Okay... It's cold here. I've refrained from complaining, because Charity and Anno had it much worse. I've also refrained because we've had such a wonderfully mild winter. Until now.
But yesterday? With the wind chill it was -21 degrees. Of course, that could be because the freakin' wind was blowing at 40 mph. My poor dog (who is not little) got blown off her feet when she went out to do her duty.
The birdies were either very brave, very stupid or very hungry. Maybe a combination thereof. I saw one nuthatch clinging desperately to the suet basket when a really bad gust hit. His feathers all went backward and still he clung, until... whoosh! He was blown of and tumbled in the wind. I imagine he eventually managed to fly, but poor baby.
Of course, the big feeder in the back ran out of bird food midday -- I had hoped it would hold on one more day. But, no...
And I figured if the birds were desperate enough to fly in that weather, they deserved to have food there when they arrived, so I bundled up and trudged a couple hundred feet in freezing cold to refill the thing. The entire time I poured seed in there, I heard birds all around me (chickadees in particular are very bold).
I'm glad I did it, but MAN did my face get cold. Still, ten minutes later when there were dozens of birds facing the cold and the wind in order to eat, I figure I had it way better than they did. Five minutes in the cold was worth it to make sure their bellies were filled.
Can you imagine being a wild animal out in weather like this? We are so lucky.
What makes you feel fortunate?
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In an addendum to yesterday's post:
Dear Charity --
Let me clarify my statement that I don't like Price.
I used to like Prince. I own two of his records -- though they are on vinyl if that tells you anything. I saw "Purple Rain" in the theater. I happily danced to "Let's Go Crazy" and "1999".
BUT.
When he went through all his nameless-symbol-formerly-known-as crap, he annoyed me past caring. And I don't like him, or his music, anymore.
Who's lutefisk?
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Book Blast: Where Is Love? by Annie Caboose
6 hours ago
6 comments:
My dear girl, lutefisk is not a who, but a what, and another fine Minnesotan tradition it is, too.
Love Prince, love the lutefisk. Even when you don't.
We're facing a similar situation with the poor birdies. If they're desperate enough to emerge from their protected enclaves in the forests and brave the blasting winds from the surrounding prairies, we figure they deserve a treat. I dress like the Michelin man -- I added a picture to yesterday's post so you can see -- but even then I'm glad to return to the house.
Down coats, silk underwear, and electrical power make me feel fortunate.
I can't stand this cold. I'd rather have a blizzard than this cold blast and wind. I was so mad last night. We were leaving wrestling practice and there was a mouse in the foyer in the school. My DH and DS were looking at it then some older kids (and their mom) came along and chased the poor thing outside and kept chasing it along the side of the building. Looked like they were trying to stomp on it and the mother was doing nothing to stop them. Poor little mouse.
Lutefisk? Mmmmm. I'm a Minnesotan too, but I don't think I ever had lutefisk before.
In case you didn't get to the end of that wikipedia article about lutefisk that C. so kindly provided....
A quote from Garrison Keillor's book, Lake Wobegon Days:
Every Advent we entered the purgatory of lutefisk, a repulsive gelatinous fishlike dish that tasted of soap and gave off an odor that would gag a goat. We did this in honor of Norwegian ancestors, much as if survivors of a famine might celebrate their deliverance by feasting on elm bark. I always felt the cold creeps as Advent approached, knowing that this dread delicacy would be put before me and I’d be told, "Just have a little." Eating a little was like vomiting a little, just as bad as a lot.
From an interview with Jeffrey Steingarten, author of The Man Who Ate Everything (translated quote from a 1999 article in Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet):
Lutefisk is not food, it is a weapon of mass destruction. It is currently the only exception for the man who ate everything. Otherwise, I am fairly liberal, I gladly eat worms and insects, but I draw the line on lutefisk.
Lutefisk is the Norwegians' attempt at conquering the world. When they discovered that Viking raids didn't give world supremacy, they invented a meal so terrifying, so cruel, that they could scare people to become one's subordinates. And if I'm not terribly wrong, you will be able to do it as well.
I think I might be content to miss this particular culinary and cultural experience
Does that make you "The Author Formerly a Fan of the Artist Formerly Known as Prince?"
Love the pre-name change music, even though he reminds me of a dancing rat. Some of the women at Pilates yesterday were discussing him and said they thought he was sexy, and it was a struggle not to laugh. Him? Robert Redford is (still) sexy. Brad Pitt is sexy. McSteamy is sexy. Prince is simply scrawny.
I saw a show on the Food Network about lutefisk. I would not touch that with a ten foot pole. *shudder*
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