National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Part I

For S at Lowandslow: Beginnings to late 1930s

All images taken by me at: http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/

The Ducks

Sorry, birders...no real ducks this time:

This is The Ducks. It is, I suppose, an early version of the synthetic fleece blanket. I've had it...forever. As I recall, I got this one and my brother got one with a tiger on it. Fitting, really. In short, it is a most warm, most durable blanket. It kept me warm on nights when winter winds literally howled through my bedroom in a trailer home past its prime. I dragged it with me into marriage, and it quickly became The Bug's go-to blanket for nights when she simply could not get warm. Literally, it is like a hot bath without the water! It is a bit ornery, The Ducks...

...which is but one of the reasons we keep our faithful Biscuit close by at nights. So when I was shaking like a leaf on Monday night and thinking I might never be warm again, my loving wife covered me with The Ducks, and I weathered the chills. That's the nature of The Ducks. It cannot spare us the tremors of the world, nor the chills, nor the fever. It does not ward away the viruses, nor the winds, nor the cold. It is not Superman's Cape, nor is it Harry Potter's Cloak. What it is is that go-to when we are down and out, that most trusted friend who is always there to comfort us...literally to wrap us up in warmth and love. We do not call on it every day. There are times when we naively think we have outgrown it. And then comes the fever and the chill and the feeling as if we will never be warm again, and The Ducks embraces us, and so we know otherwise. It is the best blankie that ever was, and the best metaphor for God I've got.

(Shout-out to Sparky Schulz, who taught me most everything I know about dogs and blankies...and faith)

Pictures for my father

I just printed out a bunch of 4x6 prints to mail to my father. I thought I would share some with you, as well, along with a few I have posted recently on Facebook. This is our Ohio...rather beautiful, even in winter.

 I never tire of laughing at The Occasional Squirrel

 So a Cardinal, a Song Sparrow, and a Dark-Eyed Junco walked into a bar...

Mourning Dove and Song Sparrow

 We have several covered bridges in Greene County

 Sheep!

Mallards in a creek

 Mallards taking flight!

 Champaign County farm

 Urbana's cutie-butt deer

See what I mean?

 More snow...and Cardinals galore!

 The birdbath after our last snow (will it be the last of the season?)

 The Bug's Valentine's tulips

February full moon

 Wild turkeys! I rarely see them, let alone get a shot...they made me late for school, lol

 Frozen pond...one of my favorite scenes. Our ponds are thawing now!

 Cows finding some grass, at last

 They stare at me, you know...

These sheep seem happy to be out in the field!

Moms and lambs everywhere! Can Spring be far away?

Lincoln Lecture

This is Dr. M at his day job, talking about a subject near and dear to his heart: the complicated Mr. Lincoln!

http://youtu.be/_JD0NnMQ1_c

I also just realized that a glitch in the camera cut my discussion of the election of 1864, making for a very odd transition. There was a pause in recording as the camera closed one file (I'm guessing it has a size limit setting?) and opened a new one. Maybe I should read the manual, lol!

Bleak Midwinter, yada yada...

Well, Groundhog Day has come and gone, and winter roars on in the Midwest. I guess we are lucky in that we still measure storm totals in inches, not feet, but the jet stream has us in its sights, and one fears what increased volatility (typical for these parts in late February and early March) may bring! We have had the polar vortex, the snow roller snow, followed by another arctic plunge, and now Nika, followed by another arctic plunge. There is more snow, more single digit or sub-zero temps, yada yada, in the long-term forecast...for as far as the weather eye can see. And so I offer for your amusement yet more images of frozen, snowy Ohio...heh. Grab a blanket, snuggle up by the fire, and enjoy!

 The most ice the Little Miami has seen in quite some time!

 Cedar Run, heading south to join the Mad River

 Looking north toward Cedar Bog, which is actually a fen

 Just another day at the beach, right? Right?

Birdies are very dependent on me these days

 Mama Cardinals and a Dark-eyed Junco butt

Well-fed Song Sparrow

And of course these clowns

 Massie Creek on the eve of Nika

 Fish pond...I went with black and white...it suited the day

 Farm pond

 One of a series of ponds just off HWY 68 in Springfield, OH

 They are usually home to geese and ducks

 Not so much right now!

 Frozen pond at a local park

 Love this giant cedar!

 Frozen eye

 Aye, tis cold!

 Very cold

Yet so lovely

 We have a large goose population that winters here

I see them in droves out in the corn fields, and they can always find open water on the Mad River, as it never freezes

However, something tells me that THIS goose wants to be on a warm beach, one with a tiki bar! Or is that just me?

 Remnants of the aforementioned Nika

 My moccasin print in the ice-capped snow

Rather beautiful on the shrubbery, though!

 Winter wears on, but I think Santa is ready to bug out!

 

And Joseph seems to be asking, "How long until Spring, oh Lord?"

How long, indeed...