Chilly, partly sunny day. Roaring winds. Spotted a juvenile red-headed woodpecker this morning, an uncommon site according to my Merlin Bird ID app. I don’t understand why given that Illinois is a breeding/wintering site according to the map.
That said, they do leave the northern and western parts of the range during the winter. Maybe this youngster ventured north a little early.
The Great Purge: late last week I realized that I needed to do something about moving friends’ couch to my living room as the pieces were too big for our Foresters. So I poked around online, and within a few minutes 1) learned that local grocery store rented U-Haul vehicles onsite and 2) had a pickup truck available. Arranged the rental online, went and picked up the pickup, drove to friends’ house, and had the couch in my living room within the hour. Then, a few days later, I broke down the wobbly cabinet. The particle board pieces went out, but I saved the glass doors and some of the hardware.
Plus, Habitat ReStore called back and asked for photos of the display cabinet. I emailed them, and they called the next day and said they’d take it. They won’t pick it up for a couple of weeks, but hey, at least someone will be able to use it.
WIP Update: reading Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy—Inside the World of Corporate Espionage by Eamon Javers. I’m still in the first third of the book, which is focused on the history of the Pinkertons and the beginnings of corporate security. Not really what I’m looking for, but I will keep reading it.
Baking: nothing to report. I have been remiss. Today I ate the last piece of fig-walnut bread that I excavated from the deep freeze, so I need to bake something soon.
I did make a batch of blueberry-brandy refrigerator jam, but that doesn’t count.
To wrap up, temps are bouncy here—40s and even 50s, followed by a dip into the 30s and a bit of wet snow. Daffodils are poking up a little more, and the mini-roses by the back door are putting forth tiny leaves. I know we could still get dumped on, snow-wise, but it does seem like spring is trying to break through. I did a stint at the Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show a couple of weeks ago, and got to enjoy some brilliant flowers.
