Walking with Jack

Day One: 9-4-07

As we stepped out of the door on this fine morning, the first thing I noticed was a cool breeze that ruffled my hair and the tall grass in the field. Dotted across the sky were wispy cirrus clouds that drifted lazily along, raveling and unraveling as they went. I guessed that there was about 2 oktas of cloud cover. The temperature was moderate, 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Centigrade) and the humidity was 36%, which isn't that bad. The air pressure was good, just a little over 30. We walked down the road while the crickets and cicadas cheerfully attempted to deafen us, and found a recently deceased grasshopper in the road. (We knew it was deceased because it didn't move when we prodded it with the tip of our shoes.) A cabbage white butterfly daintily slurped the nectar from a wild carrot (Queen Anne's Lace to ordinary folks) flower, slowly opening and shutting it's wings in contentment. Up until the middle of the walk, we didn't see much wildlife (certainly heard it, though!), but on our way back, birds started, chirping, cawing, singing and generally making noise. We only really saw one bird however, which might have been a barn swallow but was probably a sparrow. On our way back, as I was practicing being quiet (yes, I do have to practice that), we saw a young buck exactly the same moment he saw us. He charged off into the bushes, his horns curled above his head. And that was our walk. I will enjoy writing again tomorrow.

Day Two: 9-5-07

Walking with Jack

Ah, another summer's day! Well, actually it's a wee bit chilly for summer today, with the temperature at 68 degrees Fahrenheit (19 degrees Centigrade) and a cold breeze to boot. Nevertheless, I stepped out the door this morning with nothing more substantial than a T-shirt and shorts. It's actually not that bad if you stay in the sun. Well, down to business again. The humidity is a little bit lower than yesterday's , at 35 %. The air pressure is still doing well, for it is 30.15. The clouds cover a lot more sky today, filling 6 oktas. They are soft and fluffy and decidedly... Cirrocumulus. The first animals that our vision detected happened to be a few birds sitting on a telephone wire, which may have been bluebirds. While we stared at them through our binoculars, they began to do a routine that I call “Eating for Clumsy Birds”. Every once in a while, one of them would flutter down to the field, grab a worm or a bug in their beak, and drop it. They would flap around, looking for it, and finally find it. Whereupon step 3 (dropping) would be redone. Finally, when they got back to the pole, they would drop it on the road and stare at it. A couple of chicory flowers waved in the breeze, which may have gone up to at least 3 mph (the breeze, not the flowers) and came from the WNW. Some butterflies mated above them and then fluttered off to go lay eggs or mate again or whatever it is butterflies do. A crow pulled worms out of the ground and brutally dismembered them. It was a lovely scene. Unfortunately, it is all going to be cut down in a couple of weeks when the tractor comes through. What a shame.

Day Three: 9-6-07

Walking with Jack

Hello and welcome to another day of Walking with Jack! This morning was warmer than yesterday by, oh, about one degree: 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Centigrade). In fact, this is exactly the same temperature as day one! Pat yourself on the back if you remembered that. The air pressure is even higher, at 30.25. The humidity has gone up a bit to to 38 % (Oh boy! Our highest yet!). The sky is a blue haze with extremely wispy cirrus clouds drifting through it. How they drift is a mystery to me, as there is absolutely no wind. Anyway, on to our walk! We passed the crickets and cicadas on our way out, who happily stopped what they were doing to continue the game “Let's See how High We Can Whine Before We Deafen Those Unfortunate Bipeds”. After we passed them (oh, and they didn't win the the game), the first creature we saw was a monarch butterfly who was happily drifting along, sipping nectar, and avoiding us. As Jays called (or is that cawed?) to each other in the treetops, a cabbage white drifted past, flew into a flower stem with an almost inaudible “thud”, and proceeded to suck the juices out of the poor plant. The sun shone. The grass stood stock still except when stirred by the breeze from our passing. It was lovely. And then I got the hiccups. Oh well.

Day Four: 9-10-07

Walking with Jack

As I stepped out the door this day, I noticed that it was abnormally still and humid. Stratus clouds graced the sky (only kidding; stratus clouds couldn't grace anything to save their lives). About halfway down the road, they started to rain on us. How very polite (not!). After a while though, it blew over and Cirrocumulus clouds spread across the sky. The wind moved sluggishly (1.5 mph), the temperate was okay (76 degrees Fahrenheit, 24 degrees Centigrade), but the humidity is enough to make you cry, er, sweat (42 %). The air pressure is fine, at 29.95. The crickets were a bit more laid back this morning, as they only buzzed in normal tones. The cicadas didn't wake up until later in the walk and their usually annoyingly squeaky chirps sounded rather sleepy. The birds chirped, cawed, squeaked (sounded like a rubber ducky with a nasal problem) and sang cheerily but kept well out of sight. In fact, the only birds we saw were some starlings, and they never care if anyone sees them. We did see one type of insect that I am rather fond of, a Monarch butterfly! It swooped around us, flitted along down the road, and finally settled on a bit of black top. I wonder what it saw in it?

Day Five: 9-11-07

Walking with Jack

It looked utterly drab outside today. The ground was soggy, grim stratus clouds filled the entire sky, and a dull gray mist obscured everything in the distance. So we pulled on raincoats and hats and – as a precaution – each carried an umbrella. It wasn't that bad outside until we got halfway down our hill, then it started to rain. Ah, well. That's why we have umbrellas. The temperature, as I learned after the walk, was 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Centigrade), the air pressure was below average: 29.8, and the humidity was 49 %. All in all, it was a pretty Blah (with a capital B) day. The crickets chirped wetly in the grass. On our way out we passed some Mullen, which is a tall, alien-looking plant with an enormous flower that goes straight up. Birds happily sang in the treetops, safe in the knowledge that while we were getting wet, they weren't. On our way back we observed three deer in a field: a young buck and two does. They glanced at us for a moment and then decided our value to them: nil, as we didn't look edible. They went back to eating.

Day Six: 9-12-07

Walking with Jack

It was a bright and blue sky that greeted us this morning. Wispy cirrus and cirroculumus clouds covered about 4 oktas. It was a bit chilly at first, and there was quite a breeze (12 mph, coming from the SW). It nearly blew my hat off! It warmed up after a while, and as we continued down the road the breeze died down. The temperature was a a little chilly, 64 degrees Fahrenheit and 29 degrees Centigrade, the humidity was 28 % and the air pressure was 30. We observed a cabbage white, which fluttered lazily along the side of the road for a while, and then flew off into the field to find flowers. Birds soared through the air, just stopping short of hitting the ground before they flapped back up again. We saw a butterfly that we could not identify before it fluttered off. The trees are slowly changing from green to red, orange and yellow. I'll give this to the world: it knows how to look wonderful.

Day Seven: 9-13-07

Walking with Jack

The sky was completely devoid of clouds this morning, although there was a fine haze along the edges. It was very chilly to begin with, but warmed up to 66 degrees Fahrenheit (19 degrees Centigrade). The air pressure has risen to 30.25, and the humidity is 33 %. A light breeze (4 mph, coming from the WNW) ruffled the grass. We saw a yellow sulfur as it fluttered about in the field, hitting flowers as it went. A monster flock of starlings (by monster I mean huge, not incredibly ugly) zoomed out of the trees as we passed, cackling and cawing. A woolly bear caterpillar inched across the road. It was very pretty (the scene, not just the caterpillar).

Day Eight: 9-17-07

Walking with Jack

Again, as in my last entry, there are absolutely no clouds. It is getting colder (57 degrees Fahrenheit, 14 degrees Centigrade), and I had to wear a jacket this morning. We did see a heat haze, but the only reason for that is that the township are laying down new asphalt today and it lets off heat. The air pressure was fine, 34.5, and the humidity lay at 38 %. The wind came from the NW at 5 mph. This morning we observed a flock of birds that were probably sparrows as they flew from tree to tree, trying to keep their distance from us. A yellow sulfur wobbled its way across the meadow. It looked as if it was having fun!

Day Eight: 9-18-07

Walking with Jack

The sky was being invaded by two really tiny Cirrus clouds this morning. Not surprisingly, this invasion was a failure. The sky was 1 okta full of clouds. A cool breeze (6.5 mph, coming from the NW) caressed our faces, blew leaf bits in our eyes, and whistled in our our ears. The air pressure was 30.45, the humidity was 42 %, and the temperature was 60 degrees Fahrenheit and 15 degrees centigrade. We gazed in awe and terror as an enormous flock of starlings rose as one from the trees and flew over us, darkening the sky. Finally, one that got left behind flapped after them. It looked as if it were saying: “Wait for me! Wait for me!”. On the way back from our walk, we noticed flocks of sparrows fluttering around in the colorful trees. Some crows flew overhead, cawing. Fall has come.

Day Nine: 9-19-07

Walking with Jack

The sky was empty except for a little tiny cirrus cloud in one corner. It was extremely hot and sunny. I panted like a dog in the heat. The temperature is 62 degrees Fahrenheit and 17 degrees Centigrade, the humidity is 37 %, and the air pressure is 30.35. The wind is very, very sluggish, for it is traveling at 2 mph from the NW. The first thing we heard was a catbird, who made a funny: “bbrrrrrrbbb!” sound. A cowbird made a gargled watery sound from a tree. The highlight of our walk was when a Merlin swooped overhead holding a mouse in his talons. He was probably only a couple of feet away. A lovely little Eastern Phoebe stared at us from a tree branch. Lastly, a monarch butterfly wobbled away from us, heading into the field to suck a flower's juices. It would be disappointed, for the field was all cut down.

Day Ten: 9-20-07

Walking with Jack

This morning there were no clouds, but a fine haze filled 1 okta of the sky. The wind blew from the SW at the same speed as yesterday. (Ha! Now we'll see who's been reading these properly!) The air pressure was 30.45, the humidity was 34 %, and the temperature was 73 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Centigrade). It is much warmer and sunnier than yesterday. As we started walking we saw a monarch butterfly flutter about. I wish I could do that, just flutter around. Next we saw some deer who stared at us from the middle of the road and then galloped away, their white tails up. Lastly, throughout the walk, we saw lots of little caterpillars all over. They were mostly woolly bears, but there were some other kinds too.

9-24-07

Walking with Jack

This morning there were no clouds in the the light blue sky. The wind was pathetic (1 mph from the NW), but still tried to blow my hat off. The temperature was reasonably warm, 64 degrees Fahrenheit and 18 degrees Centigrade, the humidity was 32 %, and the air pressure 30.3. The first thing we smelled when we walked down the road was the lovely smell of.... skunks. Woopee. At least we didn't get the real thing. Next we saw some little sparrows and a Red Bellied Woodpecker. It bounced from tree to tree, swinging its little beak against the wood with a “bonk bonk bonk!!” noise. Lastly, we saw a woolly bear caterpillar, and a funny squirrel and heard a catbird. I really enjoyed our walk.

9-26-07

Walking with Jack

The sky was hazy and bright this morning, but through the haze I could see some huge Cumulus clouds, sitting in the sky like giant flying hills. It was quite warm, at 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 24 degrees Centigrade with the sun beating down. The humidity is 40 % and the air pressure is 30. When we went outside this morning there was a big ugly leaf bug waiting for us. It stared at me with its little buggy eyes. Then we saw many woolly bear caterpillars. Lastly, we saw a small garter snake which, on seeing us, took fright and slithered into a hole in the wall.

9-27-07

Walking with Jack

The sky is extremely hazy and is covered by 6 oktas of clouds. There is no wind, and so the sun beats down horribly, making it very hot. The temperature is only 76 degrees Fahrenheit ((24 degrees Centigrade) and so the sun and the high humidity (42 %) must play a part in making it so hot. The trees are starting to turn from green to red and orange. As we walked down the road, happily chatting, an enormous black dog charged out at us, baring his teeth and growling. The only thing that stopped him coming out was his owner calling him back. It was terrifying, let me tell you. The last things we saw were a jay and a little chipmunk who scurried into his hole on the side of the road.

10-4-07

Walking with Jack

A whole new month! Sorry for the missing days. I had many things to work on and I didn't get time for a walk until now. Anyway.... the temperature is 76° F and 24° C, the air pressure is 30.15, and the humidity is 40%. The sky was very hazy and was 7 oktas full of Cirrus and Cumulus clouds. The wind speed was varying, but the highest I got was 5 mph. It came from the NE. Above the meadows we saw 2 hawks attacking a Turkey Vulture. It went: GWAAAAARK!. We also saw a caterpillar which wobbled along, and a monarch.

10-8-07

Walking with Jack

This morning I noted, as I walked out the door, that it was breezy. Unfortunately, as soon as I remarked upon this fact, it wasn't. The wind, although blustery and loud earlier, now is only 4 mph. It is coming from the SW, a new direction for me since I started this blog. The temperature is 69° F and 20° C, the humidity is 43 %, and the air pressure is 30.15. The sky is fair and you can see the humidity in the form of little clouds that appear and disappear like ghosts. Speaking of ghosts, it is now October, and many new changes this month has brought. The foremost of these is that the trees now look like frozen firework displays. The second is that when the the leaves go down, the gravestones go up. I have seen many of these, and not just in the cemetery either. And many foolhardy witches have obviously not taken their flying tests, and are now are pinned to the sides of trees, a warning to all. The pumpkins will soon come. This morning I saw a flock of starlings that weaved and writhed through the air as if they had one mind. I also saw a cute little bluebird sitting on the telephone line.

10-15-07

Walking with Jack

This morning the clouds were wispy cirrus clouds which covered 3 oktas of the sky. The wind is sluggishly blowing them across the sky at 3.5 mph, and the wind is coming from the NE. The air pressure is 30.4, the humidity is 41%, and the temperature is 54° F and 13° C. They've really gone down since last time, haven't they! Fall has fallen upon us, and the weather is now.... brisk, to say the least. We saw nothing apart from a Jay who flew overhead.

10-16-07

Walking with Jack

The cirrus clouds drifted across the sky, filling about 2 oktas of it. The wind came from the NW, moving at 5 mph. The air pressure was 30.4. The humidity was 36 %, and the temperature was 58° F and 15°C. It was very sunny this morning, and the wind was a cool one.

We saw a little nuthatch scooting around upside down, and a couple of jays cawing raucously. Turkey vultures circled overhead, watching us hungrily. A chipmunk bounced along the road, and squirrels chattered in the trees. Lastly, we saw a woodpecker zooming overhead.

10-17-07

Walking with Jack

Today the wind was coming from the WNW at 3 mph. The cloud cover was 8 oktas, and the clouds were Stratus. The air pressure is 30.35, the humidity was 46 %, and the temperature was 56°F and 14°C.

We heard some crows cawing in the trees, a couple of sparrows bouncing about, and a squirrel going boing, boing, BOING! down the road.

10-18-07

Walking with Jack

The wind whistled past us at 4 mph (from the WNW again), catching leaves and whirling them around in mini-tornadoes. I attempted to catch a few leaves, but the wind was wily and the leaves dodged my groping hands again and again. When I finally caught a leaf, I held it up high for all to see! Nobody but mom applauded (of course, nobody but mom was there!).

The sun beat down upon the earth, causing us to remove our jackets and coats. The temperature was 68°F and 20°C, which is higher than most of the temperatures this week! In fact, that is almost summer temperature! The humidity was 42 %, and the air pressure is 30.5. The sky is 3 oktas full of wispy cirrus clouds. I saw a plane trail.

As we started on our walk, a crow flapped over our heads, cawing. Another rooted for worms and bugs in the field. These two were not the only birds we saw, not by a long shot. For soon the sky darkened (well not quite, but it did seem that way), and an army of starlings zoomed overhead. Squadron after squadron flew over us, and finally the whole noisy group settled in some trees, chattering and cawing. We saw a squirrel bouncing across a neighbor's yard, and a jay screeched to himself in the cemetery.

10-22-07

Walking with Jack

Ah, October! The trees slowly melt from greens into reds, oranges and yellows. Birds of many colors scout the sky and ground, growing fatter every day. Squirrels and chipmunks stuff their little cheeks full of acorns and run to hide them where they won't be able to find them (well, it does seem that way!). Everything seems to know that winter is on the way.

The sky is 3 oktas (although I think it was more like 4 oktas) full of wispy, stretchy cirrus clouds. The wind is doing a poor job of blowing the clouds across the sky today, as it is blowing at 0.5 mph and I can't even pick up a wind speed! The air pressure is 30.4, the humidity is 40%, and the temperature was 64°F and 18°C. It was a nice, sunny day.

10-23-07

Walking with Jack

Many more gravestones have popped on people's lawns. It seems quite a few people have died this month. Ha ha. Anyway, we saw a couple of squished animals along the road (ah, the joys of roadkill...). A squirrel nearly gained this happy fate as it ran under a gigantic truck. Fortunately, it escaped. We also saw a mourning dove and some jays (those things are loud!).

The sky was filled almost to the brim (7 oktas) with stratus and cumulus clouds. The wind is blowing from the NW at 3.5 mph. The humidity was 42%, the air pressure was 30.15, and the temperature is 67°F and 19°C. It is nice, but it might rain later.

10-24-07

Walking with Jack

It is wet! Although it was not raining while we walked, it has rained 1/4 of an inch this morning. The sky is full of stratus clouds that billow and writhe through the air. The temperature is 56°F and 13°C. The humidity is 46% and the air pressure is 30.15. We saw some birds, but were not able to identify them.

10-25-07

Walking with Jack

It was raining, windy and overcast when when we started out this morning. The stratus clouds should have covered 8 oktas but for a wee teensy space on the horizon, so 7 oktas. It was dull with a slate-gray sky. Then the sun came out. The entire scene changed dramatically (as well as my attitude towards it). It went from 7 oktas to 6 oktas. The temperature is 49°F and 9°C, the humidity is 49%, and the air pressure is 30.45.

We saw a little downy woodpecker bouncing around on a branch. They are so cute! We also saw a couple more birds, a blue jay, and something squished in the road.

10-29-07

Walking with Jack

It is bright, sunny and decidedly chilly. A cool breeze (4 mph from the NW) blew over us, and coupled with the temperatures (41°F and 5°C) it is positively frigid. The air pressure is 30.65, and the humidity 40%. The sky is 1 okta full of Cirrus clouds. We saw a waning gibbous moon in the sky.

Starlings rose up out of their trees and flew, shrieking, over us. A couple of crows flapped past, cawing. The ground is covered in a light frost.

10-30-07

Walking with Jack

It is very bright this morning, probably because there were no clouds to hide the sun. The air pressure was 30.6, the humidity was 29%, and the temperature was 47°F and 9°C. The wind blew at 5 mph from the SW. It is rather chilly, even though it is bright.

It was a good morning for bird watching this morning, and we did see a lot of birds. First, I saw some starlings, which are not hard to see as they rise up as one group and fly over you. Next, we saw a red-bellied woodpecker and what may have been a kestrel. We also saw a gigantic wasp's nest hanging in the leaf-less branches of a tree.

10-31-07

Walking with Jack

This morning it is a very special day... Halloween day! Last night we popped our pumpkins in the garage to save them from the "teens with toilet paper", who also wield baseball bats upon your pumpkins. The sky is fair and is 4 oktas full of Cirrus clouds, which drift lazily across the sky at 2 mph (from the SW). It started out kind of chilly this morning, but it warmed up until we were forced to shed our hats, coats and fuzzy mittens (actually, I have one mitten that's fuzzy and one that's not) or drown in our own sweat (have you noticed that I just LOVE exaggeration?). The air pressure was 30.5, the humidity is 41% and the temperature was 50°F and 10°C.

Almost as if they were drawn here by the spookiness of the holiday, crows flapped overhead and crouched in treetops, glaring and croaking at us. Starlings shrieked and shrieked and shrieked in the trees, so I was glad when we passed them. We also saw a jay, a squirrel and a tufted titmouse.

11-1-07

Walking with Jack

Ah, the start of a new month. The fall this year has been quite agreeable, but I hope that this weather will not continue into winter. I want snow! The sky is 7 oktas full of cumulus clouds. It has been quite a while since I have seen their puffy whiteness in the sky. The wind is blowing at three mph from the SW. The air pressure is 30.25 inHg, the humidity is 41% and the temperature is 56°F and 14°C.

We spied a little bluebird peering down at us from a tree-branch. Some jays and crows flew overhead. Sparrows fluttered around us, and two squirrels chased each other up and down a tree. It is a nice day.

11-6-07

Walking with Jack

Is is quite breezy this morning, and the temperature stands at 50°F and 10°C. The air pressure is 30.5 inHg, and the humidity is 28%. The wind is coming from the NW at 3.5 mph. It is quite chilly, but okay with a coat.

We observed some birds fluttering about and an enormous hornet's nest hanging from a tree. We also observed a huge black dog which growled and glared at us. It has charged at us before! I hate that Doberman.

11-8-07

Walking with Jack

It was quite chilly this morning, only 4°C and 39°F. This is fitting as last night we had our first frost. Some of the trees appear to have dropped their leaves all in one go. WHOOOMPH! The air pressure 30.45 inHg, and the humidity is 33%. The wind is blowing at 2.5 mph from the NW.

We saw a lot of starlings, a bluebird, and a fuzzy caterpillar (isn't it kind of late for them to be around?), and heard a red-tail. A couple of dogs growled and glared at us from a driveway. One even jumped out and barked fiercely. The owners screamed and yelled at it, but the dog might have been deaf because it didn't stop until we had walked away, whereupon it retreated into its driveway, growling.

11-12-07

Walking with Jack

It was kind of chilly this morning. I can tell because my nose has gone runny. I was wearing my fuzzy hat, coat, and red gloves (one fuzzy and one not). How was I cold?! Maybe I need a scarf. The air pressure has not risen or dropped, but has stayed at 30.45 inHg. The humidity was 40 % and the 41°F and 15°C. The wind came from the WNW at 0.5 mph.

We saw a squirrel bouncing along the telephone line, and couple of birds fluttering over head, a jay and a red-bellied woodpecker.

11-13-07

Walking with Jack

It was warmer this morning, the temperature being 54°F and 12°C. Even though it is warmer, it still feels like fall. So its not swimsuit weather. The air pressure is 30.2 inHg and the humidity is 44%. The wind is coming from the NE at 3 mph. It is bright and sunny, and the sky is 7 oktas full of stratus and cirrus clouds.

We saw a jay, heard and saw some noisy starlings, and heard a dog barking at us from inside its house.

11-14-07

Walking with Jack

It is warm this morning, but still cold. I feel no reason to elaborate on this theme, as I have been doing that the last few days. The temperature is 49°F and 9°C. The humidity is 50% this morning and the air pressure is 30.15 inHg. The sky is 8 oktas full (full to the brim) of Stratus clouds. There is no wind and, consequently, no wind direction.

We saw some Jays, some mourning doves, three squirrels and a couple of chipmunks. We also saw two red squirrels. They are very cute!

11-15-07

Walking with Jack

The sky is 8 oktas full of stratus clouds, which are quickly gust along. It is cold and wet. The temperature is 40°F and 4°C, the humidity is 46% and the air pressure is 30.1. It is quite windy, and the wind is coming from the NW at 5 mph. We have had 1 inch of rain.

We saw a bluebird.

11-19-07

Walking with Jack

The sky is completely full of stratus, and it is snowing gently (and, at times, not so gently). It had been snowing all yesterday and all last night, so the height of the snow is 3 inches. The wind is coming from the NW at 3 mph. The air pressure is 30.6 inHg and 48% humidity. The temperature is 0°C and 32°F.

We heard a crow and saw a dog which charged at us!

11-20-07

Walking with Jack

The sky is full of stratus clouds, and it is raining quite hard. The snow has melted down to slush over a thin layer of ice. We saw a collapsing snowman. 1 inch of rain has fallen. Lastly, the air pressure is 30.35 inHg, the temperature is 4°C and 38°F, and the humidity is 54%.

We saw a Jay and a Red-Bellied woodpecker.

11-21-07

Walking with Jack

The sun is desperately trying to break through the stratus clouds that fill 7 oktas of the sky, but it has not yet succeeded. However, some cumulus clouds have emerged from the stratus. The wind whistled a merry tune as it blew from the NNW at 2 mph. The temperature is 49°F and 9°C, and almost all of the snow has melted away. The air pressure is 30.25 inHg and the humidity is 54%.

We saw a bunch of busy birds fluttering about and heard some starlings (it would be hard not to hear them).

11-26-07

Walking with Jack

The sun is depressingly out of sight this morning. I guess it just gave up. The sky is, after all, 8 oktas full of stratus clouds and unlikely to be clearing. The rain is heavy, in fact it's more like buckets of water being poured on our heads. It has rained over 1 inch so far.

There is no wind speed and, consequently, no wind direction. The air pressure is 30.35, the humidity is 48% and the temperature is 41°F and 5°C.

We saw some crows.

11-28-07

Walking with Jack

The sun is glaring out from behind wispy, torn-looking cirrus clouds, which fill 5 oktas of the sky. The wind is cheerfully blowing by at 8 mph (from the NNW), intent on freezing us. The temperature is 36°F and 2°C (brrr!), the air pressure is 30.6 inHg, and the humidity is 32%.

We saw some crows, heard a Jay, saw a red tail hawk, and saw some dogs.

11-29-07

Walking with Jack

The sky is is 8 oktas full of stratus clouds. On the way back from our walk, it started to rain. The wind is coming from the NW at 5 mph, which means that the rain was blowing in our faces on the way back. The air pressure is 30.3 inHg, the humidity is 42%, and the temperature is 38°F and 4°C.

We saw a Jay, some crows chasing off a flock of starlings, and a large black doberman which galloped towards us.

12-5-07

The wind is coming from the NW at 4.5 mph. It is snowing quite hard. The temperature is 28°F and -2°C, the air pressure is 30.05 and the humidity is 42%.

I heard some jays cawing.

12-6-07

The wind is coming from the NW at 2.5 mph. A light layer of snow covers the ground. The temperatures are 30°F and -1°C, the humidity is 25%, and the air Pressure is 30.5 inHg.

We saw and heard a Red-Bellied woodpecker.

12-10-07

The wind is coming from the WNW at 2.5 mph. The ice on the trees is melting and dripping on us. Very annoying! And wet. Anyway, the temperatures have raced up to 2°C and 34°F. Phew, what a heat wave! I'm surprised the neighbors haven't opened the pool (only kidding). The air pressure is 30.45 inHg and the humidity is 48%, which makes it rather drying.

We observed a jay, who made an odd noise like a red-tail hawk and then flapped off. We also saw a half-eaten crab apple (and boy did it look crabby!), and heard a large dog barking fiercely. Fortunately, it either didn't see us or was tied up.

12-11-07

The wind is coming from the NW at 2 mph. The sky is 8 oktas full of Stratus clouds. The air pressure is 30.5 inHg, the humidity is 43% and the temperature is 34°F and 2°C. It is quite slippery underfoot due to melting ice.

We saw a nuthatch, a squirrel, heard a Jay and saw some holes a woodpecker had pecked in a tree.

12-12-07

The wind is coming from the WNW at 13 mph. Unfortunately for me, my anometer has to have surgery to remove it's batteries, so I had to kind of make an educated guess as to the wind speed. The humidity is 38%, the air pressure was 30.25 inHg and the temperature was 42°F and 6°C. The sky is 7 oktas full of cirrostratus and stratus clouds. The sun is trying to break through.

We saw three red-tailed hawks riding the air currents, a red bellied woodpecker, some juncos and a dead squirrel.

12-13-07

Walking in the Snow with Jack

Well, about ten o'clock this morning it started snowing. As I ate my breakfast, I watched mounds and mounds of fluffy white stuff hit the ground with a thud. And I'm not kidding about the last bit. It was coming down HEAVY! So we headed out for our walk with snow clothes and umbrellas. I felt like Mr Tumnus from Narnia holding that umbrealla! After a while, the snow slowed down, and I liked that. But after a while, it started back again, and this time it wasn't just snow- it was sleet. I could hear it pounding on my umbrella, going rattatatatatat.... Anyway, it appears to have stopped for now (the sleet, not my umbrella).

The wind is coming from the WNW at 4 mph, and that's plenty enough wind to blow the snow in your face, or down your collar (it depends which direction your facing). The air pressure is 30.4 inHg, the humidity 43% (which means that you should wrap up tight and smear coconut oil on your face, kids!), and the temperature is 29°F and -1°C. The sky is 8 oktas full of stratus clouds. The snow was just perfect for making snowballs at the beginning of the walk, but is now rather crumbly.

We saw a jay and some bluebirds (which I really think should be called blue and red birds).

12-17-07

Walking on the Ice with Jack

It snowed over the weekend, then it rained, then it froze over. Needless to say, it's quite hard to get a grip with your boots today. The wind was blowing from the NW at 20.5 mph. Wow! That almost blew me over once! The temperature is 28°F and -2°C, the humidity was 26%, and the air pressure was 30.25 inHg.

We saw a couple of Juncos, a red-tailed hawk and a red-bellied woodpecker. We also saw three crows.

12-18-07

Walking with Jack

Its still icy out there and quite cold. The wind is coming from the NW at 8.5 mph, the air pressure is 30.5 inHg, the humidity is 34% and the temperature is 32°F and 0°C.

We saw a pileated and downy woodpecker and some sparrows.

12-20-07

Walking with Jack

Its still icy, but there is a thin coat of snow over the top of the ice, making it easier to walk on. The air pressure is 30.4 inHg, the humidity is 40% and the temperatures have skyrocketed to a stunning 2°C (that's 35°F). The wind is coming from the WNW at 4-5 mph (gusts of up to 6 mph).

We saw quite a bit of animal (well, bird) life today. There was a male downy woodpecker who hopped around going peckpeckpeckpeck. I think that they are very cute, though I might not think so if I were a bug! We also saw 3 crows and some deer tracks. No deer, just the the tracks. I want my money back!

1-3-08

Walking with Jack

Happy new year!

It is extremely cold this morning, -8°C and 18°F. It is also very windy today. The wind reaches up to 7 mph from the NW. The sky is 1 okta full of clouds. The air pressure is 30.75, and the humidity is 21%.

We saw two Red Tail Hawks today.

1-7-08

Walking with Jack

Wow! Is it hot today (well, hot for winter anyway)! The temperature is 56°F and 13°C! The wind cools it down a little bit, though. The wind is coming from the NW at 3 mph. I will also mention that the humidity is 38% and the air pressure is 30.4 inHg.

We saw a Heron soaring lazily overhead. Herons always seem so mellow to me, because they do everything really slowly and calmly. We heard a Pileated Woodpecker shrieking down at us from the treetops. Dark-Eyed Juncos flitted from tree to tree while some bluebirds fought over who would sit where.

1-8-08

Walking with Jack

It is 62°F and 17°C! Wowie, is it hot! The sky is 7 oktas full of Cirrus Clouds, which are blowing along at 2.5 mph (from the WNW). The air pressure is 30.2 and the humidity is 32%.

We saw a Pileated Woodpecker, a Jay, a Mockingbird and a Red Squirrel.

1-9-08

Walking with Jack

It has gone down a bit in temperature, being only 56°F and 13°C. The humidity is 24% and the air pressure 30.2. The wind is very strong! it is coming from the NW at 14 mph! The sky is 3 oktas full of cumulus and cirrus clouds. It is sunny.

We saw a turkey vulture being battered around by the wind and lots of leaves blowing around.

1-14-08

Walking with Jack

It has snowed about a half-inch today. Not very much, but the snow is very packable. So I made a snowman, which stands armless and headless in our front yard (I didn't have time to finish it). The wind is coming from the NW at 0.5 mph, and it keeps dumping snow from the trees onto our heads. The stratus clouds fill the sky. The air pressure is 30.15, the humidity is 44% and the temperature is 33°F and 1°C.

We saw a Red-Bellied Woodpecker and a Jay.

1-15-08

Walking with Jack

The snow is a little less packable, but there is a little bit more of it. The temperature is 0°C and 33°C, the air pressure is 30.2 and the humidity is 41%. The wind is coming from NW at 0 mph (there wasn't enough wind for the anemometer to pick up the wind speed). The sky is 6 oktas full of stratus clouds.

We saw a Red Tailed Hawk, a Downy Woodpecker and a Pileated Woodpecker.

1-16-08

Walking with Jack

The snow is not very packable anymore. It is quite powdery, in fact. The sky is 5 oktas full of cumulus and cirrus clouds. The temperature is 0°C and 32°F, the air pressure is 30.45 and the humidity is 32%. The wind is coming from the NW at 11 mph.

We saw a Red Bellied Woodpecker and a cute little Red Squirrel that scurried about busily.

1-21-08

Walking with Jack

The snow is slowly evaporating away. That's right. It's so cold the snow is just evaporating! The wind is coming from the NW at 5 mph and the sky is empty of all clouds. The temperature is -10°C and 14°F, the humidity is 31% and the air pressure is 30.85.

We saw a cute little female (you can tell whether they are male or female by their heads; males have a read spot) downy woodpecker pecking away at a tree, and some turkey vultures sitting in a tree and waiting patiently for us to expire.

1-22-08

Walking with Jack

It is not as cold this morning, as the temperature is -3°C and 27°F. The humidity is 35% and the air pressure is 30.45. The wind is coming from the NW at 3 mph. The sky is 3 oktas full of cirrus clouds.

We saw some crows and a little downy woodpecker.

1-23-08

Walking with Jack

The wind speed reached 10 mph from the NW this morning. The humidity is 22%, the air pressure is 30.25 and the temperature is 1°C and 34°F. There is a bit more snow on the ground, but the big storm promised for last night turned out to be a damp squib.

We saw some crows and we heard a downy woodpecker.

1-28-08

Walking with Jack

The wind is coming from the NW at 2 mph. The temperature is 1°C and 34°F, the humidity is 34% and the air pressure is 32.35. The sky is 1 okta full of cirrus clouds. It is sunny, but not warm. In short, it is a depressingly average winter day. Sigh.

We saw an enormous Pileated Woodpecker pecking around in the treetops, a group of tiny little Downy Woodpeckers staring down at us, a squirrel and a Nuthatch.

1-29-08

Walking with Jack

The wind is coming from the NW at 2 mph. The air pressure is 30.15 inHg, the humidity is 42% and the temperature is 30°F and -1°C. It is wet and the sky is 8 oktas full of stratus clouds.

We saw a Red-Bellied woodpecker, a Downy woodpecker, a Red Squirrel and a bag in a tree.

2-05-08

Walking with Jack

Today the sky was 8 oktas full of stratus clouds and it was very misty. The temperature was 4°C and 40°F, the air pressure was 30.15 and the humidity was 54%. The wind was coming from the NW at 6 mph.

We saw a cute little red squirrel, a jay, a female downy woodpecker, a black-capped chickadee, and heard a pileated woodpecker.

2-06-08

Walking with Jack

It is wet. The sky is 8 oktas full of stratus clouds and it is foggy. The temperature was 11°C and 51°F, the air pressure is 29.85 inHg and the humidity is 54%. The wind was coming from the SE at 3 mph.

We heard a couple of crows cawing, saw a turkey vulture circling, a gray squirrel scampering across the road, and heard a pileated woodpecker.

2-20-08

Walking with Jack

There is some snow still on the ground, but it is thinning to reveal the brown grass and leaves underneath. The cirrus and cumulus clouds cover 6 oktas of the sky. The sun beats down, but it is chilly (22°F and 14°C) and windy (8 mph from the SW). The air pressure is 29.4 and the humidity is 32%.

We heard some very VERY noisy Jays, saw a deer footprint in the mud and saw some turkey vultures huddled in the field, sheltering against the wind.

2-20-08

Walking with Jack

The temperature is 32°F, which is exactly 0°C, the humidity is 19% and the air pressure is 30.5. The wind is coming from the WNW at 4 mph. The sky is 2 oktas full of cirrus clouds.

We saw a squirrel bouncing about and heard some birds.

2-22-08

Walking with Jack

The wind is coming from the NW at 4 mph, the temperature is -2°C and 28°F, the humidity is 45% and the air pressure is 30.3 inHg. The sky is 8 oktas full of stratus clouds and the snow is 5 inches deep.

We saw a Pileated Woodpecker and heard some Jays.

2-25-08

Walking with Jack

The wind is coming from the WNW at 2 mph, the temperature is 3°C and 39°F, the humidity is 29% and the air pressure is 30.25. The sky is 2 oktas full of Cirrus clouds. There is snow on the ground.

We saw a Broad Wing Hawk, a noisy Jay, a cute little black-capped chickadee, a mourning dove and a yellow-bellied sapsucker.

2-26-08

Walking with Jack

The wind is coming from the NW at 1 mph, the temperature is 2°C and 36°F, the humidity is 42% and the air pressure is 30.5 inHg. The sky is 8 oktas full of stratus clouds, and it is snowing (or raining).

We saw a woodpecker, heard some Jays and saw some crows.

2-28-08

Walking with Jack

The wind is coming from the NW at 18 mph, the temperature is -6°C and 21°F (giving us a wind chill factor of between -5 and -10), the humidity is 22% and the air pressure is 30.35 inHg. The sky is 1 okta full of cirrus clouds.

I saw some black-capped chickadees on the bird feeder.

3-3-08

Walking with Jack

The wind is coming from the SE at 6 mph, the temperature is 6°C and 42°F, the humidity is 32% and the air pressure is 30.4. The sky is 5 oktas full of cumulus and cirrus clouds.

We saw a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, a bluebird, a mourning dove, and a crow. We also heard a cowbird.

3-4-08

Walking with Jack

The wind is coming from the SE at 2 mph, the temperature is 12°C and 52°F, the humidity is 45% and the air pressure is 30.05. The sky is 8 oktas full of stratus clouds. It is raining heavily.

We saw a chipmunk, a bunch of starlings, some robins, various woodpeckers (including a pileated woodpecker) and two Cedar Waxwings.

3-5-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 8 oktas full of stratus and cumulus clouds. The wind is coming from the NW at 6 mph, the temperature is 6°C and 43°F, the air pressure is 29.95 inHg and the humidity is 30%.

We saw some Bluebirds, some Crows, some Jays, a Downey woodpecker and a Red-Bellied Woodpecker.

3-7-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 8 oktas full of stratus clouds which rumble moodily across the sky, writhing and spitting rain. Oh yes, it's raining. By the bucketful. The wind is coming from the NW at 1.5 mph. The air pressure is 30.3 inHg, the humidity is 36% and the temperature is 6°C and 42°F.

We saw a mockingbird and a red-bellied woodpecker.

3-10-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 3 oktas full of cirrus clouds. The air pressure is 35.5 inHg, the temperature is -1°C and 30°F, and the humidity is 32%. There is cool breeze from the NW at 5 mph.

We saw a Jay, a cute little bluebird, some starlings, a chickadee and heard a mourning dove.

3-11-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 6 oktas full of cumulus clouds, and there is a cold breeze from the NNW at 7 mph. The temperature is 3°C and 37°F, the air pressure is 30.4 inHg and the humidity is 36%.

We saw a red squirrel, several nuthatches, a bluebird, a tufted titmouse and a black-capped chickadee.

3-12-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 7 oktas full of stratus clouds and it is snowing or raining. I am not sure which. One thing is for sure however, it is snowing/raining pretty darn hard. The wind is coming from the NNW at 8 mph, the humidity is 34%, the air pressure is 30 inHg and the temperature is 4°C and 39°F.

We saw a bunch of turkey vultures circling low right above us (wondering if we were going to drop dead, perhaps?) and we saw a Jay.

3-13-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 4 oktas full of cumulus clouds and the wind is coming from the NW at 4.5 mph. The temperature is 6°C and 43°F, the humidity is 24% and the air pressure is 30.25 inHg.

We saw three cute little bluebirds, two mourning doves, a red-bellied woodpecker, a male downy woodpecker, a dead wasp's nest that had fallen to the ground, a gray squirrel and a cute red squirrel.

3-17-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 2 oktas full of cirrus clouds. The wind is coming from the NW at 6 mph. The temperature is 9°C and 48°F, the humidity is 17% and the air pressure is 30.55.

We saw a little gray squirrel squawking his head off at something in the bushes, a little sleek-looking robin and a black-capped chickadee.

3-18-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 8 oktas full of stratus clouds. The wind is coming from the NW at 3 mph. The temperature is 5°C and 42°F, the humidity is 26% and the air pressure is 30.5. I saw a black-capped chickadee, some cool-looking crows and a gray squirrel that was furiously running around.

3-24-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 1 okta full of cirrus clouds. The wind is coming from the NW at 4 mph. The temperature is 3°C and 37°F, the humidity is 28% and the air pressure is 30.45.

We saw a bluebird, a couple of birds doing what looked like a courtship dance, some robins pecking for bugs in the meadow, a tufted titmouse, a black-capped chickadee, a coltsfoot flowering (mom saw this yesterday as well), running myrtle, onion grass, dandelion, gill-over-the-ground or ground ivy (none of these were flowering), two very cute nuthatches, a Jay mimicking a red-tailed hawk, a downy woodpecker and we heard a red-winged blackbird.

3-25-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 1 okta of cirrus clouds. The wind is coming from the NW at 7.5 mph. The temperature is 9°C and 48°F, the humidity is 20% and the air pressure is 30.35.

We saw a bunch of turkey vultures clustered around a dead (and kind of icky) raccoon, a couple of little woolly bear caterpillars, and heard a red-winged blackbird and a woodpecker pecking.

3-31-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 8 oktas full of stratus clouds and it is drizzly. The wind is coming from the NW at 3 mph, the temperature is 4°C and 40°F, the humidity is 46% and the air pressure is 30.6.

We saw what might have been a (willow?) flycatcher, what might have been a mockingbird, a Jay, a couple of black-capped chickadees and a sparrow.

4-1-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 8 oktas full of Stratus clouds and it is far from drizzly, it has now gone totally rainy! It has rained one inch of rain already. The temperature is 14°C and 56°F, the humidity is 54% and the air pressure is 30.15. The wind is coming from the NW at 2 mph, although there have been gusts of higher than that.

We saw a lot of dead worms (the rain has washed them out of their wormy burrows), some rather wet-looking robins, saw a gray squirrel hopping along the road and into his tree, and heard a red-winged blackbird.

4-3-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 3 oktas full of cirrus clouds and it is sunny. The temperature is 6°C and 43°F, the humidity is 23% and the air pressure is 30.6. The wind is coming from the NW at 6 mph.

We saw a Red-Bellied Woodpecker, a few unidentified woodpeckers, a couple of little birds chasing each other, and a nuthatch climbing a tree upside down.

4-7-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 8 oktas full of stratus clouds and it is chilly. The wind is is coming from the NW at 3 mph, the air pressure is 30.5 inHg, the humidity is 42% and the temperature is 41°F and 5°C.

We saw an Eastern Purple Finch, a bunch of Black-Capped Chickadees (including a very friendly one), some Juncos, a Red-Bellied Woodpecker, some Sparrows, a Blue Jay and a pair of Nuthatches.

4-8-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 6 oktas full of cumulus clouds and it is warm! The wind is coming from the NW at 2.5 mph, the air pressure is 30.35 inHg, the humidity is 25% and the temperature is 64°F and 18°C.

We saw an Eastern Purple Finch, heard a cowbird, saw some starlings, and saw a pair of sparrows.

4-9-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 7 oktas full of cirrus clouds and it is warm. The wind is coming from the NW at 4 mph, the air pressure is 30.35 inHg, the humidity is 25% and the temperature is 16°C and 60°F.

We saw a Willow Warbler, a Red-Tailed Hawk, some sparrows nesting in our bird box and some finches.

4-10-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 2 oktas full of cirrus clouds and it is VERY warm. The wind is coming from the NW at 9 mph, the air pressure is 30.25 inHg, the humidity is 24% and the temperature is 18°C and 64°F. It is really starting to feel like spring now!

We saw a red-tailed hawk, a nuthatch, some running myrtle, a chipmunk and a willow warbler.

4-14-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 2 oktas full of cirrus clouds with a few cumulus clouds. The wind is coming from the NW at 3.5 mph. The air pressure is 30.25 inHg, the humidity is 28%, and the temperature is 5°C and 42°F.

We saw two red-tailed hawks and a robin.

4-15-08

Walking with Jack

The sky has no clouds in it all this morning. None at all. There's a simple explanation for this, though, and it's that the Weather Man ran out of his Quick 'n' Easy Cloud Mix (rain and snow not included). On a related note, the wind is coming from the NW at 5.5 mph. The temperature is a wee bit warmer, at 6°C and 44°F, the humidity is 28% and the air pressure is 30.45 inHg.

Mom, Dad and myself (I have realized that I always put "we" and the beginning of this part, and have now clarified exactly who "we" means) went out for our walk this morning (which is very nice [the morning, not the walk, although that was nice to]), and we saw a few crows, a Jay (which squawked loudly and crossly at us before flapping off), two deer (who stopped and stared at us rather dopily, before deciding that they had better things to do and bounding off), a wild turkey hen (we [Mom, Dad, and myself] though it might be sitting on chicks, but no, it was just sitting down in the grass), two blue azure butterflies, a red-tailed hawk sitting in tree, a morning cloak butterfly, and a pile of garbage (that had been dragged there by a bear, or a raccoon, or something, and which we cleaned up).

So ends another walk!

4-17-08

Walking with Jack

The sky again has no clouds in it, so one must assume that the Weather Man has run of cloud mix again. The wind is coming from the NW at 8 mph, the air pressure is 30.2 inHg, and the humidity is 22%. And it's really sunny. It's so sunny, in fact, that the light casts a sort of golden halo around everything.

We saw a bunch of deer (well, just their tails, the rest had disappeared into the the trees at full gallop by then), a little chipmunk who scampered down a hole when he saw us, heard a pileated woodpecker, saw a blue azure butterfly and picked a dandelion for my flower project.

4-21-08

Walking with Jack

The sky has clouds today, in fact 7 oktas of it is covered by cirrus and cumulus clouds. The air pressure is 30.35 inHg, the humidity is 36%, and the temperature is 60°F and 16°C. The wind is coming from the NE at 2.5 mph.

We saw a turkey hen wandering in a field, some blue azures, three white-tailed deer, and a bunch of evil little loathsome black flies!

4-23-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 5 oktas full of cirrus clouds. The air pressure is 30.3 inHg, the humidity is 30% and the temperature is 72°F and 22°C. The wind is coming from the NE at 2.5 mph.

We saw a mockingbird, a blue azure butterfly, a red-tailed hawk, a barn swallow, and a pair of cowbirds.

4-28-08

Walking with Jack

The sky is 8 oktas full of stratus clouds and it is raining heavily. The air pressure is 30.1 inHg, the humidity is 49% and the temperatures are 10°C and 50°F. The wind is coming from the NW at 1.5 mph.

We saw a willow warbler, heard a pileated woodpecker and saw lots of rain. There was a quarter inch of rain in the rain gauge.

4-28-08

The sky is 3 oktas full of cirrus and cumulus clouds. It rained a total of 3 and 3/4 " of rain yesterday but it is sunny today. The air pressure is 30.05 inHg, the humidity is 28% and the temperature is 11°C and 52°F. The wind is coming from the NW at 18 mph!

We saw a Willow Warbler.

5-12-08

Walking with Jack

I'm back from vacation! We headed to England, the land of rain, mud and beautiful countryside scenes. Actually, it wasn't that rainy and it wasn't that muddy, but the countryside was superb. I expected to be rained on there, but it turns out that it is raining here in America to welcome us back from England. The weather has a funny sense of humor.

Anyway, I'm back and here with your daily weather report! The sky in Warren County today is 8 oktas full of gloomy gray stratus clouds and drifting mists. That puts us on 6.5 on the gloomy day meter. And it's raining! Bucketing, in fact. That puts us on 8.5. Oh! And it's windy! The wind is coming from the NW (although the wind direction meter doesn't settle for long; it spins around a lot) at 4 mph. Well, that doesn't sound very windy, but earlier the wind was strong enough to turn mom's umbrella inside out. I was afraid that I might go sailing off into the sky like Mary Poppins! That puts us on 9 on the Gloomy day meter. Last but not least, it is cold. Coming from England, where it was a balmy 70°F most of the time, 46°F and 8°C seems a little cold to me! That puts us on 10 on the gloomy day scale. It's one gloomy day out there.

(The air pressure is 30 inHg and the humidity is 43%, just in case anyone cares.)

We saw a red-winged blackbird (and heard it) sitting in a tree branch, looking quite bedraggled. It's strange how the cutest little bird suddenly goes scruffy when confronted with water. A willow warbler was sitting on a power line, but he wasn't doing much warbling.

5-13-08

Walking with Jack

Here's the daily weather report from the Wooldridge Household! I am Jack Wooldridge, and I'll be your weatherman for today! The skies over Warren County are clear and blue, except from some stretchy cirrus clouds near the horizon, which is very sad. Well, it's sad for me because I like reporting bad weather! The wind is gusting along at 6 mph from the NW, the temperature is 62°F and 17°C, the humidity (for you people who care) is 26% and the air pressure is 30.2 inHg. The gloomy day meter is still on ten, but we think it's stuck.

And now, here's Jack Wooldridge, your naturalist, here to tell about his walk through dappled forest glades and gloomy gray sidewalks this morning! Please welcome him! APPLAUD.

As I was walking down the road this morning, I spotted thousands of creepy caterpillars inching across the way. Crikey, I thought! But, intrigued, I decided to have a closer look at one of the little fellows. As I watched him shimmy his way across the road, his little furry legs propelling him along at a speed of 1/25 of a mile per hour (or about that), I recognized the tent caterpillar, a known tree-eating varmint! I would have squished 'im then and there, but I didn't want to (no, I'm not being kind, I just don't like squishing caterpillars; they're icky). As I turned off the road and up the path to the forest (by the way, I don't think the forest glades are dappled; but then again, I don't know exactly what dappled means!) I heard a raucous caw. Crikey, what could that be? At last I saw the culprit, a loud-mouthed jay in the treetops. Now anyone who says they like the sound of Jays are either a bit deaf, mad, or lying. Finally the busybody moved off. Later, walking down the road, I spotted a willow warbler, but he wasn't doing any warbling today either. When will the willow warbler learn to warble? I also saw a sparrow. Now, if you'll excuse me- what? Oh, okay. Weatherman Jack would like to say he spotted a Baltimore Oriole. Now, if you'll excuse me, this is Jack Wooldridge signing off.

5-15-08

Walking with Jack

Hello and welcome to Walking with Jack! I am Jack, and I'll be your host, weatherman and naturalist today! Anyway, the sky today is 6 oktas (that's 6/8, folks) full of fluffy cirrus clouds with a few stratus clouds lurking at edge, waiting for their chance to rain on us. It is a bit muggy (38% humidity) and hot (66°F and 19°C), and worst of all (evil grin) it's almost entirely still (2 mph gusts from the NW)! Hee hee hee, it's a typically summer day (which would be fine if it was summer)! The air pressure is 30.1 inHg, for you who care.

Anyway, here's your naturalist Jack Wooldridge, here to tell you about his walk in the sun and heat this morning!

Before I went out this morning, I spotted a Baltimore Oriole (Ha ha, Weatherman Jack, now we're even!). A jay swooped over, croaking away happily. Gaa, those Jays! Like listening to the Fingernails On A Chalkboard Marching Band! We saw that willow warbler again, and he looked down at me snootily, as if to say "I hold the upper hand here, for I can poop on your hat any time I want to!" A red-winged blackbird crooned (welled, cawed) a raucous melody in the field. I spotted a couple of barn swallows on the telephone line. One swooped about, shrieking madly, before settling down next to the other one. When I looked at them, they stared down at me. One nudged the other and chattered for a bit. Then they flew off.

5-19-08

Walking with Jack

Welcome to Walking with Jack! I am Jack Wooldridge, your weatherman for today! Today the sky is 7 oktas (7/8) full of stratus and cumulus clouds. The temperature is 11°C and 51°F (Brrrr!) and to make it feel even colder, the wind is cruising along at 12 mph from the NW! The sky was being a bit temperamental this morning, however. First it looked like it might rain, then it did rain, but now it's cleared up and is sunny and beautiful. The air pressure is 29.85 inHg and the humidity is 30%.

Now, please welcome Jack Wooldridge, the youngest naturalist of Marble Hill Rd!

Today, I saw a crow getting mobbed by a little teensy bird. The bird chased it off, and then flew back into a tree. Was it defending it's nest? Anyway, it serves Mr Crow right, because he mobs Red-tailed Hawks! We also saw a Hairy Solomon's Seal, a funky-looking plant.

5-27-08

Walking with Jack

Welcome to Walking with Jack!!! (I get cheerier every time, don't I!) I am Jack Wooldridge, your weatherman for today. Today the sky is 7 oktas full of cirrus clouds. The temperature is 74°F and 23°C. And it's humid! I mean REALLY humid! The humidity is 45% and the air pressure is 29.95 inHg. It is spoiling for a thunderstorm today, as the clouds are milling about and seek to conquer the sky. Soon, this afternoon perhaps, a thunderstorm shall rear its ugly head. Muwha ha ha ha HA HAH!!

Now, please welcome Jack Wooldridge, your naturalist for today.

On my nature walk today, I spotted three interesting plants and snagged them for my collection. They were called Field Hawkweed (or King Devil; they give some plants very ominous names), White Clover (sorry, no cool names for this one) and White Campion. I also spotted a barn swallow on the telephone wire and some catbirds bouncing around. I heard a green frog croaking and a red-winged blackbird cawing.

5-29-08

Walking with Jack

Welcome to Walking with Jack! I am Jack Wooldridge, your weatherman for today. The sky today is 3 oktas full of swirly cirrus clouds. The temperature is 19°C and 67°F. It's not as humid as Tuesday today, as the humidity is 28%. The air pressure, for you who care, is 30.3 inHg, and the wind is coming from the NW at 2.5 mph.

Please welcome Jack Wooldridge, your naturalist for today!

I spotted an Eastern Kingbird in a little tree this morning. He had a black head, back and tail with a white front. He looked like he was all dressed up! I also spotted a mockingbird, a bluebird and heard a green frog croaking away.

5-29-08

Walking with Jack

Welcome to Walking with Jack! I am Jack Wooldridge, your weatherman for today. The sky today is 6 oktas full of cirrus clouds. The temperature is 23°C and 73°F. The humidity is 26%. That's even less humid than yesterday! The air pressure is 30.2 inHg, and the wind is coming from the NW at 3.5 mph.

Please welcome Jack Wooldridge, your naturalist for today!

I saw a Eastern Towhee in the trees this morning. He chirruped and hopped about, making it hard to see him in the binoculars. I also heard a green frog and saw some catbirds, sparrows and barn swallows. Mom spotted the first monarch butterfly of the year!

6-2-08

Walking with Jack

Welcome to Walking with Jack! It is now a new month, full of natural surprises and interesting weather (Oh, and don't ask me what the natural surprises are going to be. I have no idea. They are surprises, after all!) Speaking of the weather, there is 1 okta of cirrus and cumulus clouds in the sky this morning. The wind is coming from the NW (as always) at 9.5 mph. The air pressure is 30.1 inHg, the humidity is 32%, and the temperature is 21°C and 70°F.

I spotted tent caterpillars everywhere, lying on the road. You can hardly move for touching them! Yuck! I saw a cowbird in the trees (mom wouldn't believe it was a cowbird until she got the binoculars out and looked at it), a cute little sparrow sitting on the telephone wire and a mockingbird sitting on a road sign. I also spotted a dying butterfly lying in the road. I moved it over to the side of the road.

6-3-08

Walking with Jack

Welcome to Walking with Jack again! I am Jack, and I'll be your weatherman for today! The sky was 3 oktas full of swirly cirrus clouds. The wind is coming from the NW at 3.5 mph. The temperature is 76°F and 24°C, the humidity is 32% and the air pressure is 30.15 inHg.

I saw a very friendly catbird who hopped down right in front of us, looked up, thought "Ahhhh! Big things!" and flew off to a tree. Some turkey vultures flew up and away from some carrion in the woodland when they saw us coming. One landed in a tree and made a wet sneezing noise. I saw a monarch egg on some milkweed and a yellow swallowtail. I saw a downy woodpecker in the woods.

6-4-08

Walking with Jack

Welcome to Walking with Jack! Overnight we got 1/2 an inch of rainfall, and this morning it is still damp. The sky is 8 oktas full of stratus clouds. The temperature is 62°F and 17°C, the air pressure is 30.1 inHg and the the humidity is 48%. Last but not least, the wind is coming from the NW at 2 mph.

The numbers of tent caterpillars are decreasing! Yay! Their peak has come and gone (hopefully). As I walked past the woods, some turkey vultures stared at me and took off. The stench of carrion was really awful! Yuck! On a lighter note, I spotted loads of mockingbirds. I saw a pair of them chasing each around and around, squawking loudly. I also spotted some cute little bluebirds in the forest. On my way back, a few chipmunks popped out of their holes and some blackbirds munched insects in the field.

6-5-08

Walking with Jack

Welcome to Walking with Jack! Although it is not raining, it is still damp today. The sky is 8 oktas full of cumulus and stratus clouds. The temperature is 66°F and 18°C, the air pressure is 30.2 inHg and the humidity is 44%. The wind is coming from the SW at 3 mph.

There are definitely less tent caterpillars around now. Dad pulled open one of their nests and there was nothing but a load of dead caterpillars in there. I hope that they are gone for good. I saw a mockingbird chase off some other birds, including a sparrow, a catbird and a bluebird. I also saw a crow and a hover fly hovering.

6-9-08

Walking with Jack

Welcome to Walking with Jack! Last night, we had a big thunderstorm, but it is so hot that everything has dried off already! The temperature is 88°F and 31°C, the air pressure is 29.95 inHg and the humidity is 35%. The wind is coming from the NW at 5.5 mph and the sky is 2 oktas full of cirrus clouds.

We saw a mockingbird on the power lines, squawking his head off. Some brown headed cowbirds flew ahead of us, casting fearful looks in our direction. A moth landed on my hat and a monarch butterfly flapped through the field, looking for a place to lay her eggs. We saw the grass rustle as some snakes meandered through it.

6-11-08

Walking with Jack

Welcome to Walking with Jack! It has been very hot for the last few days, but thanks to last night's thunderstorm, it is cooler today. The temperature is 82°F and 27°C, the humidity is 30%, and the air pressure is 30.1 inHg. The wind is coming from an indeterminable direction at 0.5 mph. The sky is 5 oktas full of cirrus and cumulus clouds.

We saw some brown-headed cowbirds and two swallowtails mating.

6-12-08

Walking with Jack

Welcome to Walking with Jack! The sky is one oktas full of clouds (we don't know what kind they are). The wind is coming from the NW at 9 mph. The air pressure is 30.3 inHg, the humidity is 28% and the temperature is 26°C and 78°F.

We saw a monarch, a few fritillary butterflies, a mockingbird and a red squirrel.

6-16-08

Walking with Jack

Welcome to Walking with Jack! The sky is 6 oktas full of cumulus and cirrus clouds. The wind is coming from the NW at 1.5 mph. The air pressure is 29.9 inHg, the humidity is 40% and the temperature 24°C and 76°F.

We saw a robin hopping along, saw some sparrows, saw some monarchs and dragonflies flitting about, saw a turkey vulture take off and heard a cowbird in the trees.

6-19-08

Walking with Jack

Welcome to Walking with Jack! Sorry about the gap, I have had a cold and wasn't able to write nature journals for those days. Anyway.... the sky is 5 oktas full of cumulus clouds. The wind is coming from the NW at 2 mph. The air pressure is 30.05 inHg, the humidity was 36%, and the temperature was 66°F and 19°C.

We saw a monarch butterfly flitting about, two little butterflies (or were they moths?) sucking nectar from a flower, and heard an odd bird call in the woods.