Saturday, January 14, 2006, 9:30 am: We’ve lost about six inches of snow cover and is currently raining! Our snow stake was at about 30 inches before this heat wave hit us; now it is down to about 24 inches and continuing to melt at 43 degrees Fahrenheit. Before this current melt I used my snow boots to keep the snow out, now I use them to keep the water and slush out.

Now it’s particularly hazardous to bring firewood in the house. Every path we’ve cut into the snow is like a bobsled run – slick and slippery. Lots of sanding is needed to keep me upright and out of snow banks.

My wife commented that our sun today is like a German sun, which according to her, is a pale light spot in the sky surrounded by gray clouds. The last time we were in Germany, a few years ago, we saw plenty of the German sun, or lack of it.

I’ve been trying to get a good photo of our wild birds at our feeder this morning. The Black-capped Chickadees are the most accommodating and usually are just a few feet from me. The Pine Siskins and Downy Woodpeckers keep a safer distance and scold me severely if I don’t leave quickly.

Current values from our Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 43 degrees Fahrenheit (F)

Barometer: 29.46 and falling slowly

Humidity: 100%

Winds: 2 mph SSW [variable]

Visibility: less than 1 mile 100% overcast

Precipitation since midnight: .04 in.

Low temp. since midnight: 29.8 degree F. at 12:11 am

High wind since midnight: 12 mph at 6:38 am

Black-capped Chickadee
[Parus atricapillus]