Synch
It's early January. Normally at this time of year, the bay in front of our house is frozen solid, and the days are sunny and cold, with temperatures between -15C and -10C. Understand, I'm no meteorologist; I haven't actually researched what's "normal." I know only what has been "normal" weather for the past seven years or so, since I started living here year-round.
And I know that today's high, which was something like 6C (45F, give or take) was definitely abnormally warm.
Did I enjoy it? You bet. We were out and about, running errands. One of those errands was buying water from the city water pump in town. (I'm a bit of a princess about the way my drinking water tastes, and our well is temperamental in its own unique way. The well and I are both recovering from the holidays. I'm drinking more water; that's as close to a resolution I'll see in 2013. Plus, we're generally augmenting well water with town water, 20-liter jug by 20-liter jug, till it's full and has a chance to build a reserve.) I have to say, manhandling the pump and the water jugs was much more pleasant than it is when the weather is 20 Celsius degrees cooler!
But it's unsettling. It's a little impending-doom-ish. It's just wrong to see so much grass -- more grass than snow cover.
There's a lynx in the area nowadays. It came walking past this afternoon. I love the wildlife around here, even when the squirrels freak me out by getting into the basement and the bears freak me out by showing up when there are children around. In spite of "inconveniences" like not being able to feed birds (bears love bird feeders) or plant gardens (deer love all growing things), I love the daily reminders that we share the world. We humans aren't the only creatures that matter.
But I did wonder, this afternoon, if in another five years we'll see other creatures that I'm not used to seeing here. Armadillos, for example. Javelinas.
But I can't worry too much. The year is still new; it's easy to be optimistic. I have a work contract that will keep me steadily busy for the next few months. Thanks to my creative plan, I'm clear on the creative work on my plate. So feeling a little out of synch with the natural world is okay, for now.
Still, I'd like to see some snow. So would the well. It would keep us both from being so temperamental in the future. Plus, it's just nice to be in synch with the natural world.
And I know that today's high, which was something like 6C (45F, give or take) was definitely abnormally warm.
Did I enjoy it? You bet. We were out and about, running errands. One of those errands was buying water from the city water pump in town. (I'm a bit of a princess about the way my drinking water tastes, and our well is temperamental in its own unique way. The well and I are both recovering from the holidays. I'm drinking more water; that's as close to a resolution I'll see in 2013. Plus, we're generally augmenting well water with town water, 20-liter jug by 20-liter jug, till it's full and has a chance to build a reserve.) I have to say, manhandling the pump and the water jugs was much more pleasant than it is when the weather is 20 Celsius degrees cooler!
But it's unsettling. It's a little impending-doom-ish. It's just wrong to see so much grass -- more grass than snow cover.
There's a lynx in the area nowadays. It came walking past this afternoon. I love the wildlife around here, even when the squirrels freak me out by getting into the basement and the bears freak me out by showing up when there are children around. In spite of "inconveniences" like not being able to feed birds (bears love bird feeders) or plant gardens (deer love all growing things), I love the daily reminders that we share the world. We humans aren't the only creatures that matter.
But I did wonder, this afternoon, if in another five years we'll see other creatures that I'm not used to seeing here. Armadillos, for example. Javelinas.
But I can't worry too much. The year is still new; it's easy to be optimistic. I have a work contract that will keep me steadily busy for the next few months. Thanks to my creative plan, I'm clear on the creative work on my plate. So feeling a little out of synch with the natural world is okay, for now.
Still, I'd like to see some snow. So would the well. It would keep us both from being so temperamental in the future. Plus, it's just nice to be in synch with the natural world.