidential elections. Allegations of election fraud and lack of legitimacy of the winning candidate brought 15,000 people into the capital Yerevan for demonstrations and protests, leading to a police action, imprisonment, and unfortunately, some deaths of demonstrators.

In contrast, our own Presidential campaigns continue as we anticipate outcomes of the prolonged race between Democratic primary contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. In our city, the Republican National Convention this September is scheduled during the same week as our State Fair. Elected officials and local police are already planning for crowd control and limiting demonstrations to a specific part of the city.

Ambassadors of Peace and Hope

Last Saturday night I experienced a concert extraordinaire by three brothers who play the oud, with their accompanist on percussion. The Joubran Trio performed at Sundin Hall at Hamline University, part of a multi-city tour through the U.S. and Canada. As extraordinary as their performance, is their origin: The performers are all from Palestine. Their music is impeccable, and the performance uniquely their own. Each brother plays an oud, designed and constructed by the middle brother. They come from a family that has been in the oud playing and building business for generations. Their original compositions are highly moving and incredibly energetic. And they also played a sing-along version of a traditional folk song, which several audience members knew and sang with the oldest of the brothers.

Nothing about the performance was political; it was all about the music, and also about the pride these musicians have for their culture and their family's history. While listening to the concert I could not help but wonder how they had overcome the odds of getting caught up in the battleground of their homeland to pursue their passion. And so they portray a side of Palestinian life that is little known to those of us who have been reading news for far too many years of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Joubran Trio demonstrate through their music a humanity and highly developed skill that all the world can appreciate and understand. Their performance was a gift of hope. Regardless of the oppression characterizing their homeland, their music flourishes and thrives.

If you have an opportunity to see them in concert, by all means, go! If not, you can learn more about their music and listen a while at their website:
http://www.letriojoubran.com/en

Cabin Fever

Finishing the statistically coldest week of the year in Minnesota is like release time from school. It seems to take longer when you know the end is near. The only positive to come from global warming is that the coldest Minnesota has to offer is much warmer than it used to be. A few days of low temperatures hovering at 15 or 20 below zero may seem insane to live with, but we used to have -15 or -20 as the high for days on end.

It is easy to feel trapped indoors when January's worst arrives. My best intentions to take an after-dinner walk around the block last as long as carrying a bag of trash to the can by the garage. I am generally tolerant of weather's whims, but enough of the cold! I hope that the prediction is true for 35 degrees this weekend, and that is above zero.

This is good weather for stitching, reading, and writing:

Stitching a wool sweater now that will be finished after this winter season ends, but will be ready in due time for next year.

Reading a novel right now called Someone Knows My Name http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103-5725978-2756629?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Someone+Knows+my+name&x=15&y=15, by Lawrence Hill, about a woman from West Africa who is captured and sold as a slave to a plantation in North Carolina. The book recounts her whole life as a memoir, and it is beautifully written. My previous good read was The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/002-5872736-6760814?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The+lost&x=12&y=13, by Daniel Mendelsohn, about his search for his family's history and especially how he learned the fate of six family members who perished during the Holocaust.

Writing my own memoirs while I still have the mind and memory to do so, but they will remain a private writing for now.

The truly adventurous have been taking part in this week's Winter Carnival http://www.winter-carnival.com/, but I am not even intrigued by the 5K race. The treadmill is good enough until we at least get into the 20 degree range.

And so, when I next post to my blog I may have some outdoor photos to share if the weather situation improves.

Winter Wonderland and Happy New Year

A cold weekend in Wisconsin is made for staying indoors but we could not resist a hike through the forest and frozen wetland around our cabin. Winter is the only time of year that we can hike across the entire property, since it is wet and deep along the creek. In December we were able to hike across the frozen creek and beaver pond. This year's beaver den is the largest we have ever seen, and so is the pond.

Holidays came early this year, with Hanukkah beginning the first week of December. The challah turned out perfectly, and so did the quick breads that were shipped to our friends and family.

December's cold and snow also inspired the knitting of warm hat, mittens and gloves for a gift recipient on our list.

And our Haley, our happy and lucky cat, enjoys all the warmth and comfort of home year-round, and especially on winter's coldest days.

Our Tunisian Feast and Ornament Exchange

Here's to Neila and Chuck for hosting our annual ornament exchange and preparing a veritable feast of freshly-cooked Tunisian foods. The fragrant cooking aromas carried me away from all things midwestern to a family feast in Chuck's homeland. Many thanks for a wonderful day!

Let the festivities begin! And first, let's see the beautifully hand-stitched ornaments we exchanged:


And now, for the party!

In October Summer becomes Fall

Between the mostly wet October we have had, some days were summer-like. Leaves on our trees stayed green for most of this month. Our backyard garden looks the best it did all summer in this Oct. 13 photo.



A mid-October visit to Interstate Park, where the St. Croix River flows between Minnesota and Wisconsin was perfect for a morning hike to see the colors.