Cold and Windy. But... Lots of Flowers and Birds!

The weatherman should be fired!   He promised cool and windless days for the remainder of the week.   Well, we got the COLD.. but it is not windless. We about froze today as we enjoyed a little visit with a co-worker ( ex-co-worker... now that our "job" no longer exists.) We shared some cake and co-commiserated about the toothless Pandemic and the Deadly Vaccine....  Or basically: the incompetence of Government.   I think talking about problems and issues is  good for the soul.   Cheaper than Therapy!  And in the end,  it is nice to know we share common ground with  at least one person on a few issues.   But I digress!

The cake was good and the wind was bone chilling.  We lasted an hour outside.   Poor David did not have any hat or earmuffs or gloves.   Who would think April would be so frozen this time in April.   (In fact,  Frost Advisories tonight and tomorrow!) 

But Spring can not be stopped!  The evidence can be seen in the Birds as they migrate north, or arrive here as their destination.  One of our favorites showed up today:  The American White Pelican. 

Cheryl loves these things.  They are very unique compared to the Brown Pelican from Florida.  I tried to capture those black chevrons on their wings as they floated by over and over again.   They would take off from the lake, fly around a bit, and then lazily float back and land with the pack.   I never saw any fishing, but I'm sure they would if they saw a fish swim by.

We also saw a very friendly Hawk in the city park.   I possibly could have gotten closer than this, but did not want to push things.  He was already being harassed by a red-wing black bird.  No need to bother him even more.   Cheryl said the pic was eerie because of the backlit sun.   I think it looks pretty cook as a Silhouette.  Too bad my crappy camera could not focus better.

The birds are not the only thing coming out.  Flowering trees are blooming!  Tulip trees, Crab apple trees and other ornamental bushes are showing up.   Take that!  Cold Weather...  There are also Dandelions, Violets, LOTS of Daffodils, and even some mushrooms! Our first Mushroom find of the year was this cluster of Ink caps.   Edible!  Though I'm not sure if you can drink any alcohol with them. Best not to try.  Tipper's Bane is a white mushroom and these guys are brown.  Don't quote me on this, but I think many of the Mushrooms in the Ink Cap family are "safe" to eat.

Tipper's Bane Ink cap

Even Tipper's Bane is eaten all over the world as long as you do not drink any Alcohol for up to 36 hours. ( or longer!)   I have read the feeling is not pleasant if you do.

Cheryl and I joked that you know you live in Iowa.... when you see people mowing their lawn with a full blown snowmobile suit on. You would think that you would let the lawn grow another day and wait for warmer weather.  Not not in Iowa.   Iowans seem to take lawn care VERY seriously. Our neighbors have already mowed their lawn AND fertilized, seeded and "ROLLED" it! ( Imagine a Steam roller that they use on highways rolling down his lawn.)  Crazy!  Maybe their is a purpose, but I'm not sure what. 

And lastly,  Yesterday I managed to brave the cold ( because there was a bit of sun, at least)  and finished off a Cardinal I had on my "to draw" list.  Being so windy, I used water to  keep the chalk in place.  Turns out,  the brightened up the red color nicely!  I should have used this method when I did the ladybug.  If the wind continues ( and it is supposed to...)  I may have to do a Goldfinch with water as well.   Whenever I wet the sidewalk and use a paint brush to rub in the color,  the mural lasts longer and is more vibrant. More experimenting is required. 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day so far...  And week!   The weekend will soon be upon us!  And Cheryl has BIG PLANS this weekend.   All the more material to blog about.   Sorry for the long post, and thanks for stopping in.