The Changing Seasons, February 2023

What a strange month it has been! With temperatures zipping down to below zero then, in a matter of hours topping 60 degrees (15.5 C), it made each day a bit of an adventure. We had snow of 1 to 2 inches every night, yet it was spring by lunchtime, then flipping around to become cold with sleet at night.

Note that all the photos are set up in galleries. If you click on any photo, it will expand and you can scroll through the set.

My Christmas cactus decided it must be time for merriment and has been flowering brightly. In the end, you have to go with the flow. If it wants to flower, I welcome it any time of the year.

From budding to full blooming, the cactus won the “most colorful winter flower,” though the anthurium and the rapidly growing orchid was not far behind.

We had plentiful birds including an entire flock of young Goldfinch, a few of them very young. I believe they were born in nearby trees out back.

And, of course, I must not forget the Media War Stories podcast, produced in Connecticut and in what used to be our dining room. It never gets used for dining because it is packed with equipment. It’s got the Mac laptop, the mic with headphones, lights and huge electrical cords everywhere. Please watch your feet!

Also, this is where I keep my photo equipment. Bags full of cameras, lenses, tripods and all the other stuff that goes with taking pictures.

This is where my indoor garden grows. It’s the home of big and small chiming clocks, dolls, antique Chinese pottery and a fair bit of art. It’s not a huge room, either. Not going to invite large crowds for dinner anytime soon.

If you haven’t managed to take a look, Tom and Garry have recorded three podcasts about the golden olden days of media. They’re recording another tomorrow. If you are using something bigger than a telephone — an iPad or a laptop, for example — you can choose any episode by clicking on its link in the right sidebar on Serendipity. In case you care to look, here’s the most recent one.

Tom and Garry are having a lot of fun. I’m learning a lot of stuff too, even though I’m definitely the dogsbody of the group. I do setup. Tom and Garry do the rest. So why do I suddenly feel so very busy?

That is it for this smaller than a breadbox month. There are a lot more pictures most of which are waiting for me to do something with them. I think I’ve stretched your patience to its limit, so I’ll quit while I’m ahead. I should mention that if this month hasn’t demonstrated what climate change means, you are in denial.I should add that this is one case where denial won’t help you deal with the consequences.

We are having a snowstorm tomorrow. It’s gigantic, stretching from California to New England and including a parts of Canada. Yet, no matter how much snow falls tomorrow — they are predicting a fair amount but how much it will turn out to be is anybody’s guess — it will be up in the 60s F (16 C) within hours after the snow abates. Unless, of course, they are completely wrong — which they very well could be.

Crazy weather, crazy times in a mad, mad world.

Categories: #Birds, #ChangingSeasons, #ClimateChange, #Flowers, #gallery, #Media-War-Stories, #MonthlyPhotoChallenge, #Photography, Anecdote, podcast, Video

Tags: #Birds, #ChangingSeasons, #Flowers, #gallery, #Media-War-Stories, #MonthlyPhotoChallenge, #Photography, climate change, Marilyn Armstrong