January 27, 1994 - The Cycles of Winterand snow. —Paul Stoutenburgh Photo
Focus on Nature
The Cycles of Winter
By Paul Stoutenburgh
What a way to start the New Year -
15- and ?A- degree temperatures with
snow, a real winter wonderland. I had
to walk out and experience the silence
of stew falling, that magical time when
you wish you could step back and grab
an old Flexible Flyer sled and join the
kids down on the back hill.
This wintry, snowy weather brought
out the snowbirds of the north, those
dapper little juncos dressed in their
grey- topped suits with white under-
parts. They are practically never up in
the trees except to escape danger and
they, too, appreciated the seed on the
ground.
Then, of course, the cardinals, chick-
adees, and titmice flew in to get the sun-
flower seed that was mixed in with the
wild birdseed. Of course, the bluejays
came in to fill up—and I do mean fill up.
They pick and store, pick and store un-
til one would think their cheeks would
burst. Then, off they go to hide their
treasure under the bark or in a crevice
of a tree for later treats. Blue jays are
big and cocky and carry their role of
dominance to the hilt. All the smaller
birds scatter when they move in.
Woodpeckers Love Suet
Up on the suet feeders we have our
regulars: the hairy, and downy wood -
peckers, chickadees, nuthatches and the
big red - bellied woodpecker. I remem-
ber when this handsome woodpecker
first visited our East End. I'd heard a
strange call and traced it down to a
male excavating a hole in a dead limb
of a tree. I remember my excitement
since I had never seen the bird before.
Now almost 45 years later this bird has
become a familiar sight to those who
feed with suet. I am particularly fa-
vored by his visits since we have hick -
ory trees throughout our woods and one
in particular, in the front yard, holds its
nuts longer than the others, offering the
red - bellied a winter's supply of nuts.
Every once in a while I'll see him fly-
ing away with a big nut in his beak only
to wedge it in a tree crevice so that he
can pound away on it until he gets the
fruit out.
Out on the patio, I buttoned up my
coat and headed out where our two beef
cows started calling even before I got
there. They were waiting for their ra-
tion of hay. By the time I arrived they
were already in the barn waiting, their
broad backs covered with more than an
inch of stow. Their heavy winter coats
insulate them perfectly. No sooner was
the first pitchfork of hay thrown over
than their munching began. It was no-
ticeably warmer inside, even with the
barn door open, for their huge bodies
gave off a tremendous amount of heat.
Next I had to knock the fee out of their
buckets and fill them with fresh water.
Five to ten gallons of water is Lathing
for them to consume and it's used up by
evening when I have to feed again.
Trip to the Creek
The snow is five to six inches deep
now and I head for a walk down to the
dock where there is still some open wa-
ter. The long driveway through the trees
is a roadway of white. I'll be the first to
walk it. I stop by the small five- by -25-
foot pond my son and I built some 25
years ago. It serves as a huge birdbath
in the woods during the summer. To
keep the mosquitoes under control I put
half a dozen goldfish in and they do the
job. Now it's iced over and snow-
covered. In the ooze of the deepest part,
the fish lie barely alive, their heartbeat
hardly noticeable.
Further back, in an open spot, a lone
great blue heron stalks for killies that
are active in the open water. At the head
and springs of the creek, groundwater
seeps out with temperatures in the 50s.
Here killies can winter and move about
and it is here the great blue heron hunts.
All was silent; the snow falling down,
the ducks and heron searching for food
and I was but an onlooker. I backed
away slowly and left the scene as if I'd
never been there. Yet as I look back at
the big snow of '94, the thing I will re-
member most will be that snowy win-
ter day down by the creek.
A Coming of Age Tale
(Continued from Page 16)
devil. These people are accepting your
values."
From that kind of ego gratification it
is a quick slip to adulation's underside.
"Once you start feeling that way, that
sense of your own power and divinity be-
gins to corrupt, you begin to think that
all of your urgings are justifiable, and
from God," he says.
Which sounds a lot like what happens
to football heros out in Oklahoma and
anywhere else where the last thing any-
one wants to do is throw up road blocks
on the path to glory. To stars like
Danny, anything is permitted.
Subjected to such sanctioned tempta-
tion, "even sincere religious boys be-
lieve they are exempt from moral law
if they are football players," says Mr.
Reiswig. The - tension that an outsider
might expect to arise in small towns
where coaches encourage violence and
preachers demand strict adherence to
the narrowest religious guidelines does
not exist, suggests Mr. Reiswig. "These
two values operate simultaneously
within these communities. Philosophi-
early, they are dramatically opposed to
each other but everybody is going
around as if they were totally congru-
ent."
" "This is difficult to express but I sense
. it inside my gut," he adds, zeroing in on
-9 more elusive aspect of the anomaly.
There may be an even deeper, darker
link between the twin obsessions that
dominate in places like Cimarron, he
suggests. The affinity football players
have for fundamentalist religion may
have its source in a common wellspring
of violence, he speculates, offering his
view that the same kind of violent force
that empowers football players out on
the field allows the fundamentalist
preacher to intrude on a perfect
stranger and insist on saving his soul.
"Are ycu saved ?" he asks, demon-
strating the fierceness with which he
once might have launched a soul- saving
attack, his body thrust forward, his eyes
aflame, his tone insistent and more than
a little menacing.
Then he laughs. "That was really ab-
surd," he says, noting that these days
he tries to be anything but intrusive.
Before the last chapter of Water Boy
ends, Sonny's earlier forbodings have
been amply justified. Violence, which
seems always on the verge of erupting,
often does. Undercurrents of eroticism
surface in scenes that have nothing to
do with love. Nostalgia is not in Mr.
Reiswig's vocabulary. But though his -
characters harbor obsessions and pas-
sions of operatic proportions and
rivalries of biblical intensity, the book
has the ring of poetic truth as well as
some haunting, unforgettable images
that will stay with you forever.
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x500,000.
38 Dayton Lane, East Hampton
NY 11937 (516) 324 -9187
SOUTHAMPTON ELEGANT LIVING!
"Whitefield" - choose the largest condominium with classic details in the
original Stanford White mansion, or select a more casual luxury unit on the
perimeter of this magnificent 16 acre estate. Million dollar amenities with
pool, tennis & exquisite gardens starting at $535,000.
TfiE MOI�LEY AGENCY
Fine Homes, Land & Summer Rentals for 37 Years
38 Hampton Road (516) 283 -8100 Southampton
Our Classifieds
Reach 20,000 Homes
Each Week.
INCREDIBLE VALUE
at $625,000 - we know of no other home that can rival this 4,000 sq. ft.
Contemporary for vlaue, style or quality. Privately situated with gunite pool
and tennis on approximately 3 acres bordering a scenic Golf Course. This
house boasts 6 bedrooms, 4 baths, central AC plus a cabana with sauna,
kitchen and bath. Definitely a must see. $625,000
1. ■ a rT COOKIPONY FARM
'b REAL ESTATE, INC.
aE9WmLL LESAIE
30 Nugent Street, Southampton - 283 -9600
50 Years of Professional Excellence
9919
ALLAN M. SCHNEIDER
ASSOCIATES, INC.
Reakon
W A T E R M I L L F E D E R A L C I R C A 1 7 2 5
Enjoy beautiful water views from this recently restored Federal with all
of the original details and moldings. There are five bedrooms, three and
one -half baths, five fireplaces, wide plank floors, up to date conveniences
and systems, and a beautifully sited pool. Truly one of a kind. Our Exclusive.
Just reduced $849,000. #23695
99 JOB'S LANE • SOUTHAMPTON • 283 -7300
SOUTHAMPTON BRIDGEHAMPTON EAST HAMPTON SAG HARBOR AMAGANSETT
293-7300 537-3900 324-3900 725-1500 267-3960
Germis HWaert, Yr.
Rea( Estate
HOMES - LAND - ESTATES
r'
Gervais Hillsert, Jr., Broker
366 North Sea Rd., Southampton, N.Y.
Bus: 516 -283 -6636
Fax: 516 - 283 -1606
REAL ESTATE
Marketing & Auction Inc.
(516) 726 -6500 - FA)L (516) 726 -4800
P.O.Box 155, Montauk Hw .
Water Mill, NY 119"76
TO Oobornr 0(grutp, Inc.
Insurance & Real Estate • Established 1875
CHARLES J. OSBORNE - 324 -2800
Charles J. Osborne - Steven B. Scott - Peter C. Osborne
WATER MILL FARMS
In The Cobb Road
Estates Section of Water Mill
Magnificent Homes - Each with own
Pool & Tennis
The Models for a Limited Time Only:
`The Seclusion " ..........................from $425,000
`°rhe Inclination " .......................from $449,000
`°rhe Inclination II " ...................from $449,000
`°rhe Pinnacle" ........ ....................from$445,000
MODELS SHOWN
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
CALL
HAMPTON HORIZONS REALTY
TO DISCUSS OUR WIDE SELECTION OF
HOMES LAND & RENTALS
P.O. Box 420, Montauk Hwy. & Deerfield Rd., Water Mill, NY 11976
516 - 726 -4330
THE SOUTHAMPTON PRESS I JANUARY 27. 1994