Long Walks On Leafy Streets

1/21/2014 Harlan St, NW Washington, DC
We are in the middle of another winter storm here. This morning I looked out the window to see gray everywhere. The sun seemed like a distant memory, although it was peeking through the clouds a little bit on Sunday. After a few days of relatively warmer weather, generally in the forties (or single digits, in centigrade), it is going to be in the teens and twenties for the next few days. In our backyard we saw a flurry of activity. Apparently caught by surprise a squirrel was running around, possibly to dig up his acorns. Birds were flying about, including some gulls that I don’t normally see in this neighborhood. I have posted a picture of the squirrel on Flickr. The black fur of the squirrel contrasts starkly against the snow covering all of the backyard.
Last week was the first week of classes. I walked to work Wednesday and Friday. My first class starts only at noon this semester, so I can leave home at a leisurely hour.
I usually tend to stay at work till late in the evening. It is also nicer to leave a little later because traffic is lighter and the roads are quieter. I really enjoyed the walks, especially with the weather being not as bad. On Monday I walked home in the evening. It was the first day of classes and I wanted to be there a bit earlier in the morning, so took the bus to work in the morning.
As I was walking home I saw a large flock of geese flying south, most likely to the reservoir near our campus. Then on Wednesday morning I saw a flock flying north. So I guess they go somewhere north during the day and come back at night? I have never been able to figure out their schedules. Or perhaps it was two different flocks. In any case I never stop being amazed by the sight of them flying in large V-shaped formations, calling to each other. Apparently they maintain the formation and figure out who is going to take their turn up front and so on by constantly calling to each other.
It also reminded me a story I read recently about the passenger pigeons. These were a species of rather large sized pigeons that were native to America but are now extinct. They tried to save them but the last living pair (named George and Martha after America’s first couple) died about hundred years ago. These birds bred in such profusion that large flocks of them would block the sun for miles around. They were very easy to hunt and eat which was why they went extinct. Sometimes they were the only food when nothing else was available.
On Wednesday morning I was surprised to see a big chunk of ice still surviving in the middle of the reservoir, because it had been above freezing for a while. There was a big flock of gulls sitting on it. The ice was gone soon, though. But I have no doubt much of the lake would freeze over by the end of this week.
I am truly grateful to God for the lake, the birds, the blue sky, the clouds, the trees and the plants and flowers of this earth, especially in Washington, DC. I love the people here especially my friends, family and my students but I can’t imagine how our life would be without all the beauty and wonders of nature.

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