Forty-two years ago this morning, March 16, 1968, we started to see the first evidence that the brutal winter was maybe coming to an end. On that date the snow had piled up so high along the township road leading to our farm east of Rice Lake that the telephone wires suspended between wood poles were completely buried by snow. That had to be at least 10 feet of snow at a minimum. Snow melted eventually but I remember planting oats on April 25 with snow falling on me and the tractor. Later, on about May 10 or May 11, 1968, I caught a baseball game between Rice Lake and Hayward that featured falling snow throughout most of the game. (Rice Lake won).
On this day in 1975 my ex wife and I along with Keith Dueholm hiked into a black spruce bog in Polk County Wisconsin where we found and photographed a Three-toed Woodpecker. As the range map for this species suggests, finding one in Polk County was quite an accomplishment. At the time it was a new bird for my life list. The following day we led Sam Robbins, author of "Wisconsin Bird Life" into the bog so he could add this species to his life list.
Oh, yeah, almost forgot. One year earlier, on March 16, 1974, I gave a redhead I used to know her diamond ring. Oh, well, having two good memories (the snow drift and the bird) for this day isn't bad.
Very enlightening....redhead, huh???? My favorite red head is the Pileated Woodpecker. Somewhere in my things, I have a top notch (no pun intended) photo of one that frequented an old tree at my home in Springville, Alabama.... thought I never saw my redhead with a diamond ring...hahahaha
ReplyDelete