Clever Magazine, Vol. 6, #2 " Stray Thoughts " (www.clevermag.com)

Wanna read the latest from Clever Magazine?
Click here and return to the coverpage!

A snow day in Lake Tahoe from King's Beach

Stray Thoughts
by Diannek

As the end of another year of publication rolls around, we're happy to report that Clever Magazine is still here and going strong. New contributors are sending in great material so it's business as usual. After six years this electronic technology continues to amaze me, especially when it results in new friendships, and interesting ideas that never would have occurred to me.

So winter is nearly here and it's cold outside. November always seems like the coldest month to me, even though we seldom see any severe weather here in California. Most Californians use the expression "going to the snow," which is something we do in droves this time of the year. It refers to the fact that there isn't much of the white stuff in California, except in the Sierra, so when we want to experience snow country, we have to "go to the snow."

Our family went to the snow last weekend, to Lake Tahoe, to hang around and remind ourselves what real winter feels like. The roads were clear on our travel day, but the next afternoon it began to snow, lovely large flakes that soon blanketed the area with an inch or so of the white stuff. We had dinner reservations so we piled into our SUV for a quick trip to the restaurant.

Along the way, we watched hapless travelers without 4-wheel drive or chains trying to negotiate the road, doing unexpected 45-degree angle ballet turns in front of us. Watching cars doing slow-moving skids is frightening but fascinating. The surrounding cars keep their distance with fingers crossed that the drivers will eventually either pull over or get things under control. Fortunately, we weren't going far, but it reminded us of just how treacherous even a few inches of snow can be, especially for drivers who are not accustomed to snow driving. So be careful, out there!

Clever Production Assistants, Tooey and TC

Here's the latest photo of our family pets. I took it while we were packing up for our weekend. They don't usually share this chair but from their looks, they knew something was up and they didn't like it one bit. They suspected the worst, which they always do whenever the luggage appears. So they pouted and consoled each other as they watched us get ready for a long weekend without them. They were definitely not smiling for this photo. But they got over it when we returned.

Cranky and Lefty

These two are the latest temporary additions to our family, which our production assistants never see, by the way. Their names are also temporary. We had to name them for identification purposes while we were nursing them back to health. Notice the squirrel's paw on the right. One of its "fingers" is missing. It had been amputated in the wild, perhaps it ran into a trap or some other danger that lurks out there, making life difficult for these special little creatures. Since this photo was taken, Cranky has been turned loose, but Lefty is still under care, probably will stay with the squirrel team until spring when life in the wild is easier for squirrels.

If you are interested in helping urban wildlife or would like to visit another website that is maintained by The Phantom, check out The Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley, WCSV, and send them a check while you're at it.

So it's back to work for all of us, right after the first of the year. Keep reading Clever.