It’s February – the month my growing impatience transforms into the longest month of the year. February is usually a fickle month when it comes to the weather and 2016 doesn’t look like it will be any different. It was warm and rainy at the start of week and cold and snowy at the end. The warm weather has coaxed the snowdrops and crocuses from the ground – early, but a welcome sight anyway. I’m sure they’ll be buried under snow several times before they’re through. Tuesday was Groundhog’s Day and the official word from Punxsutawney is that we’ll have an early spring. I don’t have any faith in the groundhog’s prognosticating abilities, but I hope he’s right this time.
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| Snowdrops. |
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| Crocuses. |
Today is Rachel’s birthday. It doesn’t seem possible, but she’s 29 today. She and I belong to the exclusive group my Aunt Esther Howe used to call the February Birthday Club. Aunt Esther’s birthday is on the 24th. She would have been 113 this year. Her father, my great-grandfather Theodorus Howe’s birthday is on the 14th. He would have been 160. My Aunt Joyce’s birthday is on the 23rd. She would have been 94. My cousin Micki’s birthday is tomorrow. I don’t know if she wants me to tell everyone how old she is. Let’s just say she’s a little older than me. Jaynan’s daughter Elizabeth and Nancy’s son Adam's birthdays are on the 4th and 23rd respectively. It looks like the members of the February Birthday Club are growing fewer, but I’m glad to say we’re not all dead yet.
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| Rachel on her birthday. |
Thursday is my birthday and, as usually happens, I grow introspective as the day approaches. Now that I’m nearing the end of my fifth decade of life (I’ll be 58 so I still have a few years to go), the introspection is getting a little scary. I don’t think I’m a very vain person, but I’ve noticed that when the kids at school try to guess my age, they used to guess way on the low side, but now they’re usually near the mark or above it – and it bugs me a bit. Last week during a discussion with a group of juniors about careers, they asked me what kind of jobs I’d had before. It was a pretty interesting list I rattled off for them. I’ve been a bank courier, assistant curator of gross anatomy lab, swimming pool cleaner, mother-checker and scheduler at a record company, accounts payable clerk for a real estate development company, clerical assistant in a university Family Sciences Department, translator, office manager for a medical lighting company, branch office administrator for a stock broker, sign painter, and substitute teacher. Those are the jobs I’ve been paid to do. I’ve also been a gardener, orchardist, poultry farmer, family history researcher, and teacher for which I’ve never been paid. Oddly, I’ve always enjoyed doing the unpaid things more than the paid ones. By some people’s standards I guess I haven’t accomplished much. I’ve never had a career. I’ve never done anything to bring me worldly wealth or fame. Of all the things I’ve done in my life, my greatest and most important accomplishment has been my family. My greatest successes I measure in blessings. The blessing of having a great family, a family strong in the gospel, a wonderful wife, great children, adorable grandchildren. I can’t take full credit for any of it, but I’m glad I had some part to play. So much for this year’s introspective pause.
Josiah was away part of the week at the District Choral Festival. He left on Wednesday and we picked him up on Friday night after the concert. It was held in Corry, Pennsylvania, two and a half hours to the west of us. This time Josiah passed his audition and will go on to the regional competition sometime in March. The concert on Friday was great. I love to hear so many practiced voices singing together. The guest conductor was especially good.
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| Northern Potter students at District Chorus. |
Yesterday Josiah spent the day in the woods working for our friends the Nicholases. They make maple syrup and the season has started already. They tap over a thousand trees. Josiah worked for them last year too. He spent the day yesterday tapping trees and connecting collection tubing. He was a tired boy when he got home. The maple season has started early on account of the mild winter we’ve been having and it looks like it will be a good year. Chris Nicholas told us he’s hoping to get at least 15,000 gallons of sap this year which will make 375 gallons of syrup. As part of his payment, Josiah brought home some syrup, maple cream, and maple sugar. I love maple syrup. I love it on pancakes and I love to sweeten my oatmeal with it. And there’s nothing quite as delicious as salt rising toast with maple cream spread on it.
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| The Allegheny Reservoir on the way to Corry on Friday. |
Yesterday on her way home from Wellsville, Stacey saw a red-tailed hawk injured in the road. She stopped the car and took her coat and wrapped the bird in it and brought it home. After she got it home we put it in a cardboard box. We called the game commission and an officer came out. He said it looks like its back is broken. He took it home and said if it lived through the night he’d drive it down to State College to a wildlife rehabilitator. I hope it lived. It was a beautiful bird.
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| Hurt hawk. |
It’s sunny, but chilly today. I wish it was as warm as it looks. This is fast Sunday and we ate late last night so we have to wait until later to break our fast. That means we have to distract ourselves from thinking about food until later in the afternoon. I’d take a walk, but it’s too chilly. I’m thinking I’ll just take my Sabbath nap before dinner instead of after. That way I can sleep through the loud growling of my stomach.
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| Frosty beaver pond this morning. |
