Hummingbird feeders up

The Ruby-throated hummers are in Missouri as this map shows, and I'm ready for them. I cleaned our five feeders and made enough nectar to fill them Saturday. Now it's just a waiting game.

We had a flock of Goldfinches at our seed feeders yesterday. I took some pictures and will try to get them posted on www.TheOzarksChronicle.com soon.

About to float away

Well, the temperature has moderated from the last time I posted, but the precipitation has increased.

We're about to float away here in our little part of Rolla. The pump in the basement has been working overtime, bless its little innards.

I don't know how much rain we received, because I discovered my rain gauge is broken and won't hold water.

Be careful if you're out, especially on low-water crossings on rural roads. Don't take any chances.

Winter storm warning

It's 5 a.m. Tuesday and the temperature is 20 degrees on my front porch in Rolla. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning that remains in effect until 6 p.m. If you're in the Ozarks and you're out driving today, be careful. If you can avoid driving, do. Unfortunately, I can't, so you better pray for me.

Our oddball Missouri weather

We had a beautiful weekend with temperatures in the seventies and a beautiful blue sky behind puffy cumulus clouds.
Then today the temperature fell into the twenties. Snow also fell, and the weatherman on KY3 says it's going to keep on falling until it accumulates a foot in southwest Missouri. I didn't catch his prediction for Rolla.
But don't worry. In a couple days, it will all be melted.
We've got some oddball Missouri weather. We always have had oddball Missouri weather; it is not the result of any of that Gore climate change. It's just the way it is, has been and will be. It's why we love Missouri.
When you hear spring peepers during a snowfall, as I and others did today, you know you must be in Missouri.

Spring just around the corner

Work and family have kept me so busy that I've not had a chance to write here since the first day of the year. Somehow, when I wasn't looking, the year jumped ahead to March 1. My wife and I have had a wonderful 2008; the Lord has blessed us with opportunities, challenges, contentment and lessons.

Thank Him for March, the month when spring officially arrives. I love the four distinct seasons in the Ozarks, but I'm ready for an end to cold weather and ice. I'm looking forward to shirtsleeve temperatures, gardening and being able to open the windows in the house for awhile (until hot weather gets here and we have to shut them for the air conditioner).

Look for the hummers to arrive with spring.

Hummingbirds have started migrating north and we'll be seeing them in the Ozarks in three or four weeks. It's time to dig your feeders out of storage and clean them.

Keep track of the hummers' migration with this map compiled by a Missouri man. In fact, the whole website is loaded with interesting stuff for those of us who enjoy the little ruby-throated hummers.

OK, I've got some work to do around the house today, so I'd better get cracking on it.

See you in church tomorrow, I hope.