Laden's Rest

The coldest weather of the year visited us on the 16th of January. I caught a local weather report that stated that it missed the expected coldest day by one day. This was news to me and I wasn't sure what he meant, so I began investigating.

It would make sense that the shortest day of the year should also be the coldest day of the year since lack of sun would seem to mean lack of warmth. However, it takes two weeks to a month for different parts of our earth to catch up with the ...

The Native Americans called this month the Wolf Moon because the cold and deep snows of midwinter caused the wolf packs to howl hungrily outside the Indian Villages. Interestingly enough, the Old English name for the month was the Month of the Wolves, "Wulf-monath," because it was the time of the year wolves routinely attacked the villages.

The Romans called the month "Month of Janus." ...

January Diet Poem
Author: Unknown

It was the month after Christmas and all through the house
nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste,
at the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).
I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,

...

I have been so struck this winter by the beauty of the white bark of the Sycamores' standing out so brightly among the darker trees that stand in their shadows. Along the Shenandoah River, they can be seen in great number. Graceful arms stretching out to greet the sun, cheerful even in the dullest of days.




Closer inspection shows them to be ladies who love their ...

Peck....Peck....Peck....Peck.... and so it continues throughout the day. The bright male cardinal attacks his image that he sees in my bay window. He exhausts himself everyday, determined to win the battle of protecting his domain from intruders.

Research shows that this behavior is common among the male and female cardinals. Both are known to fight aggressively with their same sex colleages ...