-5.3º/-20.7º this morning. I wish I could call this post 'careful what you wish for' but I can't. This bit of arctic air is just a reminder of what winter is supposed to be and the first snow we shoveled yesterday was hardly better than nothing.
At least for the next few days the mud will be frozen.
I'm avoiding social interaction these days. I can no longer be civil when yet one more person with a moronic grin dares to ask me about the "wonderful weather". I ask people if they're going to be happy when all the mature trees (and the maple syrup) are gone due to the abbreviated period of dormancy but their eyes just glaze over and they change the subject.
Another sign of disruption is the scarcity of birds at the feeders. The numbers pick up when there's a bit of snow but I've never seen anything like this in the twenty-three winters we've been here. I hope it's just a matter of less need for calories and other sources being accessible, not the toxic Scotts birdseed or the female red-tailed hawk that's taken up residence. Among those absent is the crow family which was such a constant presence until late last summer; they haven't returned to keep the hawks from getting too comfortable.
Besides the moss, the other unwelcome sign of change around here is the mildew. Since the furnace isn't running nearly as much the house simply doesn't dry out the way it used to and the resultant humidity level is nurturing the mildew making it a year-round problem. I also see more condensate on the window during the brief cold snaps.
