Skywatch Astrology
All times given are U.S. Central time. That's Chicago on the World Clock.
A January So Texas Chronicle 2011
14 January 11Friends, January 13, 2011
Burrr. Had to get out some long pants today as the worst cold front we’ve had this Winter dropped our morning low to 35. North winds are making it worse and the chill factor is 25. We’re not used to these temperatures, but they won’t last. The bay water temperature now is 54 degrees and in two days that will the morning low and the highs will jump back into the low 70’s. The birds get it. All the ducks are happy bobbing about in the ocean since the water is warmer than land.
We have been in a serious drought since the heavy rains we got last September. It’s from LaNina which gives us warmer than average temperatures but also cuts off our normal rain pattern. The experts say now we won’t get much rain until March. Meanwhile, all of the fields have been plowed and groomed – the rich, fertile soil is ready for seed. But farmers can’t plant anything until we get rain. Good news has reached us that the count of whooping cranes that migrate to the south Texas coast number 270 this year. This is a record number on the 73rd year that the whoopers have flown from Alberta, Canada to the Aransas National Wildlife Preserve, which is about 30 miles north of Corpus Christi. There were only 15 birds in the wild in 1941. Birders here say they’ve seen more whoopers closer to the roads and accessible areas where they could be observed than in years before. I was surprised when I saw a small group last month.
The Kodak moment came on a sunny afternoon last week. There’s a nice little restaurant and small marina in the back bay named Laguna Shores. The fishing is excellent in the bays and lots of fishermen are coming and going at all hours. As I walked down to the end of the little road with the marina on my left, I caught view of a little private bay to the right that was partially hidden by trees. I walked in a little deeper and found this beautiful three story house surrounded by tall pines and hidden from the road. At water’s edge was a stout concrete bulkhead and fish cleaning station where a garden hose was running full bore, and a guy was cleaning a big load of trout and redfish. His rapt audience was just barely three feet away in the water bobbing up and down: 14 huge brown pelicans, and I had plenty of time to count them. He would toss one and then another bloody fish heads and they would gobble them up and then get back in line. No fighting. Very civil behavior. And none of the voracious sea gulls would come near them, even with food being thrown around. The pelicans are his pets, I think. This is his ritual. And the guy was having so much fun he never saw me. I watched as he finished cleaning the last fish while all the pelicans waited solemnly for their treats. A fat house cat suddenly appeared on the dock smelling the fish blood and begged the guy for a bite. But it was too late. The pelicans got it all.
Jan 14….the weatherman explained that we set some kind of record for cold temps over the last few days as the highs have been under 50 degrees for 70 hours straight. That’s it: the guts of an arctic blast on the south Texas coast. FYI. Don’t buy in to the reports that there is a 13th sign in astrology. This comes up about every ten years and is malarkey. The system we use in Western astrology was formatted two thousand years ago by Ptolemy and has worked like a charm ever since. Thanks for the wonderful cards and letters; I put them on Leslie’s desk to enjoy, too. We’re snuggled in and looking forward to better days and energy in 2011. Keep the faith. Times change.
We are snuggled in here in Indiana also, thanks for another great story. S
— Shara Jan 18, 07:22 AM #