As we stare into winter

[Ray P]

Up here in north east Ohio as in many parts of our country fall is showing its colors.

The days are getting shorted, It gets light later and dark sooner and you can feel the chill in the air.

Soon we will be inside more and out side less.

I already have cabin fever and looking foward to the spring thaw and it has not snowed yet.

My birds seam to be very happy because I think they know that, with the cold weather we will be inside more and will spend more time with them. They will be out more because we don`t go in and of the house as much, and I beleve they know this. I know they also look foward to spring when the windows and doors are opened and the fresh air comes into the house. They seam to enjoy all the seasons more that we humans do.

Do your fids look foward to and enjoy the different seasons ???

[Jayd]

Thanks Ray, yes winter soon, the days are cooler here, 107 today, you really notice it at night, mid 80's. Yes, our fids look forward to the 4 seasons, summer, summer, summer and summer and the foliage are changing, the rocks and dirt to a hazy shade of brown...............Thanks Jay

[Greywings]

Seasons, what are seasons? Living on the Gulf Coast we have Summer and sometimes Winter. There are a few weeks each year when we borrow some other cities weather for a week or two and have a taste of Spring or Fall before the other city gets wise & takes their Weather back. Our flock does not seem to care. We do bring the budgies & Tiels inside when the temperatures drop as two of the Tiels are in their 20's. The big birds Too's & Greys live inside anyway to avoid decibel damage on neighbors. Love your Fall dirt colors Jay! We have black Gumbo soil here expands when wet , shrinks and cracks when dry.

[Ray P]

WOW, sounds kind of dull.

In the summer we may have 4 or 5 days in the 90`s , this year there were more.

In the winter here the avg. snow fall is a 120 in. and temps, have gone to -25 deg. Last winter was very mild only 50 or 60 in, of snow all winter and temp only went down to about -3 deg. or so.

[Greywings]

Ray I lived in Syracuse in elementary school & had enough snow & ice to last the rest of my life. Love the warm hate being cold, cold hurts although it is a greyt excuse to have Hot Cocoa with or with out a dose of warmer.

[Ray P]

I can take warm, but not hot.

My wife and I are out side people.

I have been in the south when its hot and all they do is go from their AC house to their AC car to the AC Mall back to their AC car and back to their AC house. That I could not take.

When its hot you can only take off so much but when its cold you add another layer.

I am always glad to see winter end, but it makes summer so much nicer.

Also Santa Claus dose not look good in shorts with his hairy legs white socks and work boots.

[Greywings]

I work outside all year round at the Sanctuary every weekend for several hours. Yes the heat is draining but as long as you stay hydrated it isn't painful like the cold is. Born in England remember living with only coal fireplace for heat. When we were first married we had no heat in a rental house outside Dallas, nothing like taking a bath in steaming water with no heat to dry off in. that house had wall paper the you could watch breather in and out, creepy. Snow is beautiful to look at, miserable to shovel and so cold when it falls into your boots.

[Ray P]

AHHH To each his own.

[Wingy]

Ray I agree with you on Christmas in shorts being just weird. Its kind of fun when it happens here just because it is such a fluke. I've had enough large snow storms to last me a life time. I like the snow and melt right away kind. I'm getting to old to shovel 100 feet of drive way nestled between 2 buildings (no place to pile it so you have to carry it to the center of the front yard or behind the garage).

[judygram]

I'm with you Ray on the heat and we had our share of hot and humid this summer so am ready for fall temperatures and maybe the appearance of snow this winter as we were denied it last winter, it was so warm we hardly had a winter at all, I love the snow, it looks so pristine and the quiet is unbelievable.

[katana600]

Oh Ray, those photos are a balm to my soul. I was born in Ohio and grew up in the snow country of northwestern Pennsylvania. Your pictures look just like home. As we moved and moved for David's job, every move took us to a hotter climate. When we were far from home overseas, it would get up to 120 F, and we watched the "Grumpy Old Men" and "Grumpier Old Men" DVDs over and over again to hear our own language and see familiar landscape and seasons. We've made a big circle around the US and are close enough to get to snow in a day's drive. When I look at your pictures, I can smell the crisp cold air. My husband says the only reason I think I loved snow is that I didn't have to shovel it. Point taken, and I see no reason he would think I would be the one volunteering to do it now.

[Wingy]

I must admit the one really cool thing about heavy lake effect snow storms is thunder snow. It only happens during a warm wet lake effect event when the snow is really coming down. The lightening will make the sky glow in colors from pinks to yellows to oranges or blueish white and everything lights up as the light bounces off the snow flakes. The thunder is crackly or rumbles as the sound bounces off the snow clouds amplifying it.