Spring today, snow tomorrow

I love the seasons--really I do--but just when the weather was perfect for tulip and iris-growing, it snowed again. It's supposed to snow all week, and right now it looks like tundra outside.

In case you are wondering whether Oscar is still cute, I am going to give you an update. He is definitely getting furrier. We were worried that because of his age and all the stress he was under during his time at the shelter, his glorious fur might not ever grow back. (You might remember that after Sput got sick last Christmas, the fur that was shaved on his neck and leg never did grow back.) Does an animal's fur stop growing when it's sick? Here you can see Oscar's muscular legs (mostly hair, actually) and his slightly-furrier bod. I think he's gained a little weight. Cute little man.


And in bird news, the starlings have returned. Starlings are pretty --black with white spots and a long, bright yellow beak--but they're also kind of creepy because they travel in huge groups, which always reminds me of the movie The Birds. They're also nasty, so they make a lot of noise when they're here because they're always hogging the food and fighting with each other.

Today, though, my all-time favorite bird, the northern flicker, came to feast on the suet. I like flickers because they have pink cheeks (at least the males do) and they make this cool high-pitched sound just before they get here. Really--I always run to the window to see them when they announce their arrival. Today I watched a flicker peck and lunge at the starlings over and over again, because they were ganging up on him and trying (unsuccessfully) to interrupt his meal. Yay northern flicker! Boo obnoxious starlings! Action photo:


And finally (big news day today), Bob and I went to see Arlo Guthrie at Kingsbury Hall tonight. He is adorable. Arlo is a legendary singer/songwriter who performed at Woodstock, and wrote "City of New Orleans" and "Alice's Restaurant" (the song and the movie). It was fun not only because Arlo tells fantastic stories, but also because the audience was filled with 50-60-year-olds with long, curly, flowing white hair--men as well as women. Check out these young/old photos of Arlo:

Arlo Guthrie, 1968

Arlo Guthrie, 2009

Arlo's father was Woodie Guthrie, also a legendary folk singer/performer, who wrote (among other things) "This Land is Your Land," which was performed by Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen (go figure) at Obama's inaguration. I swear that song should have been our national anthem; I can remember singing it in elementary school right after the pledge. This post is already way too long, so what the heck, I'm going to be totally excessive and include a clip of Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger singing "This Land is Your Land." I'm pretty sure some the younger members of the band on this clip are his kids. (Check out their noses; they match the dad's.) One of his sons performed with him at Kingsbury tonight.