Storm

This isn't the greatest picture, through the window and no light. Most of the birds take off when they see me standing by the window! In one day the little goldfinches ate a tube and a half of niger seed. They had a little help from some sparrow friends, but the sparrows and red chested house finches prefer the feeder with mixed seeds. They aren't stupid. These little birds were filling up during the first of three storms that are to hit us this week. God tells them the weather before the weather man even knows!

Today we are having 25-40 mph sustained winds, continually, and have throughout the night. The gusts are up to 75mph and having lived through many storms like that, I do not think that is exagerrated! These winds, which are labeled as the strongest seen in over a decade, are supposed to be around until about 4PM this afternoon. The next storm is going to dump rain and possible thunder and lightning but not wind. And in the Sierra there is supposed to be blizzard conditions. Anyone out driving today is crazy!

So far our roof is in tact, which is a minor miracle on a 35 yo mobile home wiht many coats of arctic white covering it. I have enjoyed the storm, knowing we are all safe inside and having grown up nearer the water. There is something a bit comforting and soothing to it for me. It's not so relaxing for Hubby, who grew up in the desert in Arizona and who has the responsibility to fix and retrieve things that blow away! Poor guy got very little sleep.

And guess what? There are still little birdies at the feeders, which are swaying back and forth 6-12" at a time. They hold on for dear life and keep eating! Persistent little things.

Feeding the birds is new to us and we have been doing it almost a year. It brings us all a lot of happiness to look out the window and see the little birds there.