Red Fox

This morning I saw a red fox go under a neighbor's deck. I observed this several times two winters back also, but wasn't around enough last year to see him. (or her?) I grabbed my small camera and got one shot before it slipped from view. These pictures are the full shot and an enhanced, cropped portion of the same photo.

I've read that foxes have their kits around the middle of March. This Fox does not look pregnant and so is perhaps a male.

Cross Reference: Remedy For Sadness

“The remedy for sadness is prayer. But as sadness broods in selfishness and is inclined to rest rather in our own unhappy thoughts than on God, the soul turns to prayer with reluctance. Hence the saddened one must first turn to God by vocal prayer, persevering in which, that reluctance will be overcome; and as the sadness subsides, the spirit will enter anew into the heart of prayer. The second remedy against sadness is generosity. For the malady consists in morbid concentration upon oneself and a brooding within one’s self that repels sympathy and kindness as being adverse to this melancholy mood, a mood that can only be cherished in isolation of the spirit. But let the will make a little effort to be kind and considerate toward another and it is amazing how soon that malignant charm is broken that held the soul spellbound to her saddened thoughts and imaginary grievances. A smile, a kind look, a few gentle words, a considerate action, though begun with effort, will suffice to open the soul and set the spirit free from it’s delusion.”
[WILLIAM BERNARD ULLATHORNE]

Frosted Web

Frosted web - 3 by
Minnesota Daybreak

After having been told this would be a mild winter by optimistic weather-folk, we are instead having a most wintry winter. This morning I snapped this photo of a frosted web. The temperature -9°F. Just a few days earlier these windows were covered in ice from freezing rain blowing against them. There are photos of that, too, in my Flickr photostream. Winter has it's own unique beauty. I don't brave the weather as often as in the past, but hope to capture more winter scenes with my cameras during the next couple of months.

A Week With Family

Last week I was in Duluth taking part in the busy lives of B, W, E, and M. We wore raincoats and slopped though the mud when we went out - in mostly cold rain or drizzle - but it didn’t stop us.

Miss M’s class (see photo) shot off homemade rockets at school and B & I were there to watch hers (made with pink and purple duct tape) launch.

I shopped for a variety of items I can’t get at home and also with B & the kids for everything from groceries and clothing to plumbing supplies.

We sampled a fun variety of foods throughout the week. In the “eating out” category, W. and I tried a spicy pumpkin soup with our sandwiches at the Red Mug coffee shop just over the bridge in Superior, Wisconsin. B. & I tried and liked the China Star restaurant in Hermantown – talk about fast food! (And it was a dine-in place.) We brought home V.I.P. wholewheat crust pizzas (very good). I also had a subpar lunch at the West Duluth Grandma’s, but the company (Bonnie D.) more than made up for the quality of the food. At home our more exotic meals included ruffed grouse with wild rice and a breakfast of venison sausage with waffles and eggs prepared by W & E. The venison sausage, which came from W’s younger brother, was lean and very tasty. Dan F. gave us the fresh grouse and wild rice. I prepared it by stuffing the breasts with apples, then wrapping them with bacon.

No rock hunting, photo shoots, or knitting this trip, but we did get in a game of Bananagrams before W had to leave for the cities Wednesday evening. Both W and B had classes in the cities, which was the main reason I was there. The time flew by. It was a nice change of pace to temporarily be part of a family and their very full schedule.

A Tough Weekend For Birds

Rescued
Originally uploaded by Minnesota Daybreak

It was an unfortunate weekend for birds around here. On Friday morning as I sat in the sun room I noticed a dead bird laying on the walk. When I finally went out with a ziplock bag to pick up that bird (a fledgling blue jay), I continued to hear a bird cry that I'd been hearing all morning and realized that it was quite near. I looked around and there in the landscape rocks behind me was a baby blue jay (fluffy, wobbly, and very weak) less than half the size of the fledgling that I had just picked up. I quickly got an eye-dropper and water to try to re-hydrated the little one. Soon, with the help of C.C., (and having done some research on the internet) I made him a nest out of a cottage cheese container and started feeding him canned cat food. We attached the "nest" to a nearby tree where we'd seen several blue jays, but after looking him over they ignored the poor little guy. All this started before noon. I made many calls trying to find help for him, but nobody was interested in a baby blue jay. Fortunately, a lake neighbor (from the Florida Keys) with good experience in rescuing birds was interested and volunteered to try to keep him going and growing. She was an answer to prayer. Last report he was doing great. That same afternoon we noticed a loon not too far out from the docks and acting strangely. I took several photos of it and the following day, when we noticed him out there again, my son took more photos capturing some of it's odd behavior. He seemed to have an injured leg or perhaps have fishing line or something tangled around his back end. He looked more distressed the second day and didn't seem to be able to dive. I made a series of phone calls and finally got a wildlife officer. He came out, but by the time he arrived over an hour had passed and after much searching we couldn't find the loon that evening.


Addendum:
Sadly, I have just learned that the baby blue jay died sometime last night.