Category Archives: weather

by | March 19, 2013 · 10:05 pm

Coaxing out Spring

We are having a mild winter in the Twin Cities thus far. The snow cover held off until November which helps make the season seem shorter. Unlike the winter of 2010-2011, there have been no protracted cold spells or a seasonal record-setting snow.

I am ready for Spring’s calendar arrive tomorrow, but like many others in this region, Spring’s timidness this year puzzles me. It reminds me of a cat that is afraid of visitors and streaks across the room to find a hiding place. After several hours and some coaxing, the cat finally appears and finds a new lap to nap on while getting a belly rub.

Last year spoiled everyone in my area. We had a stretch of ten days that recorded or tied record highs in eight of them. Yesterday’s high temperature of 29°F was 50°F colder than last year’s record high of 79°F. The latest weather quirk has been threats of blizzards or heavy snow on Sunday night. This week was no exception, and there are rumors that next Sunday night may bring in near-blizzard conditions to southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa. Take solace in the fact that weather forecasters have been predicting snowfall amounts higher than what actually falls. Perhaps that trend will also continue. There is still 6″ of snow cover here. Easter egg hunts in snowdrifts might be expected next weekend.

My forsythia cutting started dropping flowers last Wednesday. I think it bloomed for over two weeks. To help break up the monotony of snow and grit, I bought a small orchid. Orchids are not expensive and even if I am unsuccessful at rejuvenating it after it goes dormant, I can get another.

The snow blanket is also keeping me from getting the gardens ready for spring. I have my dahlias started in plastic coffee cans to try extending the bloom season. The gladiolus and Asian lily bulbs destroyed by chipmunks and squirrels last year have replacements at the ready. The local garden centers do not have tulip bulbs yet. I’m going to try a Gloriosa lily variety this year that Lucy liked. I purchased all the usual annual seeds and they are waiting to go into seed starter containers: scarlet flax, borage, bluebonnet, sunflower and morning glory. This year’s seed experiments will include cypress vine and castor bean. Both plants are critter-proof because they are bitter and have emetic and laxative properties. This could lead to some “clean up in aisle one” moments. I have a fenced-in back yard and there are no children in the neighborhood under age 12.

I am hoping for a decent growing season this year. Lucy enjoyed gardening. I think the reason she enjoyed it so much was looking at the colors and life, and watching the birds and butterflies visit. We figured out how to optimize our gardening effort, which gave us more time to enjoy the result. Like last year, there will be twice as much gardening work for me. Unlike last year, Lucy is not here to encourage me. I’ll get it done though. Of course, if anyone wants to help, I’d appreciate it.

Give your loved ones a meaningful hug and let them know you love them. Try to smile today. If you’ll excuse me, I have to find a way to coax Spring out from behind the dryer.

This year's orchid

This year’s orchid

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Filed under gardening, rebuilding, weather

by | March 6, 2013 · 9:59 pm

Snow job

Things are coming back to normal after the snow event that enveloped the upper Midwest Monday night. Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport reported 9.4″ total snowfall for the storm. Tuesday’s road conditions were terrible in the morning but improved by late afternoon. Keeping the driveway cleared after several passes by the city’s snow removal equipment provided enough cardiovascular activity for the week.

Friday night I attended Annette’s birthday party at her shop. Carver is a small quaint town and I believe the majority of the populace attended throughout the evening. Al gave a very touching birthday speech for Annette that made the evening even more special. One of my fortune cookies had the following fortune: “You have a charming way with words and should write a book”. I leave that for you, the reader, to decide.

While I was driving to meet Suzy and Julie on Sunday, I saw a large white raptor flying near the Minnesota River. The airport has had snowy owl sightings reported this winter and the Minnesota River flows just southeast of the main terminal.

Spring is showing more influence even though Winter may have briefly regained the upper hand. I saw several bald eagles circling my route from Bloomington to St. Louis Park. House finch songs are filling the air. Maple tree sap is running judging by the drops on my driveway and the lilac leaf buds are swelling. Hawks are soaring in pairs. Potholes dot the roadways and the ubiquitous orange cones and detours are appearing on schedule. The dead season of winter is transitioning to the rebirth season of spring.

I neglected to include a picture of the blooming forsythia cutting in my last post. It is part of this edition. The leaf buds are starting to appear and the flowers will fade in another week or so. Enjoy your spring sightings and give your loved ones a hug!

Forsythia cutting in full bloom

Forsythia cutting in full bloom

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Filed under family, nature, rebuilding, weather

by | March 4, 2013 · 7:56 pm

Traho digitus meum

March weather at times seems like a series of practical jokes. The dog Latin post title translates to “Pull my finger” and fart gags (pun intended) date back to ancient Greece. Read “The Clouds” by Aristophanes for some 2,500-year-old proof. (The EPUB format is compatible with Nook readers.)

Today’s weather was a “pull my finger” sort of day. The heavy snowstorm threatened for last night took a more leisurely route and may arrive tonight. A Winter Storm Advisory issued Sunday morning became a Winter Storm Warning by Sunday afternoon declaring 7″ – 12″ of snow during the day Monday. Mother Nature gave us a “pull my finger” joke with the delay.

I’m a very logical, linear person and that can cause some “pull my finger” moments, as Lucy found out while we were dating. We learned quickly how to adjust, mostly with me adjusting to her communication style. My sister-in-law Julie has had the misfortune to experience a few of these moments, yesterday included. I feel badly that she ends up as the occasional (I hope) locus of my foibles and I am deeply grateful for her good humor and patience. I really am lucky having Julie and Suzy in my life.

Movie listings in the daily papers, on Yahoo! and on Google presented a “pull my finger” moment yesterday with a bogus showing time. Suzy, Julie, and I had planned on lunch and a movie yesterday. We settled for lunch at TGIFriday’s. It was still a very nice day despite the “Keystone Kops” subplots.

Parking in downtown Minneapolis is usually a “pull my finger” ordeal. During an event, parking downtown has a finishing touch of a flaming bag of dog poo. There are numerous restaurants worth the trouble of finding near the Convention Center. Check the Minneapolis Convention Center event calendar  before making the trip, trust me on that.

It’s been nice getting a chance to see some long-time friends. I’m catching up with Susan, and I have to make plans with Mike and Ken next week.

The Forsythia cutting is in full bloom, which is about three weeks earlier than I expected. It is a welcome splash of color and a reminder that spring is on the way in sixteen days. Another sure sign of spring are the seed and gardening catalogs arriving in the mail. Jung and Burpee seed catalogs are here and the Spring Hill Nursery catalog will probably arrive yet this week. Lucy had planted some Gloriosa lily bulbs a couple of years ago and I would like to try them again. It’s time to get the dahlia tubers in some dirt and start the seed tray.

I have completed the blog conversion. Facebook has been problematic with group notifications, so I have created a “Journey of the Teal Owl” page. If you could take a moment and “Like” the page, it will help with future notifications. I’m still discovering features with the WordPress software. Let me know what you think!

Having fun with loved ones is always a pleasure. Some of you like to play practical jokes. Let that special someone know that you care, hopefully without having him or her pull your finger.

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Filed under family, friends, gardening, literature, philosophy, rebuilding, weather

by | February 5, 2013 · 5:52 pm

Happy birthday, Lucy!

Lucy would have been 55 years old today. I realize that people consider blabbing a woman’s age uncouth, but Lucy always joked about being eager to turn 55 and take advantage of some senior’s discounts. She loved a bargain and she hardly aged until starting chemotherapy.

Groundhog’s Day was three days ago. In the Northern Hemisphere, Groundhog’s Day is the mid-point of winter and the mid-point of any season can have unpredictable weather. One year we went to Twins Fest for her birthday and we had a flat tire on the way home. It was about -25°F with a wind chill close to -40°F. A few years ago, it was close to 50°F with a light rain in the morning and a sunny afternoon. Lucy’s birthday usually was cold but rarely stormy.

This year started out overcast and blustery with about an inch of new snow on the ground. As today progressed, the wind died down, the sun came out and the temperature is valiantly trying, albeit failing, to reach 30°F. She would have enjoyed the cardinals serenading the surrounding area today. It is surprising at how loudly they can sing for their size and how far the song can carry. The robins that overwintered are out and about as are the goldfinches and black-capped chickadees. Goldfinches molt to a dull tan plumage in late fall but their song and flight pattern doesn’t change.

Birthdays were special to Lucy. She made it a point to acknowledge birthdays of family and friends. She spoiled me through the years (and I spoiled her in return), but my birthday was a Very Big Deal to her. She would go to Dairy Queen or Culver’s and pick up an ice cream cake for me. Believe it or not, we could get one of those to last a week. She knew what Buy One Get One Free offers I had for my birthday, so she would figure out how to optimize them to the fullest. That was a nice win-win: she could spoil me and she didn’t have to cook for about two weeks. The best part of the day was when we were waking up and she would have a huge smile on her face and wish me a happy birthday. I couldn’t ask for a better birthday present, and I treated her the same way on her birthday.

I think the reason birthdays were so special to her was because we shared holidays with our families but our birthdays were for us to celebrate. When she celebrated a birthday with her siblings, I usually was not along. It was her time to celebrate with her family. Perhaps that’s why getting older never bothered me; it meant I would get another birthday celebration with Lucy.

This year was very different. She wasn’t with me for her birthday or for Valentine’s Day. Qdoba Mexican Grill has an offer every year on Valentine’s Day for a buy one get one free burrito. The catch is you have to kiss someone to get the offer. Last year we spent most of the Valentine’s Day at Suburban Imaging waiting on her CT/PET scan. From previous scans, we discovered that Lucy would have mild nausea from drinking the imaging solution and from nerves, so having a burrito afterwards was out of the question. This year is unlikely because (a) it requires having someone to kiss and (b) I don’t want to use a straw to eat a burrito after irritating someone too much.

Please keep Lucy in your thoughts today and help make her day special. Remember the love and joy she brought into your lives. Spread that love and joy to your “someone special” and maybe spoil that person a little today.

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Filed under nature, rebuilding, weather

by | January 27, 2013 · 8:40 pm

“Slip Slidin’ Away”

Paul Simon’s song of remorse and longing could apply to tonight’s weather. My location dodged the freezing rain, but sleet covered the roadways with a few billion icy ball bearings. Braking on nearly frictionless spheres is not conducive to optimal stopping distances. There are a few drivers in large four-wheel drive vehicles that seem impaired in logic and feel that blasting down the roads at 10+ mph over the posted speed limit will not affect their vehicle’s braking power. The tow truck companies will have a profitable day today.

The weather put a damper on my plans today. I had planned on going to the orchid show at the Como Conservatory today. I couldn’t find anyone to go with me and I did not want to attend it alone. By the time Annette told me about the brunch at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the weather was starting to become a factor here in Bloomington.

Lucy really enjoyed attending the orchid show the years we attended. She enjoyed the beauty of the flowers coming from exotic and tropical locations, and I was happy tagging along and spending quality time with her. Our next orchid viewing would come in June at the Arboretum when the lady’s slippers would bloom. Believe it or not, the Minnesota state flower, the showy lady’s slipper, is an orchid and several types of lady’s slippers are native flora. Lucy’s parents had lady’s slippers growing in the bog. Embarrass, MN gets extremely cold during the winter. Their home was close to a peat bog near a river, so the cold air stayed concentrated. I could count on Bob letting us know several times during the winter that it was colder than -50°F before wind chill. Summers were short and muggy and yet orchids survived in those conditions. Orchids in the northeast corner of the state and prickly pear cactus in the southwestern corner always cause disbelief in people from outside the area. Beauty is not always frail. Lucy’s battle taught everyone that lesson.

The electrical work Lucy and I wanted done is completed. I could not have it done during her battle because of the dust. Her immune system was working hard enough the way it was without introducing particulates. Midwest Electric and Generator did a great job despite working in sub-zero temperatures for part of the work. I think she would be happy with the ceiling fan in the living room.

It has been fun catching up with some of my friends. Mary and I had breakfast a couple of days ago and I heard about her new business venture and what she wants done for her website. It was a fun couple of hours and I enjoyed her witty banter. It knocked some of the rust out of my brain. My cousin Julie and I worked on a craft project together (OK, she did the majority of the work). Suzy and I had lunch about a week ago, so I am getting out occasionally. Ken and I will be getting together after the weather warms up and I hope to meet up with Gerry sometime soon.

We may not get above zero from Wednesday night through Friday afternoon. Monday and Tuesday potentially can drop more sleet and ice on the area. Groundhog’s Day is about a week away and it marks the halfway point of winter. Getting a later start on snowfall has helped make the winter more bearable and seem a little shorter.

One of the nice things about blogging is not being constrained to a subject or a deadline. Lewis Carroll’s “The Walrus and the Carpenter” has a verse that could describe blogging despite being written in 1872:

“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes–and ships–and sealing-wax–
Of cabbages–and kings–
And why the sea is boiling hot–
And whether pigs have wings.”

OK, the oysters did not fare well after the walrus uttered his soliloquy, and I hope that reading this does not make you long for boiling water. I do thank you for reading sticking though the blog’s transition and I hope I’ve provided a modicum of entertainment along with my ramblings and philosophical pontificating.

Spend some time with someone special to you and give that person a hug. For those of you in a cold clime, cuddle if you have someone. It will keep your life from “slip slidin’ away”.

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Filed under friends, rebuilding, weather