I just noticed that the swifts (a type of bird) have returned, and they are at least a month early. It's been significantly warmer this winter and we've had no snow, which is an usual pattern here. In past years, we've had at least two lengthy episodes of snow, usually one in December and another in February, with 12 to 18 inches of accumulation. We've had zero snow this year. Also, the temperatures are normally much lower, with overnight lows in the 20s and 30s, and a few dips into the 10s. This year, the overnight lows have only reached 28 degrees a couple of times, and have mostly been in the 30s and 40s. We're up to the 50s during the daytime now. So, obviously, the birds decided to migrate here earlier than usual due to warmer temperatures in the region. The reason I noticed they were present is because they often fly swiftly down the exterior of the house right outside the kitchen window, which during the daytime causes a noticable shift in the sunlight. They...
This has been a difficult year. First, our sweet doggy Mojo passed away, and now we have to say goodbye to Tipper. She had lymphoma in her tummy. Poor little girl. We will miss her so much. Tipper's mom, Lily, was a stray cat that we took in years ago when we lived in our other house. She was found by one of my co-workers, Sandy, who asked if anyone was willing to take in a stray. After we adopted Lily, we realized she was pregnant. She had a large litter of kittens, and we kept two and gave away the rest. Tipper was one of the kittens we kept; Gray Guy is the other. We named her Tipper because she has a white tip at the end of her black tail. Before we named her Tipper, I used to call her cow kitty. Her markings reminded me of a black and white spotted cow, and I can recall times when, after feeding, she had a really chubby belly and milk on her chin. She reminded me of a happy little cow. Tipper had a long and happy life, sleeping on the bed (usually under the covers), playing wi...