There really isn't a whole lot to talk about right now. It is pretty cold for Texas, lows last night just above freezing but tomorrow is supposed to be just a bit warmer. We are all hoping that there will not be a repeat of last year when we were without power for four full days. It was supposed to be a rolling blackout, but right here, it didn't roll. It went out on Monday and didn't come back until late Thursday or maybe it was Friday, it's hard to remember. There were billions of dollars worth of crops damaged and from what I can see, the orange trees that managed to survive aren't really producing any fruit or if they are, the fruit is small, hard and mostly brown. We have had our electric fireplace on along with the furnace for the last two days. If the sun shines at all tomorrow it will help. Yesterday it rained off and on and it rained all night and until lunchtime today. Just north of us they had sleet and freezing rain. Yuck! Double yuck because Texans down here so far south don't really know how to navigate slippery roads so it's best to stay home.
This too shall pass and we will once again be enjoying nice weather. If we were home it would be ever so much colder so I think I won't whine too much.
Our park has lots of sick people, many with Covid from what I understand. A few really sick ones including at least one who is not vaccinated. We are being as careful as we can be and hope we don't get it. A few park activities have been cancelled because of sickness and also the cold weather.
I am busy doing a new park directory for Trails End. I'm not quite sure how that came about, well that really isn't true. They were looking for someone to do it and I volunteered. It gives me a chance to meet people I haven't come across yet as I am also taking their photos. This first time will be the worst and if they ask me to do it again it will be much easier. There are still people arriving so not quite sure when it will be printed. This one will be in color, which is different from our Magnolia directory. The last one cost $10 which is also different from the $3 we used to charge for the Magnolia one.
I think most Magnolia folks are pretty healthy right now although some have been sick and now days who knows if it was just a bad cold or was it covid. Everyone I know tries to stay home if they suspect they may have it. Barb and Butch, over at Trophy Gardens have made a full recovery and if you follow Barb's blog you know that they weren't really very sick - as I've said many times, thank goodness for vaccines and boosters. Apparently it is the booster which really does help to protect us.
We have been birding several times but it is a strange birding year, kind of like it was back in Neillsville last summer. Not much going on, haven't even seen an Altamira Oriole yet which is odd. They are a beautiful bird and I do have lots of pictures from prior years but always want more.
I was looking back at my Magnolia bird file and came across these two photos. The camera I have now takes slightly better photos than these but the first is a Yellow-headed Parrot and the second is a Pyrrhuloxia, sometimes called a Desert Cardinal. We have never seen these two species anywhere else but Magnolia Park. I think the parrot was perched over in the vicinity of the pool hall on a wire and the Pyrrhuloxia was back by where Sandy Williams once lived. They actually had a nest in one of the shrubs there or at least so it seemed. I'm sure they haven't been back for many years. Once in a great while the Pyrrhuloxia would be on the ground under a bush on our spot on the corner of Center and Magnolia. Good memories!
If you have news to share, please let me know and I'd be happy to post it.
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