For my son and grandsons

This blog is for future generations to look at and try to understand a way of life that has disappeared in one generation. A life of simplicty and a life of adventure that only
can come from living with nature.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Goodbye to Ole man winter


What a beautiful day here on the farm, the porch reads fifty-two degrees and I am in my favorite T-shirt enjoying the warm sunshine. I am being serenaded by a some crows calling in the distance as well as a couple of squirrels squaking about thirty yards from my seat here on the porch. I am not sure if the are squeaking at each other, or me but I hope they are squaking at Old man winter, telling him to be on his way. As I am sure they are as tired of him as I am.
My cabin faces due south toward the homeland of Kentucky, and most of the snow and ice are melted in front of the cabin and on the sides. But as I look onto the woods on the northeast side there is still a light covering of snow, it looks like a checkerboard.
I do believe that the worst of winter is behind us now, that the back of the old man is broke. As I seen something today that I have never noticed before, Kenny Ray and I was sitting in the front room of the cabin talking and I noticed some birds in the side yard. It looked funny to me because on a second look it was Robins. I am always looking for the return of the Robins as usually spring is not far behind them. This always makes me happy when I see the first of the year. And I was really happy today and not just because I seen one but I counted twenty five Robins in the yard scratching in the leaf litter for something to eat, twenty five Robins now that has to be a sign.
I had a little fun today out of Kenny Ray as he and I went for a walk this afternoon out to the pond. He wanted to throw rocks out on the frozen pond. We discovered a couple of years ago that when you throw rocks out on the frozen water it make a noise. The noise changes pitch as the rock slides across. And depending on the size of rock also change’s
The tone. It is a lot of fun when you throw multiple rocks. But today no tone’s as there was too much snow over the ice. So I told Kenny Ray lets go get that hornet’s nest out by the fence that we seen back in deer season. We walked out there and he held the limb down while I snapped it off. It was still in good shape considering the bad weather. As we started back to the cabin Kenny Ray asked dad is sure that all the hornets were gone? Yes son they are gone. Dad can I touch it? Sure son go ahead and has is hand touched it I made a buzzing sound with my mouth and when I did Kenny Ray jumped about a foot backwards as it scared him to death. I started laughing pretty hard and he said thanks dad very funny as he picked up a snowball and threw it at me. I laughed all the way back to the cabin and I kept making a buzzing sound. The hornets nest will not only make a good conversation piece but will hold a memory of a fine afternoon spent with my son.
We then drove down and spent a couple of hours with Uncle Ken and he shared some more stories with us. Which takes me to where I am now on the front porch in the sunshine saying goodbye with squirrels to old man winter as he has worn out his welcome.

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