Pie in the Sky

The snow hanging from the eaves looked like a giant meringue.

Storm Damage

Trees on the Loop Road sustained a lot of damage and lost many branches during the last snowstorm. Unfortunately, according to the latest weather reports, more wet snow and strong winds are headed our way. Neighbors, take care.

Squirrel Throwdown

Bobby Flay and the other Iron Chefs have nothing on these two squirrels, who staged their own throwdown over some sunflower seeds. This video's gone viral, but in case you haven't seen it yet, we didn't want PLNews' squirrel-loving readers to miss out.

Attention Parents: Event at Terhune Orchards

Terhune Orchards tells us that they will hold another session of Read & Explore Animal Tracks on Tuesday, March 2, at 10:00 am. Anyone who missed this session yesterday due to the inclement weather will have a second chance to participate. Click here for our post with the details about the program.

Winter Rain

First winter rain—

even the monkey

seems to want a raincoat.

— Matsuo Bashō

Translated by Robert Hass

Attention Parents: Event at Terhune Orchards

On Tuesday, February 23, at 10:00 am, Terhune Orchards will host the second session of their Read & Explore Program. The topic of this session is Animal Tracks. Two storybooks will be read and each child will make a bird feeder to take home.

Read & Explore is Terhune Orchard's winter education series with sessions in January, February and March. The program combines reading stories and doing related craft activities. Parents/guardians and young children (ages preschool to 8 years) are welcome. Each session lasts about one hour and costs $5.00 per participating child, which includes the materials for the activity. Parents should call ahead to reserve a space. The number at the farm is 609-924-2310. Check-in is at the farm store. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Terhune Orchards is located at 330 Cold Soil Road in Princeton.

Winter Water Views

Tuesday's snowfall gave Princeton another soft, white coat. Serene scenes were all around us, especially along Lake Carnegie and the D&R Canal.

A Winter Landscape

All night, all day, in dizzy, downward flight,

Fell the wild-whirling, vague, chaotic snow,

Till every landmark of the earth below,

Trees, moorlands, roads, and each familiar sight

Were blotted out by the bewildering white.

And winds, now shrieking loud, now whimpering low,

Seemed lamentations for the world-old woe

That death must swallow life, and darkness light.

But all at once the rack was blown away,

The snowstorm hushing ended in a sigh;

Then like a flame the crescent moon on high

Leaped forth among the planets; pure as they,

Earth vied in whiteness with the MIlky Way:

Herself a star beneath the starry sky.

— Mathilde Blind

Happy Valentine's Day

Snow Persons

Morning After the Blizzard

Blizzard 2010

Your Moment of Zen . . . and Warmth

Cherry Pie Sale at Terhune Orchards

Terhune Orchards is holding its annual cherry pie sale from February 8 through February 24. Take $2.00 off the regular price of their fresh-baked cherry pies — a great way to celebrate Valentine's Day and Presidents' Day.

Store hours at the farm are Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Pies are also available on Saturdays at the Trenton Farmers' Market. Terhune Orchards is located at 330 Cold Soil Road in Princeton.

Photo by Peggy Greb, USDA ARS

Here

Just by being,

I'm here—

in the snowfall.

— Kobayashi Issa

Digging Out

Nature Guide: Red-tailed Hawk

Photo: MONGO

We are fortunate to live in an area where several different species of hawks can be seen throughout the year — with even more species here during migration in spring and fall. New Jersey's most common large hawk is the Red-tail, named for the rufous color of the adult's tail. Our Nature Guide Jon Latimer tells us about this year-round resident.

"Red-tailed Hawks, Buteo jamaicensis, are found in open country. They soar slowly in wide circles high overhead or perch on a telephone pole, fence post or tree along the edge of a field or highway. You are likely to see one any time you take a long car ride during daylight. You've probably heard one too. Whenever a hawk or an eagle appears in a movie, the shrill cry on the sound track is almost always a Red-tailed Hawk, no matter what species is being shown.

"Red-tails are large hawks with very broad, rounded wings and a short, wide reddish tail. Adults can grow to over two feet long and have a wingspan of over four feet. Their wingbeats are slow and heavy. They sometimes hover in the wind without flapping their wings at all, keeping their eyes fixed on the ground to catch the movement of a vole or a rabbit. When they spot their prey, they make a slow, controlled dive with their legs outstretched.

"There is some variation in the coloring of Red-tailed Hawks that can make identification difficult. Most have a rich brown back and a pale belly with dark streaks. Their tail is usually pale on the underside and cinnamon-red on top, with thin black bands near the tip. The tail of young birds is brown with light bands. However, 'dark-phase' Red-tailed Hawks are chocolate-brown all over with a warm red tail. 'Rufous-phase' birds are reddish-brown on their chest and have a dark belly. Even at a distance, if you see a flash of red on the tail of a bird of prey, you can be sure that it is a Red-tailed Hawk."

Your Moment of Zen . . . and Warmth

Jazz at Camillo's Cafe

Camillo's Cafe is hosting an "Evening of Fun & Romance" tomorrow night at 6:00 pm. There will be live jazz and a menu of grilled specialties. Camillo's Cafe is located at 301 North Harrison Street in Princeton Shopping Center. Call 609-252-0608 for a reservation.