TheBanyanTree: 223 Days and Counting

[Margaret R. Kramer]

Our newspaper reported that we haven’t had a freeze since March 26, 2005.
This is the longest time in weather observation history that our area has
not had a freeze.  A freeze is defined when the temperature dips to 28
degrees ad stays there for several hours.  Our lowest temperature this fall
has been 31 degrees.  It certainly hasn’t frozen, because my flowers are
still blooming, even the delicate impatiens.  The flower heads, instead of
becoming frozen petals, are snacks for the grazing deer as they pass through
our backyard.

We have not had a “bad” winter since 1995-1996.  That was a wicked winter.
We were cold early and then it snowed about every 10 minutes.  The last few
winters have been relatively snow free until after New Year’s and then we
get a few big storms, but they melt quickly, because the temperatures are so
warm.

Is this global warming?  From what I’ve read, it might be just that the
climate is doing one of its shifts into a warmer period of time that might
not have anything to do with humans.  Or maybe it is due to human activity,
since the warming is so accelerated.  I have read that either the Antarctic
ice or the Arctic ice shelf (I can’t remember which) has increased a bit
over this year, so maybe this strange warming period is coming to a halt.

I can’t help but wonder if nature tries to keep population growth in balance
by creating the hurricanes, earthquakes, bird flu, and other kinds of
disasters.  Maybe humans start wars, not because of disagreements, but
because of some strange genetic thing to keep our population from growing
too large.

I suppose all these things play into one another and it affects my little
backyard world.  My flowers are still blooming.  The deer population in my
area of St. Paul is out of control.  Canadian geese never leave, because
there is an abundance of open water.

And the Prairie Home Companion (http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/) is
leaving the Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul.  Garrison wants to take
the show on the road and perform in front of fresh audiences.  Which
probably means he isn’t selling out the Fitzgerald like he was.  It used to
be harder than finding hen’s teeth to get tickets, but for the last few
shows, I’ve been able to get them without being put on a waiting list.

We have tickets for tonight’s show.  Afterwards, we’ll walk up to Mickey’s
Diner and eat some incredibly high fat and high calorie food.  I’ll miss our
Prairie Home Companion traditions and I’ll miss the show, although we’ll go
if he has some shows in Minneapolis.  It’s fun to see a live radio show.  I
enjoy the music and the stories.

Halloween is over and now we’re beginning that headlong plunge into
Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Instead of 223 days and counting, it will be
“blah blah shopping days until Christmas.”

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net

http://www.bpwmn.org
Business and Professional Women of Minnesota

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true
measure of our thanksgiving.
~W.T. Purkiser