{"id":741,"date":"2014-02-04T14:41:00","date_gmt":"2014-02-04T14:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/?p=741"},"modified":"2026-03-16T14:31:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T14:31:55","slug":"the-prescience-of-magpies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/2014\/02\/04\/the-prescience-of-magpies\/","title":{"rendered":"The prescience of magpies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a914027a9a15&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a914027a9a15\" class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/in-the-snow-681x1024-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-742\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/in-the-snow-681x1024-1.jpg 681w, https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/in-the-snow-681x1024-1-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Snow arrived mid-morning, shortly after the last magpie deserted the tall maples, leaving bare branches to catch whatever they might of the fine, wind-driven whiteness.\u00a0 I\u2019d been waiting since early, fretting over  whether the air would be cold enough for snow.\u00a0 Certainly the sky was the flat, colorless blank that often yields snow, and the mountains were obliterated as if leveled overnight, or blotted out of existence by the shadowless dawn.\u00a0 With no early sun to light their peaks, the whole range had gone, swallowed by an absolute emptiness full of possibility.\u00a0 Still I waited, anxious for the wintry promise to pay out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I needn\u2019t have worried, ought never to have doubted.&nbsp; I should have trusted in Nature and the prescience of the magpies.&nbsp; The birds had read all the signs&#8211;a steady breeze out of the west,&nbsp;damp and lowering skies&#8211; and at just the right moment abandoned their open perches for closer shelter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By noon the wind dies away; having carried winter down from the mountains it rests, letting the snow drop of its own weight. &nbsp;Tiny snow shards soften, lighten into flakes and fall slowly, steadily downward. The weightless veil thickens, draws closer, while strange light leaches every color to grey, caught inside an engulfing whiteness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;waiting is over; I have a snowy day, which satisfies me as nothing else can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a914027aa188&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a914027aa188\" class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/by-mid-afternoon-681x1024-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-744\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/by-mid-afternoon-681x1024-1.jpg 681w, https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/by-mid-afternoon-681x1024-1-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Snow arrived mid-morning, shortly after the last magpie deserted the tall maples, leaving bare branches to catch whatever they might of the fine, wind-driven whiteness.\u00a0 I\u2019d been waiting since early, fretting over whether the air would be cold enough for snow.\u00a0 Certainly the sky was the flat, colorless blank that often yields snow, and the<br \/><a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/2014\/02\/04\/the-prescience-of-magpies\/\">+ Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-26"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=741"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1978,"href":"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741\/revisions\/1978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ouritalianfarmhouse.com\/ourstory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}