Winter Only 7 Days Away

I didn't spend much time outside yesterday, but the short stroll with Dudley was a pleasant one. The sun had finally poked through the clouds and the front yard was full of birds. I might have missed the variety except right off the bat a pileated woodpecker caught my eye. He would have been close enough for a nice portrait but alas, no camera on hand. I also noticed several robins clustered in the trees. Probably a sign of the transition to Winter. A mockingbird popped his head out of nest in one tree-top as several chickadees and cardinals flitted about. And while all that was going on, I could hear the distant call of some sandhill cranes. I couldn't see them through the trees, but it sounded like they were on the move. There's little doubt they were deciding that it's warmer somewhere else. That got me to thinking about the cooing sound of the sandhill's call, and the haunting sound of the loon. Which I think is one of the most phenomenal sounds in nature. It's been years since I've been to the north woods to actually hear one, but there's a little lake that's pictured above that has the look and feel of Wisconsin or Minnesota. And I'm sure there are those who talk about the sound of the loons when we're camped there. That's a couple of friends from our group in the picture, Lupe Flores and Dan Vance.
This morning's weather was an odd mix of Fall fighting to hang on and Winter trying to sneak in. We had a couple reports of a flurry and one mountain report of a few snow grains falling. They were described as being about the size of a pinhead. Needless to say the precip was pretty light. But it will be showery and cool the rest of the day, with a break in the showers from late afternoon into early tonight. All of the models like the idea of low pressure forming near the Gulf tonight through early Thursday. This system is expected to sling a lot of rain our way. Many areas should average 1" to 1 1/2" from this storm. That dries out late Thursday afternoon and we should stay dry through Saturday. Another system may slide by our south Saturday night and early Sunday with a rain/snow mix for the area. And if the European model is correct there could be a more significant winter weather maker sometime around next Tuesday.
Maybe the weather will have us all feeling a bit looney by then.