It has been unbearably cold for us all week. Temperature was down to zero one night and hasn’t gone above freezing for days.
All this cold weather meant that we never opened the curtains and insulating blinds. We also had to drape the windows in the dinning room (previous owner’s sun room) with blankets. It worked by the way, which tells me I have a big project ahead of me for all those windows!
We’ve had very low fuel, because the propane guy couldn’t get out here to deliver to us, or anyone. You see, the snow and sleet froze solid and all the roads were closed. All of them. To further conserve fuel we turned the heat way down to 62, closed the doors to unused rooms (big house) placed a space heater in the living room, and when it got down in the teens during the day we even turned on the electric oven to help warm things up a bit. The oven has a cast iron lining and holds onto its heat for hours helping to heat the living/kitchen area.
So yesterday afternoon we were buried under blankets in the living room and trying to stay warm. When we heard a loud smack on the front room window, Bob jumped and said, “What was that?” I told him I thought it might be a bird and then got up to look out on the porch.
It was a bird, a Yellow Bellied Sapsucker to be exact. It had crashed into the window so hard it was laying crumpled on the bench and not moving. I went over to check and see if it was alive. It was, although it had knocked itself silly.
Leaning down I gently picked it up and brought it into the house. I found a small box, lined it with a hand towel and placed him inside. Then I covered the top loosely with another small towel, and put him in the bathroom where it was quiet and a bit warmer. About 20 minutes later I thought I heard some scratching noises and went in to check on him. He was sitting up and giving me a wary look. Putting the cover back over the top I took the box out to the porch and set it on the bench. I uncovered it and told him I hoped his headache didn’t last too long and that he would be more careful when flying about windows.
He wasted no time listening to my admonitions. He just flew out of the box and headed towards the setting sun.
I have been in awe of these birds since we moved here. Holding one in my hands was a gift and I am glad that he was able to fly. Maybe he will come back to visit? And though I probably won’t know the difference between him and the others, it will be fun to imagine that it is him.
We have hope that tomorrow will actually give us the 36 degree high the weatherman promised and that our propane will be delivered on Monday.
To learn more about the Yellow Bellied Sapsucker, just click here: American Bird Conservancy
Life on the Farmlet 
What a very splendid outfit he wears! I’m glad you were able to offer him a safe recovery space. He’d have perished left to himself outside.
Kate, I think so too! I do love the brightly, well dressed birds of the south. In the southwest they were all so very drab. I get it. This afforded them the ability to totally blend in with the chaparral and scrub.
Live on little bird!
We have some of the brightest here as regular garden birds, but it’s still amazing how they manage to disappear into the foliage.
Oh that sounds so cold. Not having fuel is dreadful. I keep the house at 62f but we do have a fireplace in the lounge. My bedroom hovers around the 50’s – very good insulation but no heat in here.
I have no curtains anywhere but I understand why our grannies had them.
I hope you start to warm up soon. The ice out here is legendary too though we can still get out. Walking to the barn multiple times a day is terrifying!
Anonymous, It was, but it’s so much better today. Plus, we have heat! Your comment on walking to the barn made me think of the ducks this week. They were out there in spite of it all, and mostly ice skating as they went! (This is another one of those moments I wished I’d brought my phone with me. Too funny, but no pics.)
Winter’s hard on everyone. We’re not been so cold as you, but dropping well below freezing for a few nights was enough to remind me how much I dislike the cold. I rather like winter, but I prefer it with sunshine and above-freezing temperatures.
I’m so glad your bird survived. I’ve had a couple of doves knock themselves out on my sliding glass doors while trying to flee a hawk, but they recovered as well. A brief headache beats being a predator’s breakfast!
“I rather like winter, but I prefer it with sunshine and above-freezing temperatures.”
EXACTLY!
Linda, I agree, winter is beautiful with its crisp blue skies, and the night sky’s black velvet holds all the wonders you could ever imagine… so long as you are sufficiently bundled up. I do like to stargaze after midnight in winter!
I just learned something I didn’t know: Q: Why did the bird crash the window when the blinds were closed? A: Because the lowE coatings on our double glazed windows also cause more reflectivity!
Weird Science
Oh my! Sounds freezing cold in your part of the world. Hope Mr Propane gets through soon!
Claire,
He arrived here early this morning! I turned up the heat to 66 degrees, took a longish hot shower to warm up my feet, and now I am free to roam about the house and get some housekeeping things done. I have a Youtub video I will share today that gave us a bit of a chuckle. It’s from a fella that moved here with his US wife. 😉
I’m sure glad to hear you two are ok. I hope you get the propane delivery soon. Would you mind doing a post explaining about your insulating blinds and also how you covered the dining room window with a quilt? I sure do need some motivation.
I’ve wanted to create window quilts for several years but something ALWAYS happened to delay me making them. Everything from moving to a new house to illness to construction to fabric stores closing has happened. I had made some window quilt at the old house but none would fit the windows of this house. So now it’s time (knock on wood) to finally create the quilts for here.
Stay safe, stay warm, Anita
Anita, our insulating blinds are honeycombed and trap air in long cells along the width of the window. We love them and find they work really well. At the moment we have just hung old blankets in the dining room. We are seriously considering the cellular blinds for the huge expanse in the there too. UNLESS, I figure out a quilted version that uses light colored fabric to allow the brightness of the day to get through… Maybe inexpensive, king sized, white, flat sheets? It will be a challenge, but this morning in the shower my vision included a few quilt blocks to cheer it up.
I’m starting to convince myself that it is indeed doable. 😉
I have read about the very low temperatures across the ocean. They sound alarming. Well done for rescuing the woodpecker.
Thank you, Tom. It doesn’t happen here in the deep south so often as up north. However, because we are so ill prepared for such harsh weather, we do suffer. LOL! Bob made it to the grocery on Sunday to pick up a few important items, before the storm hit, and was stunned by the many empty shelves. Main items that disappear are: Bread, Milk, and eggs. However, he said there were families in there pushing absolutely full grocery carts up to the check out lines. I certainly don’t know what a grocer’s cart looks like where you are, but the ones here at Walmart could hold at least four children: Baby in the fold out seat and three seated in the bottom of the basket. (ref. for size)
The woodpecker isn’t the first rescue, and probably won’t be the last. I just love those little visitor’s here, and will always try to help. and thankfully, I haven’t lost a one.
That’s what we call panic buying here and sometimes the oddest things sell out because people think that there is going to be a shortage.
LOL… Toilet paper comes to mind when the panic (pandemic) turned it into a self to filling event.
That sounds familiar. 🙂
It’s a beauty – so glad you were able to revive it.
Hi Annie, he is beautiful and I was so glad he made it! The males overwinter here, while the females continue down into the central and south American continents. Crazy set up; right? But, I really appreciate them here in the winter as they cheer me up.