I am always surprised at how well the ducks will tolerate the cold on their feet.
Recently, their favourite little pond partially froze; it had a thin layer of ice in places, but the ducks settled on the icy parts and even napped.
Do they have duckie antifreeze in their feet??
Actually, they sort of do. Through a process called counter-current heat exchange, their bodies literally lower the temperature of the blood headed for their feet and warm it up again as it heads back to their hearts.
It’s so effective that in winter, mallards only lose five per cent of their total body heat through their feet. That’s a pretty ingenious system.
It could be a great system for humans too but I think I prefer socks and footwear instead. 🙂
I was recently surprised to see to see a robin very nonchalantly hopping and flying about.
Robins overwinter here but except for very occasional December or January views of them when they stick to the dense thickets and shrubs close to the ground and near their shared winter accommodations, a sight of them is somewhat rare. This one was very active and looking rather springy, too.
I saw a pair of red-shafted northern flickers, too. They overwinter as well but also seemed to be very active; one of them was drumming and showing some mating behaviours. So, seeing these birds convinced me that we might soon be seeing spring.
But then I surprised a small flock of coots that were huddled next to the breakwater boulders along the lakeshore. They prefer the smaller ponds up in the mountains, but if those are frozen over, they are forced to move to the much bigger, open lakes. So, like the groundhogs, they might be signalling another six weeks of winter!
Hummm. A good sign and a poor sign.
Oh well, whatever we get, I’m not going to complain since our winter has been very mild.
Beautiful pictures from Joke at Fotografie a Way of Life. I hope you click the link above and explore his lovely and very appealing photographic posts.
Since reaching my sixties, I’ve noticed that decidedly nonchalant, seemingly socially accepted forms of ageism are leaking out in all directions from some of the younger amongst us and particularly against me or anyone else who shares my age-region. To say the least, it’s incredibly annoying.
For instance, why is it that I’ve suddenly become “dear” – and intoned in such a way as to communicate that the speaker sees me as mentally deficient – to anyone under 50? I don’t know you, I’m not your granny or auntie or even a neighbour. But in any case it’s not just about knowing me; it’s about implying that I’m a sort of child-senior who deserves condescending endearments from total strangers.
Another thing is the amazement I sometimes hear about my ability to use technology. Comments such as “how great that you know how to do that,” it’s nice that you’re not afraid of technology” or this zinger: “you’re doing so well for your age.” Ugh. Here’s the reality: I’ve been using computers for 40 years and have had a smartphone since you were in kindergarten. I’m no stranger to computers, the internet, apps, digital wallets and streaming. My generation invented this stuff!
Just because my hair is grey doesn’t mean that a) I’m hard of hearing or b) half-blind. Neither has intimacy gone the way of the dodo bird.
I am not “cute.” Babies, puppies and kittens are cute. I left cute behind many moons ago.
And another thing, we Gen-Xers and Boomers didn’t have it easier when we were 20-and-30-somethings: 20% interest rates on loans, the cold war, unemployment, stagnant wages, gas shortages, a couple of shorter recessions in the 70s followed by a real humdinger in the 80s. Buy a house? The closest I could have gotten to it would have been a dollhouse.
No, I don’t have dementia. Yes, my systems are ageing. Nothing works as well as it used to but I’m not a doddering old codger … er, codgerette. I’m a lot like the 18-year-old, manual Ford that’s parked in my garage. It has been and continues to be a great car and as time goes along, it needs more maintenance and even some fixing. But care will extend its useful life, just as it will for many of us.
I’ve dealt with discrimination from time to time, especially when I was younger. As I was coming of age, behaviours were easing up a little but it still wasn’t easy being female. Or being French, female, and pursuing a “non-traditional” career. And now this old age thing? It only feels like yesterday that the ageism came from the other end of the spectrum. Yikes.
It doesn’t take much for me to start thinking about spring; a couple of days of windy and rainy overcast will do it! So instead of pining, I decided it would be a good idea to post a bit of spring.
March
Buttercups …
… tulips …
… daffodils.
April
Okanagan sunflowers …
… narcissus …
… plum …
… dogwood …
… magnolias …
… rhododendrons.
And that’s just March and April! Next week I’ll post some flower power pictures from May and June. Just looking through my spring photos puts a smile on my face; if you’re experiencing the seasonal blues I hope these help a bit. 🌸
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