It's kind of funny that everyone's bracing for an inch of snow but if there is black ice, no one can drive in it... Even if you were used to maneuvering in snow, which Houstonians are not, ice sneaks up on any and everyone.
For the present, I have been reveling in the cold. If you dress warmly --a thin long sleeved tee with a cashmere sweater over, a down jacket, one of those hats with ear flaps, good socks and gloves, it's fine. I have been driving right from work to Hermann Park to take walks instead of being on a treadmill at the gym.
I've done this the last four days in a row, multi-tasking exercise with feeding squirrels and ducks while it's light, and at night I've swung by all the places I feed squirrels in the residential areas that have dog parks and wide green esplanades where squirrels live. I drive through those areas regularly and toss small, unshelled nuts, that are bio degradable and that the birds may end up enjoying as much as anyone.
Squirrel baby season has just begun and there are a lot of mothers about to deliver and maybe a few who have delivered early, so I want to be sure they don't have to go far looking for food when it's this cold. This is a picture of a clearly pregnant Fox Squirrel. Houston's squirrels grow a bit of a coat, but it was 70 on Monday and it will be back into the mid 50's by Saturday -- they are not used to 17 and 28 degrees.
As a testament to that, I saw none out at all on Tuesday, fed only one by hand on Wednesday, and there were about 5 across the entire park and golf course last night. Normally there are tons, coming from every direction. I figure they must be curled up in their nests with their tails wrapped around them, trying to keep toasty warm.
Anticipating the big storm, both yesterday and tonight I brought cracked corn and 4 loaves of wheat bread to feed the ducks and geese too, in addition to my bags and bags of nuts for the squirrels , because there is no one in the park when it's this cold (or when it's rainy). They can fend for themselves but have come to rely on people who go and feed them breadcrumbs. When I got there the ducks came swimming at top speed to the shore, hopped out enmass, then ran (waddling) up... all shapes and sizes. Amid them, reassuringly, were lots of regulars: the wood duck couple, many muscovys (Elivs is still there), the lone black duck, a few Indian Runner ducks, lots of mallards and various pairs of white pekin buddies (the Afflack ducks), masses of black bellied whistlers, and the old tan and white crew with the poofs on their heads. There was a huge group of black water fowl of some kind resting on the island in the lake but they were uninterested. Either truly wild or fish eaters.
That one egret I've written about stalked around in the shallows but was just observing the action. He's a fish man all the way. I also saw one or two Blue Herons. Also not interested.
The 4 Chinese geese were trying to get everyone else to back off, which they usually succeed at because they are the biggest, but tonight the crowd wasn't having any. When I'd feed Mr. and Mrs. Goose, the bigger of the other goose pair was pulling on my pant let with his beak. He knows I feed Mr. and Mrs. more because they are more tempermental. Mr. Goose insists his Mrs. gets fed while he shoos others away and he's so sensitive that he often will leave... and she always follows. Too funny. I still toss to the other two geese when Mr. Goose is not looking so they really aren't ignored but it's an awful lot like being a drummer. Each of my limbs seems to be engaged independently to juggle these feeding frenzies.
One bright-eyed little squirrel came down, drawn by the commotion (which usually means someone has food) and tried to take a nut from me when he was the smallest among all those fluffy bird breasts and webbed feet. He darted up and out around those beaks that were trying to take the nut I had in my hand. I finally walked to the nearest tree and got him to climb up it so I could give him the nut while he was hanging onto the trunk, far out of others reach. Success. Seriously, they are that tame!
I left a handful of nuts at the base of his tree while I distracted the birds by throwing bread in the opposite direction. When I left I saw he was sitting on that nut pile, munching comically. There is no sight that does my heart more good than that. I don't know why if I've fed an animal I get the best feeling... like I've done my work, or maybe earned my keep, on earth for another day. I feel that way when I take everything to recycling too. For all the work of pulling off labels, rinsing containers, tripping over sorting bins in the small apartment -- not to mention pulling items out of the waste basket that everyone else still tosses way -- and hauling sticky bags and heavy bundles of magazines and paper, I still feel it's the least I can do to clean up after the enormous amount of trash we generate each week. Anyway....
Can't feed everyone, but I went far further than I usually do, scanning the trees for nests, which are easy to spot now that the branches are bare, and tossing handfuls of nuts at the base of each trunk. I drove to the other side, near the train station and stopped in the Rose Garden's parking lot where I saw a squirrel nosing around the ground. I got out of my car slowly, and approached, and she perked up and ran to me once she saw I was offering a peanut. She ate with such vigor that I felt all warm and wonderful. She was hungry... and I was so glad I could help.It'd been 90 minutes now. It was getting pretty dark by the time I covered the whole park. My fingers were seriously frozen, even with gloves, and I was clapping and moving my digits rapidly as I walked to finish. I just wanted everyone to have a full belly or something waiting at the bottom of the trees before the storm hits.
As I left, I tossed the last of peanuts in shells at each of the massive Oaks lining the golf course, scraping my tires on the lip of the road as I tried to get as close as possible. I keep the passenger seat open and have become quite good a flinging and driving, but I make sure no one is behind me if I do. I do it with the peanuts in shells, because they are are easier for the squirrels to spot, (even though scent plays a very big role in foraging).
I came home, took a very hot shower. I wondered if tonight the ducks would take more cover rather than just tucking their heads under their wing as they sit on the shore's edge. I made a mental note to research that if I can find anything.
As I pulled my fluffy quilt up around my chin, I thought of each little squirrel curled up in their nests with their tails for cover, riding out the night's storm, and I drifted off peacefully.
Thank you to C.A. Mullhaupt for the use of the pregnant Fox squirrel picture from Flickr!
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