dimitrig, I am beginning to question where I picked up the meaning of UP! It could not have been in elementary school because of course we learnt many place names in Swedish. I remember now that Lake Superior was Oevre Sjoen (Upper Lake) in school so at first I didn't connect when I heard the English for it. I may have read about UP in a newspaper when I spent 6 months in Madison, WI, in 1981. Pasties are Cornish and not known in Sweden at all. I've tried them once in England under the name Cornish pasty and will not order any again, too bland. The Finns have a similar pasty, Karjalan piirakka, an open rye dough pie stuffed with boiled rice, and eaten with egg butter (soft butter with chopped hardboiled eggs and dill leaves). Salmon may be added to the rice for a de luxe version. Climate zones in the US and northern Europe are not comparable but I put my zone at 5b after the lowest average minimum winter temperature. We have our own zone chart with 8 zones but it is concerned only with tree hardiness and was originally made for apple growers. The Gulf stream affects the climate in the whole of Scandinavia, most of all in Norway, of course. The most important difference is that summers in northern Europe are much shorter and cooler than in continental USA, mainly because you have your long wonderful autumns and summer heat. Some roses don't grow well enough in summer and succumb easier when struck by cold in the fall. Our winters are not quite as cold as in Wisconsin and southern Ontario, the only areas in North America where I've spent winters. I live exactly on the 59th parallel, 50 miles from the Baltic coast. No sea influence but we have a fairly large lake in the village that makes some difference in the fall. Last night was the coldest yet this winter, -26C and it will be as cold again on Friday. Now, at 2 pm it is -11C, bearable but still too cold for me who don't have to venture outside. It's great to be retired! The garden is completely covered in snow, only trees and taller shrubs and ornamental grasses are visible. We had a thaw recently so it's difficult to estimate the depth of the snow cover but I guess about a foot, more in shade where the old snow still stays, less in areas protected from the wind by trees. I've just looked out of all the windows of the house and noticed that Sutter's Gold is dangerously exposed. Perhaps I should shovel some snow over it. I guess I will have to cut a lot come spring. I hope this gives you an idea of our climate? Marianne in Sweden Here is a link that might be useful: Karelian pies

The woodpeckers are back here again too. Such beautiful birds. I hang up peanut butter covered pinecones with seeds and bread crumbs. Last year the squirrels stole them off the tree (hehehe). We have so many winter birds and squirrels too (no big reds...ours are the smaller fox squirrels, but just as cute. ) I hope I can buy a suet feeder this year for the various suet eaters that frequent our property. I was cold today with a low ceiling, overcast sky - that brownish gray color that comes with snowfalls. They are getting snow north of here. The lowest temp was only 42 F. last night, but the wind was so fierce today that it produced a windchill below freezing. Brrrr. There were many colourful birds at the feeder today. I am going to try filming them tomorrow - get a video of them with sound if I can get close enough That would be cool. I completely understand your hesitation about posting pics anymore. Well, you could send ME some pretty pics via my email any old time, if you want to. I love photos of pretty scenery. Winter pics are awesome. Pines are my favorite trees. I am planting lots of them on the property. I know they are water hogs, but I love them so. There are pines native in Oklahoma, but along the entire eastern border counties of the state 60-100 miles east of here. But they do grow very well here, and are planted around lakes and on farms for habitat and windbreaks. I miss them so much that I plant them on our property. I love the way they smell and the look and smell of the dry needles on the ground. I love the way the wind sings through their boughs, and I love them because they are evergreens. With snow they are dreamy. I love the messy cones that fall to the ground - what others would call "litter". To me they are "Absolutely Treasures" to collect and display in baskets around my house. I leave some on the ground for the wild things. The squirrels and Blue Jays love the seeds. They are a great habitat for many birds and animals. Lucky you to have pines and firs and mountains....ahhhh. You probably have those gorgeous gigantic ferns too, right? sigh.... Hope you all stay safe with the severe weather you are having there. Please keep us informed so that we know you are all okay. ~Annie

Then THAT'S the answer!! I actually saw a sharp-shinned hawk a few weeks ago (first time I'd even seen one in our woods -- I was very pleased to be able to identify it). I didn't see this altercation until the two birds were "wrestling" in the snow and I'd have sworn it was one of the mourning doves atop the jay, but your theory makes much more sense. Whatever it was definitely carried the jaw off -- poor jay (and I don't love jays) dangling by its wing and squawking frantically. They both dropped into the snow (for a better grip?) a short ways from my garden, then took off again and only by chance (or an extreme fight by the jay or maybe, my frantic yelling??) did the jay get released. The jay flew back to our pine tree and seems fine. Is that possible? To get hauled off into the hair, hanging by one wing, and still live to tell about it? Amazing! Just curious, how large a prey will a sharp-shinned hawk take on? What about a small cat? Do I need to worry now that I know there's a sharp-shinned in the area? (My cat goes out midday, never out for long ... maybe I'll keep him in?!) Thanks so much for the information -- I am positive you are right. Now I feel guilty for blaming the doves... :(

Virgil, do you know about the late 19th century/early 20th century buildings that were artists' studios? Some of the best apartments in the city have been those former studios which, of course, faced north with double-height windows. The original artists' apartments were in the back of the buildings facing south, but the buildings have been long since been converted so that many of the living rooms are double-height with the enormous windows. Some of the nicest buildings are The Gainsborough on Central Park South which overlooks the park; The Hotel des Arts and several others on West 67th Street*, officially the West 67th Street Artists’ Colony History District, and one of the prettiest streets in the city; and the Studio Building on West 77th off Central Park West, which overlooks the Museum of Natural History. * This is a NY Times article by the late great architectural historian Christopher Gray, who writes, "In 1901 they chose West 67th Street, off Central Park West, a ragged block of stables, a planing mill, a warehouse and vacant lots. But it was next to Central Park and it backed up onto the rowhouses of West 68th Street, where restrictions effectively prohibited tall buildings. Assurance of light and proximity to an established residential district and Central Park made it a smart real-estate move."