-
Woodpeckers Coming Out of the Woodwork After the Snowstorms!
We have not seen any birds in our backyard since the arctic blast began this past week or so—until a couple of days ago. We saw a Red-Bellied Woodpecker, a Downy woodpecker, and a White-Breasted Nuthatch. Hardly a flock, but interesting anyway. We had a little trouble deciding whether we saw a White-Breasted Nuthatch or…
-
Balaclava Beats the Blizzard Blast
The arctic blast continues with temperatures well below zero and cautions about going outside—if you dare. I have a balaclava, which is a combination scarf, hat, and extraterrestrial two-way radio. I wore it on the first day of the snowstorm last week, when the snow was great for juggling snowballs. I somehow got it twisted…
-
Martin Luther King Day About Peace and Unity
I noticed that Iowa City and Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas have a couple of things in common regarding the celebration of the Martin Luther King holiday this week—one is inclement weather. The other thing is hope for peace and unity. I was a student at Huston-Tillotson (one of the HBCUs) back in the 1970s.…
-
CDC Guidelines for Preventing Hypothermia & Frostbite
It’s going to get colder in Iowa with wind chill factors raising the risk for cold weather-related illness. Read CDC guidelines about how to recognize and prevent hypothermia and frostbite.
-
Smoked Turkey Soup vs Blizzard!
January is National Soup Month and Sena made a smoked turkey soup in honor of the occasion. This is the counterbalance to the winter storm and blizzard warnings this month. This morning we shoveled—and shoveled—and shoveled. It was the Sisyphean labor all over again, only this time with Winter Storm Gerri. And then we went…
-
Iowa Winter Storms One Two Punch January 2024!
I just got the update on what I think is Winter Storm Gerri. The National Weather Service has now upgraded this catastrophe in our area to a Blizzard Warning. Iowa is getting a one, two punch from winter storms Finn and Gerri. We hardly got a break from Finn’s left hook before Gerri’s right cross…
-
Calm After Winter Storm Finn
Winter Storm Finn was a very blustery thing. Sena got a video of our backyard, though, which presents the calm after the storm. The heavy snow makes all the trees bow, as if in homage to nature, whatever its form. That said, we’re hoping Winter Storm Gerri tones it down a little.
-
Winter Storm Finn Defines A Sisyphean Ordeal
Okay, we got about 14 inches of snow from Winter Storm Finn, but that doesn’t begin to convey the human meaning of it. I’m going to call digging out from all that snow a Sisyphean labor. You don’t hear that term much, but it means a chore that never seems to end while you’re doing…
-
Winter Storm Finn and the One-Eyed Snowball Juggler!
Holy horizontal, heavy, wet, driving snow. At least you could make great snowballs for juggling! I got up around 4 in the morning to shovel. Sena came out a little later and we took shifts a couple of times. I still had to run back out again in the mid-afternoon to clear away what’s probably…
-
Snow Removal in Iowa City
Iowa City has web pages for the rules on snow removal by the city plows and by residents. You can see the pdf of the map for residential street priorities for snow removal. Shoveling snow or using a heavy snow blower can be hazardous to your health. There is guidance from the National Safety Council…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 