Merry Christmas!

The Twelfth Day of Christmas

Twelve drummers drumming . . .

The Tenth and Eleventh Days

Ten little men a-leaping, just try to catch them.

And, eleven assorted pipes piping around the Christmas tree.

The Eighth and Ninth Days

Eight buttermaids done with milking.

And, nine butterladies dancing.

The Sixth and Seventh Days

Six Glowlights glowing . . . at Curious World.

And, seven swans in the delicatessen.

The Fourth and Fifth Days

Four "calling birds," originally four "colly" birds, or blackbirds. They must've been baked into the pie.

And, five tasty, golden, cranberry and walnut rings.

The Second and Third Days

Two "turtledoves" showed up at school.



















And, three French hens were seen playing in the students' watercolors.

On the First Day of Christmas

Unexpectedly today, while outside checking the icy rain, I saw a turkey fly about 13-14' high, into what I think is a cottonwood tree. The plump bird remained nicely poised there, balancing with its huge tail slightly wavering up and down. Amused and puzzled, I looked up its scientific name and found this:

"The Phasianidae is a family of birds which consists of the pheasants and partridges . . .; the American Ornithologists' Union includes Tetraonidae (the grouse), Numididae (guineafowls), and Meleagrididae (turkeys) in Phasianidae as subfamilies."

and this:

" . . . grouse and turkeys do not warrant separation as families due to their quite recent origin from partridge- or pheasant-like birds."

Partridge-like bird?

Hmm. Could that be a pear tree? I looked it up and found this:

"Pyrus calleryana . . . or Ornamental Pear, this tree is one of the most frequently planted around cities. This is largely because of its uniform shape, early bloom and colorful fall foliage. The leaves are thick and glossy and very similar to Cottonwood leaves."

Pear-like tree?