Wednesday, December 1, 2010

December Muse Day - 2010

The North Wind Doth Blow
or The Robin



The North Wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow
And what will poor Robin do then, poor thing?

He'll sit in the barn, An
d keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing, poor thing.




The photo was taken at 9:00 A.M. this morning. The temperature was 20 degrees F (cold!). This afternoon's temperature has risen to 28 degrees F. I wonder if the little fellow was able to head south today??


Join and/or enjoy Muse Day posts on the first day of each month. Brainchild of Carolyn Gail, you will find her post at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago. Read the comments on her post to find other garden bloggers' Muse Day posts. Just click the logo below:


The Robin' or 'The North Wind doth blow'?? *

This nursery rhyme is referred to as either 'The North Wind Doth Blow' or 'The Robin.' The poem is British in origin and believed to have originated in the 16th century.

'The North Wind Doth Blow' uses the olde English word 'doth.' The purpose of the words of the poem is to ensure that a child associates security with home whilst emphasizing with the plight of the robin.

*This explanation was taken from this site.


Nothing shady here today. The leaves are nearly gone from the trees! This is one of the most pleasant aspect of Winter, here. :-)

14 comments:

Darla said...

Heck no! That temperature is freezing! We are expecting the high 20's tonight and tomorrow night and we are freaking out! Seriously, it does get pretty cold here in North Florida, just not for long. I wish it would snow here, sigh...

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Happy December & happy winter! I don't know about you, but I'm relieved it has snowed and the garden season is over.

Shady Gardener said...

Darla, :-) You might just have to contend with some of us Iowa Gardeners in Florida, one of these days! lol

MMD, Thank you for the wishes- I understand completely. I'm very much relieved as well! I'm ready for a little Winter Fueling.

Kathleen said...

What a great nursery rhyme. Poor Robins tho. I always feel bad for them when I see them huddled during a snowstorm. No barn here to escape to...
I bet the sunshine is great there in the winter.

Rosemary said...

Poor robin needs to head further south...

Rose said...

I hope all the wildlife find a warm home for the winter...I think the cold is here to stay. We had the same light dusting of snow yesterday that you had, but more is on the way. No more gardening here! I love your header photo--the woods remind me of Frost's "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening," one of my favorite poems. Happy Muse Day, Shady!

Noelle Johnson said...

I do hope your little robin keeps warm. We had some mornings this week in the 20's and I had a whole row of sparrows sitting on top of the fence, all puffed up against the cold. Your title photo is so beautiful with the trees and snow :-)

Shady Gardener said...

Hi Kathleen, We don't have a barn for the little robin, either. However, I'm hoping he's flown a little further south. I haven't seen him about these past couple of days (and today was balmy - at least warm enough that I could work outdoors without hurrying... and without my gloves!).

Rosemary, My sentiments exactly!

Hi Rose, I'm sure our weather is often similar. I only wish I'd planted bulbs out in those woods... for a Spring show!

I'm ready to watch snow fall, Noelle. Do you always get these temperatures at this time of year?

joey said...

My brother wrote a book called A ROBIN'S WINTER that sustains me, dear Shady. Happy December, dear friend.

Nutty Gnome said...

That poem is from my childhood! We all used to chant it together and get louder on the 'poor thing'! I taught it to Ruth and Laura too when they were little :)

It is SO cold here - we've got 2ft of snow, the heaviest falls since 1965! It was minus 10 at 9.30 this morning and hasn't got above minus 3 all day. The temperature has plummeted again again since nightfall and I'm off to light the woodburner.
If you'd like to see our snow, I've just done a post on it!

Have a great weekend Shady!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful poem. I hope he stays warm, poor thing. :)

Pat said...

20 degrees...burrr.
I'm sure this robin will be fine,some how they handle the cold.
Of course filling up the feeders help.

Shady Gardener said...

Hi Joey, Thank you for your visit. I'd love to know more about your brother's book. It must be a wonderful keepsake. blessings.

Hi Liz! I've just returned from reading your hysterical post!!! From the temps you've mentioned, no WONDER you bundled up so thoroughly! Wouldn't you let me come and play??

Grace, I haven't seen him lately... however he'd have fared better here these past couple of days.

Hi Patsi, Yep. Those feeders are being filled. How are you doing?

joey said...

Indeed it is, dear Shady. Posthumous published, it's on Amazon.com