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Saturday, February 28, 2009, 8:00 a.m.
1 degree, breezy, mostly cloudy, flurries
A little spit of snow is in the air, blink and you
will miss it.
We got about an inch of snow on top of the frozen base,
created
when the temperature dropped almost fifty degrees last
night. We were
in Utica for most of the day, where rain showers
alternated with balmy south
gusts of damp springlike air. When we returned home it
was still fairly mild on
Gomer Hill, forty-five degrees and still drizzling a
little rain. By bedtime, the thermo-
meter showed a drop of twenty degrees, and when we arose
it was a neat zero outside.
I am hoping that the sun will get nice and bright today,
and thaw out our television antenna
rotor mechanism. We are finally getting the hang of the
whole digital conversion process, and
are looking forward to watching our favorite Britcoms on
PBS tonight, but the antenna is currently
frozen in such a position that we only receive a few
channels. I imagine my car door latches are in
a similar pickle, so if I plan to drive anywhere today I
will be sure to take my hair dryer out to the
garage just in case. The latch on the dog’s cable
was frozen, the yard is a sheet of ice, and I am
sure there are a lot of very surprised wild critters out
there who hadn’t planned on such an ex-
treme change in the weather. If deer can keep their
footing, I will expect to see them in the
lower meadow, searching for water. The seeps below the
spring are barely visible under
the snow and ice but I think a sharp blow from a hoof
will easily break through to the
water beneath. There is a heck of a storm headed up the
east coast tomorrow; I don’t
believe it is expected to move this far inland. I am
planning to check out this thin layer of
snow later; for sure I will select the skis with metal
edges for my trek. It will either be really
great or treacherously fast. In my younger days, those
two conditions were not mutually exclu-
sive, but with age has come the wisdom to pursue form
over speed. With such a thin layer of
snow it may be hard to maintain control on the downhills,
so I will plan the route accordingly.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, February 27, 2009, 8:00 a.m.
45 degrees, windy, mostly cloudy
The sky has morphed from mostly sunny to mostly
cloudy in just a short time. Sunrise was fabulous, bright
red and orange; if you believe the old saws, that spells
trouble,
especially for sailors. Indeed, a fast-moving storm is
headed right
for us, with high winds and rain in the forecast for most
of the day.
We hope that the rain will convert to snow before the
brouhaha
dies down, or else the frozen hardpack will be unskiable
for the
week to come. Meanwhile, the morning is wonderfully
spring-like,
with many bare patches of mud and shale showing through
in the yard,
and the rich aroma of dirt rising like fumes from a hot
leek pie, not as pun-
gent, but equally evocative of spring. We have already
been on a little walk,
and the dog went a bit overboard sticking his nose into
every new fresh bit of
soil. But this was his walk, not mine, and I
waited patiently for him to inhale his
fill of spring, while I did my measly human best to copy
him. Mud, woodsmoke,
road salt, horse poo, and the fresh scent of meltwater,
all were very real and borne
on a wicked south wind, blowing warm and moist and full
of true country-fresh air.
If we didn’t have places to be today, I would spend
much of the morning immersed
in the coming storm, hair billowing in flyaway strands
and mudboots a-glistening. This
will be just a taste of spring, with wintry chill
returning for the weekend and beyond.
Enjoy your day,
Daisy
Thursday, February 26, 2009, 9:00 a.m.
35 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
An inch of wet snow fell overnight, but has already
melted
from the surface of the road. There is a stiff south
breeze that is
bound to usher in some rain before tomorrow’s new
dawn. Yesterday
was decidedly spring-like, and we took the dogs for a
good long walk under
a bright blue sky. I had dressed in layers against the
wind, but soon had the jacket
unzipped and removed the hat to let out a little steam.
The sun did a great job of putting
a shine on the day, and the view of the Adirondack
Mountains held our gaze for much of
the hike. The air was so clear we could see the ski
trails on McCauley Mountain, all the way
over in Old Forge. We saw several flocks of birds, juncos,
doves, crows, and starlings, and what
may have been some snow buntings; they didn’t hold
still long enough to offer a good look at them.
Later in the day I skied along the snowmobile trail, and
only had to step off for a few groups of sled-
ders. The trail was rich with deer tracks, mostly aimed
right down the middle, only occasionally bound-
ing off into the forest. There have been many deer
injured and killed by snowmobiles this season, so
if you are on the trails keep a sharp eye out for them.
They tend to flee on the surface of least resist-
ance, which is unfortunately down the trail and possibly
into the path of an oncoming sled. I have
seen many deer along the roadsides late in the day this
past week, and have had a few narrow misses
with my car. All manner of things are stirring as spring
draws near. Have you smelled any skunks yet?
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 7:00 a.m.
12 degrees, calm, partly sunny
The sun came up over the horizon fifteen minutes
ago,
but it will be a little while longer before it breaches
the cloud-
bank perched along the Black River Valley. The eastern
sky is
pleasantly peachy, with just a hint of blue that is sure
to win the day.
Last night I noticed that all of the roads between here
and Boonville
are bare, even ours. This is a sure sign of the
sun’s increasing influence
over the snowpack, as the ambient temperature has not
been above freezing
for many days. We are certain to lose quite a bit of
coverage during the next
few days of unsettled weather, which may bring some rain
and wind along
with temps in the forties. Actually, this is exactly what
we need to bring us
great spring skiing; as it now stands, the snow is too
heavy and deep to be
easily traveled unless using a groomed trail. If it
settles, freezes, and gets a
topcoat of powder, conditions will vastly improve. If I
can’t rustle up a
posse to go into the woods later today, I will head up
the snowmobile
trail, hoping that the weekend traffic won’t arrive
until tomorrow. It
was pretty quiet yesterday, but all I had time for was a
short walk.
I peeked over the huge snowbank down into Horsie Creek,
which
shows only one small watering hole tucked between the
massive
cornices. A few pussy willows along the roadside have
opened
just a mite, and I imagine they will spring to full fuzzy
life after
the upcoming warming spell. The sun has finally risen
above
the clouds, a fine start to this late winter day.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 9:00 a.m.
10 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
It is surprisingly cold outside this morning. The
sun is hot shining
through the sunporch windows, but just a quick trip
around the yard
before breakfast was enough to prove that I was
inadequately dressed
for the north wind, gusting doggone icy and finding every
seam. I think I’ll
wait a few hours before taking a walk up the road. A
small flock of starlings
flew by earlier, and they are the only birds I have seen
so far. I stayed home
from work yesterday to baby a sore throat, and I think I
scared it away; I
can’t wait to get back out into the fresh air later.
If more people stayed home
during the first twenty-four hours of a cold, the
symptoms can usually be knocked
out with Zinc products (such as Zicam nasal gel and
lozenges) and plenty of liquids,
both hot and cold. This will also help prevent the spread
of germs at the workplace,
as the first day or two is when a virus spreads most
readily. Stay home with a thermos
of hot lemonade parked by the easy chair, and read a book
or two. Catch a few dozy
catnaps, complete with cats piled on for extra warmth.
Your co-workers will thank you,
and you will get over a cold much faster if you take the
time to acknowledge it and flush it
out. The term catching a cold implies that is
something to be held on to. I prefer to greet
a cold briefly, then send it on its way, treating it like
a hot potato instead of a football to
be carried a hundred yards. Sure, there will be the
occasional germ that won’t give up
that easily, but there is certainly nothing to lose by
taking charge at the outset.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
Monday, February 23, 2009, 9:00 a.m.
18 degrees, windy, partly sunny, snowing
Lake effect snow moved in overnight and has
dropped another
five inches of light powder on Gomer Hill, and the wind
has pushed
it around into deep drifts, some of which are almost
gargantuan enough
to touch the clothesline. Many of our downstairs windows
are partially ob-
scured by snow; it hardly ever piles up that high.
I’ll bet we have had at least
eighteen inches of snow since Wednesday, and although
there is a lull in the flurries
right now, I can see dark clouds looming to the west. All
of my ski buddies were other-
wise engaged yesterday, and I didn’t feel much like
breaking trail alone again, so we headed
up the road to walk for a few miles during a sunny period
after lunch. I was delighted to see a
small flock of starlings perched atop an abandoned barn;
several mourning doves sat on nearby
wires as well. Chickadees flitted around in roadside
scrub around the old Welsh church ruins,
seeming to follow us as we made our way up the plowed
road. The only animal tracks we saw
were those of a neighbor walking her two small dogs;
nothing wild has been on the move in
our neighborhood lately. Banks are once again starting to
close in, and in certain areas
small white canyons have replaced normal roadsides. It is
hard to believe that in six
months time there will be a riot of wildflowers where now
loom huge white cliffs
of snow and ice. Radar shows three skinny bands of lake
effect snow pushing
over Tug Hill, one of which is directly over Turin. Near-zero
temperatures
are on the way tonight, so maybe a little comfort food is
in order to fuel
the human furnace against the chill; macaroni and cheese,
anyone ?
Have a great day,
Daisy
Sunday, February 22, 2009, 8:30 a.m.
28 degrees, overcast, calm-ish, snowing
Fine snowflakes are dense and numerous and stay
put wherever
they eventually land. Rooftops have once again built up a
layer deep
enough to shovel; combined with icicles blown sideways by
last week’s
high winds, looking up is almost as interesting as
looking out. Yesterday was
perfect for walking and skiing; instead of choosing one
over the other I did both.
A friend and I walked our dogs up the plowed road at
lunchtime, dodging snow-
mobiles which were everywhere, not just on the official
trail. I’ll bet we saw five
hundred sleds during the hour and a half that we walked.
Fumy bluish haze hung
close to the ground, not exactly the country-fresh air we
sought. I swapped out
my hiking shoes for heavy ski boots and took off around
nearby meadows, and
that’s when the real work began. The snow is wet and
heavy, and at some points
two feet deep. The conditions might have been better
suited for snowshoes; I laid
down a couple of simple loops and skied them twice, going
a little faster the second
time around. There was no sign of last week’s ski
trails, and no evidence of any wild-
life except for one mouse hole, just the hole, no tracks.
I couldn’t take the dog in such
deep snow, or I am sure he would have spent several
minutes exploring that little tunnel.
I stopped at the apple trees by the spring and snapped
off some dead branches to start
fires in the Kalamazoo range. I have a great supply of
dry kindling stored in the barn,
but I especially like using natural twigs from those
ancient trees, recalling the lush blos-
soms of spring and juicy fruits of autumn as I snap the
sticks into manageable lengths.
Perhaps that is the function of human memory, to enhance
the mundane small tasks
of life and make them particularly special. Look around
you right now;
what objects in your space call forth fond memories for
you?
Have a memorable day,
Daisy
Saturday, February 21, 2009, 7:15 a.m.
12 degrees, breezy, partly sunny, flurries
Clouds drifting across the sky to the east are backlit by
warm hues
of rose and melon, edges practically vibrating with
sunlight trying to escape.
It is hard to tell how much snow we received from
yesterday’s storm, but six
inches is a good guess. The wind really moved all of the
snow around, the old
along with the new, and the meadows once again have that
rippled effect that
resembles altitude lines on a topographic map. All of the
dirt and grime has
been covered with a fresh blanket of white, and the
morning view is clean
as a whistle. The town plow went by several times before
dawn; our road
has a tendency to develop massive crosswise drifts when
the wind is fierce.
The hard-working road crew has had a very busy season and
is probably
looking forward to the spring thaw. A little slow mosey
of snow continues
to wander, crisscrossing the air in the light breeze, a
mere echo of the
mighty gusts of the past three days. I haven’t seen
any birds or an-
imals yet today; they must still be tucked in against the
blow.
It is a perfect winter day, get up and get out for a
while.
Have a fine day,
Daisy
Friday, February 20, 2009, 8:30 a.m.
13 degrees, windy, partly sunny, flurries
When sunbeams stream through wind-driven sheets of snow,
we are reminded that winter’s fury can often be
surprisingly beautiful.
The shimmering curtain that wafts across the meadow had a
hypnotic hold
on my attention until a raven streaked past, breaking my
gaze long enough to
finally be able to turn away. There are three of the big
shaggy birds hanging a-
round this morning, sharing the trees around the barn
with two bluejays and a
handful of starlings. The starlings are trickling back
into our neighborhood,
and thus we are assured that spring is on the way. Even
though the nesting
boxes barely poke above the deep snowpack, it won’t
be long before a
few male bluebirds do a fly-by to reserve a spot for May.
I checked the
boxes last weekend and found three seed caches and four
mouse nests.
I will have to clear everything away the first week in
March, so I gave
everyone their two week’s notice. I am not sure who
stashed the seeds;
I have seen a chickadee dart in and out of the house
closest to the garden,
then perch in the birch tree to tuck into the chow. Most
of the seeds are from
spruce cones, but there are also maple and ash keys and a
few other bits and
pieces I couldn’t identify. The wind seems to be
picking up, no doubt ushering
in another wave of lake effect snow. Our total for the
season has passed
the two hundred inch mark; if you love winter, this is
the place to be !
Have a great day,
Daisy
Thursday, February 19, 2009, 8:30 a.m.
30 degrees, breezy, cloudy, flurries
We received about six inches of wet sticky snow
and more is
reportedly on the way over the next two days. I spent
yesterday in
Syracuse, where snow cover is scarce and huge flocks of
starlings proclaim
the Earth’s continuing trip around the sun. We saw
dozens of deer on our journey,
and had one near-miss that proved my brakes more than
adequate; we were riding
with Lady Luck for sure. Snow started to fall in the
Southern Tier just after lunch, and
we ran into some build-up in Rome. Cars were fishtailing
around corners and barely
skidding to a halt at stoplights. The trip up the Gorge
Road (Route 46) was slow
but steady, and by the time I climbed Gomer Hill Road I
really appreciated the
AWD feature in my sturdy little tank of a car. We put on
the backyard light and
watched the snow swirl around for a while last night; it
has pretty much stopped,
except for a few random acts of flurry. Today’s
weather will be unsettled, and the
wind is picking up to the point that I am planning to
catch up with indoor jobs, head-
ing outside only to fetch firewood, set out the mailbox,
and travel to work later. Ski-
ing will likely be very good once the temperature drops a
little and the heavy snow
settles; this weekend looks like a winner! Plan some fun
in the sun and snow,
make a few calls; adding some playmates to your
adventures creates fire-
side tales to share during the blustery long nights of
winters yet to come.
Enjoy your day,
Daisy
Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 7:00 a.m.
21 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
What a lovely rising sun shining over the valley,
very colorful
and too bright to look at directly. Visibility is ultra-clear,
and the
silhouette of the Adirondack Mountains stands out against
the rich
pink as if posing for a picture postcard. The trees sway
gently in a breeze
that is slated to pick up into gale force gusts by the
end of the day, ushering in
another bit of snow, maybe even some rain as a transition.
I am headed south
to Syracuse with friends for the day, so will miss most
of the excitement that
a storm front brings along with it. I expect that spring
will be a little further
along once we hit the Thruway, and I will keep my eyes
wide open
for flocks of birds on the wing and deer ganging up in
yards.
Enjoy your day,
Daisy
Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 8:45 a.m.
25 degrees, calm, sunny
Sunrise was very colorful this morning, and it is
wonderful
to have it happening a little earlier each day. In mid-December
it is difficult to get out of bed while still pitch-dark
outdoors, so there
is a tendency to get a little lazy in the deepest part of
winter. These longer
days have the desired effect of adding more solar energy
to the day’s work,
and help foster optimistic anticipation of the warmer
months that are on the horizon.
That is not to say that the past week hasn’t been
perfect; we have had a string of days
that will be stored in my memory banks as some of the best
ever, filled with friends and
fun in the great outdoors of Tug Hill, four-season
playground and home to yours truly. I
can’t help but smile as I look out the kitchen
window over the sink and see dozens of ski
trails with small dog tracks zigzagging all over the
place, reminders of many pleasant shorter
treks under the strengthening sun. Yesterday we sped down
to the spring copse, me on skis
and the pooch cavorting atop the frozen snow, and met
with the trail of a large dog who had
rooted around in several places looking for little
rodents. Of course, our mighty mutt had to
make sure there was nothing left in the holes, and it was
amusing to see nothing but his blond
fuzzy booty sticking up out of the snowpack, tail
helicoptering in unfettered joy. A few seeps
have opened up in the spring’s drainage area, and
there were many pawprints going to and
from the new watering holes. We may see some rain later
tomorrow, and I imagine water
will flow freely down the small channels that the sun has
recently opened up, making
it a bit harder to find creek crossings on the
backcountry ski trails. I saw a large
flock of starlings yesterday as I traveled to work in
Boonville, another sure
sign that Old Man Winter should start planning for his
annual retirement.
Don’t you just love this time of year ?
Have a great day,
Daisy
Monday, February 16, 2009, 8:00 a.m.
15 degrees, calm, sunny
Yesterday was as close to perfect as a February
day can be.
The sun was a powerful influence to the day’s
activities, and laundry
that was hung out in the morning was perfectly dry by
sundown. I skied
around the back meadows with our dog for quite a while in
the morning; he
found much to explore, following crazy-quilt stitcheries
left by tiny rodent feet
and snuffling his whole head down into the snow when he
thought he had located
a snack. He stood on hid hind legs like a meerkat trying
to see inside a bluebird nesting
box which was only sticking up about a foot above the
snow. When I opened it up, there
was a cache of seeds inside, but no little critter. There
were scads of tracks leading to and
from the pole, but nobody home. I skied with friends
after lunch into nearby swamps, mea-
dows, old orchards and cornfields. We took off down the
hill behind our farm to check up on
two ancient maple trees and see how they have weathered
all of the storms this winter. They are
both still standing tall and wide; one is half-gone, and
its hollow heart is big enough to shelter a
small adult. We intended to continue through old
scrubland to see if we could rustle up some
game birds for the Bird Count project, but we altered our
route when we heard rifle shots.
We guessed (correctly, it turned out) a neighbor was
sighting in his gun in the horse pasture,
and we would have been in the line of fire if we
hadn’t changed direction. We skied into some
farmland at the end of the Evans Road and saw dozens of
animal tracks, fisher, little rodents, a
pair of coyotes, big dog/wolf, rabbit, deer, and
porcupine. When we entered a balsam swamp
we scared up three ruffed grouse, one right after the
other. You could see the wing prints at
the end of long straight lines of bird tracks where they
took flight, looking like a small angel
had stopped for a rest. There was much to admire on
yesterday’s journey, from the vast
deep blue sky above to the tiniest of down feathers
plucked from the snow. We are plan-
ning to head out again shortly, so I can get my fill of
fresh clean air before leaving for
work after lunch. We have an amazing week stretching out
ahead of us, with a
change in the middle but back to snow for next weekend.
If you have this
week off, plan your indoor games for Wednesday and
Thursday,
unless snorkeling is in your itinerary.
Enjoy your day,
Daisy
Sunday, February 15, 2009, 11:00 a.m.
29 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
Another beautiful day is stretched out before us, sunny
and
sparkling white with the fresh snow we received on
Thursday.
We have been enjoying the warm sun on the porch with a
visiting
friend and watching for birds all morning. They are still
not in evidence
too much on our property, but yesterday we saw quite a
few evening
grosbeaks hanging around the horse stable up the road. My
plans to
ski into the deep woods as part of my weekend bird
counting project
were thwarted for many reasons, but we were able to enjoy
a wonder-
ful hike up the road under the strong late winter sun.
Our pair of bluejays
was spotted many times, as were the downy woodpeckers
that show up
off and on all winter long. So far today all we have seen
is bluejays and a
few chickadees, but none of them stayed for longer than a
brief touchdown.
I can see a flock of something far down the road,
probably grosbeaks, but
until I get away from this forty acres I think pickings
are going to remain
slim. I have hung out some bed linens to dry on the lines
this morning;
such a simple task makes my heart sing with thoughts of
spring,
which really is just around the corner.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Saturday, February 14, 2009, 8:30 a.m.
10 degrees, calm, partly sunny
We have another beautiful, if chilly, morning here
on Gomer Hill.
Yesterday we skied for much of the afternoon. I took our
dog out
into the east meadow for a half hour; he was able to stay
on top of the
frozen base, and loved romping in the fresh powder. It is
the first time he
has been able to run free outdoors in months. He dug
several big holes in the
snow looking for mice that scurried beneath, and chased
snowballs until he was
pretty well knackered. I picked up some dead apple
branches from the small grove
by the springbox, and brought the dog and the kindling
indoors to dry. Then I headed
out with a friend who had never been up here in
wintertime before, and enjoyed showing
him the swamps and old farmsteads that are near our house
from a skier’s point of view.
The snow was very sparkly under our skis, and conditions
were perfect for both novice
and old-hand. Although it was cold, the wind was absent
and the sun was strong, much
like today will be. We skied across a meadow that still
had some field corn left standing,
missed in last autumn’s harvest; the tops of those
tall stalks were barely poking through
the deep frozen snow. We have lost a lot of snow since
last week’s rain, but there is still
an impressive depth in the meadows and forests of Tug
Hill. We kept our eyes peeled
for birds while we skied, but saw only one blue jay and
two evening grosbeaks, not
a good total to start the annual Back Yard Bird Count. I
felt a little silly submitting
my total for yesterday; it seems like the birds had gone
into hiding. I almost al-
ways see crows and ravens while I ski the back country,
but they were no-
where in sight. I will take my binoculars today, and pay
closer attention,
heading into the woods where they may be gathered for now.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, February 13, 2009, 10:00 a.m.
16 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
Ah, this must be the calm after the storm.
Yesterday was
superbly windy, rich with wild thrashes of snow
alternating with
brilliant bursts of sunlight. At first the ground was too
wet to allow
the snow to accumulate; it soaked in and became one with
the slush.
As I drove home from work in the early evening, snow
started to build
up at Potter’s Corners; by the time I reached Gomer
Hill Road, there was
nuthin’ but white, and drifting. We received a total
of about four inches from
all that bluster, more bark than bite it would seem.
Today marks the beginning
of this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count. You can
spend as little as fifteen minutes
counting the birds in your area, or take more time if you
wish during the next three
days. Submit your data online by following directions at birdsource.org . I plan
to go looking for birds every day. Who knows what I will
find when actively
searching; usually they find me. It is certainly a
beautiful day; get out if
you can manage it for at least fifteen minutes, and scan
the earth,
sky, and trees for our feathered friends.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Thursday, February 12, 2009, 8:00 a.m.
38 degrees, windy, overcast, rain/snow
Sheets of glop are flying past the window, thick
rain, slurpies of snow,
it is hard to tell the difference. The big west window in
the kitchen is plastered
with drops that sometimes stick together in sticky splats,
and then the next second
water is running in torrents down to the sill. We had
about a half inch of rain overnight,
not a steady downpour, but a couple of deluges woke me up
with the hard drumming on
the tin roof. The wind is picking up speed; we have
filled several buckets with water in anti-
cipation of a power outage or two. A crow just went
zipping past the window sideways; I ex-
pect it was trying to go forward but the west wind is too
much for it. The temperature continues
to drop; it was 44 when I arose, and now it is 37. When
the precipitation finally settles into snow
we will have the stage set for a beautiful weekend of
outdoor winter sports. The annual Oneida
Silversmiths Race is Saturday at Snow Ridge, and that
always draws a crowd of alpine skiers to
Turin. The sun will return after this storm blows through,
and you should make plans to enjoy the
best that the North Country has to offer on skis or
snowshoes this weekend. Any outing should
include a picnic lunch; today is perfect weather for
making cookies to add to the packbasket.
Tuck in, and enjoy your day,
Daisy
Wednesday, February 11, 2009, 8:30 a.m.
45 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
The air is warmish and moist, with a breeze mostly from
the south.
We lost quite a bit of snow yesterday and now the view is
brown with
road sand and other accumulated grime that has been
revealed by the thaw.
The morning air is redolent with dirt and icy water, kind
of like what a beer cooler
smells like after a picnic to the beach. Our noses were
treated to a real blast of summer
yesterday as we walked past the untenanted farm up the
road; big round bales of hay that
had been stored in the barn from last June had been
transported earlier in the day to a farm
on the West Road. Hunks of dried grass and flowers had
fallen from the truck, and as we fol-
lowed the trail of bright purple vetch and sweet red
clover the scent of a warm summer night
wafted up from the scraps and brought a smile to our
faces. We walked past the old Welsh
Hill cemetery, and I climbed the seven foot tall bank to
check out the little graveyard; just
the tips of the tallest monuments poke above the snow.
The snow has settled considerably
in the past two days, but we are expecting more white
stuff by the end of tomorrow. Winter
may be winding down, but I am sure there are still plenty
of snowstorms left in the old boy yet.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 8:30 a.m.
28 degrees, breezy, overcast
The temperature is rising along with a very damp
south wind,
and I’ll bet that we will see some rain before too
long. The town
crew is outside with the plow and snowblower pushing back
the tall
banks to make room for runoff. The culverts are totally
buried, and it will
take a bit of hard pick-and-shovel work to free them from
hardpacked snow
and ice. If left impacted, the rain will flow down beside
the road, and may erode
the shoulder enough to do some serious damage to the
tarmac. We lost half of our
road a few years ago to a midwinter flood. A couple of
days of rain are in the picture;
it would seem our January thaw is just about a month late
showing up. Yesterday we set
out on skis to travel the snowmobile trail for a few
miles, but sled traffic was surprisingly
heavy for a Monday morning, so we headed off into the
woods at the first opportunity.
I had tried to ski Sunday, but broke through the crust
and found it to be too tricky;
somehow, in just twenty-four hours the snow had compacted
enough to bear our
weight, and gliding was wonderful through the forest and
swamps that bracket the
Smith Road. We crossed dozens of fresh hare tracks, and
saw the sign from many
other animals, including coyote, fisher, squirrels, fox,
and one big dog (or maybe a wolf).
We saw no bird tracks at all, no turkey, partridge or
crow marks, which was odd. In fact,
I don’t recall noticing any birds on the wing at all
during our entire trek. It was a beautiful day,
sunny and calm, and we covered quite a bit of ground. An
old meadow seep near an abandoned
orchard always has the first pussy willows of the season,
so we headed over that way and were
treated to the sight of a few fuzzy catkins just starting
to emerge. I’ll bet after the temperature
hits the fifties tomorrow we will find many more
fluffballs by the weekend. We could have easily
skied until sunset, but I needed to head to my part-time
job for the remainder of the day, fully
charged from the time spent in the fresh air with a good
friend on beautiful Gomer Hill.
Enjoy your day,
Daisy
Monday, February 9, 2009, 9:00 a.m.
27 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
Huge clouds occasionally part to let spears of
bright sunshine thrust
earthward, not frequently enough to make me close the
shade against
the brilliance, lending just the right amount of optimism
to this otherwise
grey morning. Fresh snow covers a tricky thin layer of
ice, so that skiing on
any unbroken trail looks easy but is, in fact,
surprisingly unstable and difficult.
We are looking forward to a three day warming trend,
complete with rainy spells,
which will settle the deep snow into a more solid base,
ready to receive a more user-
friendly surface before the weekend. Walking has been the
preferred outdoor pastime
lately, although yesterday’s north wind seemed to be
in my face no matter which direction
I was headed. A light scarf has been added to my layers
of outdoor garb, one that easily
wraps to protect my face from uncomfortable bluster. We
only walked a little more than
a mile; the sun was out when we left the house, but when
clouds closed in the windchill
was intensified; we turned around and picked up the pace
for the return trip. It is im-
portant to have a goal, and yesterday we intended to walk
for at least an hour.
It is also important to know when the goal should be
modified, especially
if enjoyment is compromised. There is a time to push, and
a time
to turn back, especially as our bodies change with age.
Work and play smart;
keep on keepin’ on,
Daisy
Sunday, February 8, 2009, 8:30 a.m.
32 degrees, windy, overcast, snowing
Yesterday’s light rain has taken a turn for the
snowy, and now huge flakes
are zipping past the window borne on thirty mile per hour
gusts of wind. We
lost an amazing amount of snow in yesterday’s warm
breezy drizzle, and now
the yard is one big sheet of ice that is quickly
disappearing under a fresh coat
of clean snow. Since the temperature on Gomer Hill is
exactly 32 degrees, it
is possible that the folks in the valley are still having
rain, but by the end of the
day the whole area should be back in the deep freeze and
seeing white all over.
Yesterday I was determined to get out on skis, but the
rain came earlier than I
expected and the snow turned to mush, not the best
conditions. We managed
to take a good walk just after lunch, and saw a small
flock of evening grosbeaks
and one pair of chickadees enjoying the warm midday sun
before it was abruptly
snuffed out. The south wind carried a faint whiff of mud
along with the misty damp-
ness, and we sped up the pace a bit to avoid the chill
that appeared along with the
clouds. This morning’s gusts are from the northwest,
from whence cometh the
canadian clipper and the icy breath that will take us
back into single digits tonight.
Tuck in, it looks like a bumpy ride.
Enjoy your day,
Daisy
Saturday, February 7, 2009, 9:30 a.m.
23 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
Another warm day, and this time it really feels nice out
there.
The thermometer showed a high in the 20s yesterday, but
the damp
south wind made it seem much colder than that. While
walking with the dog,
I never warmed up enough to get overly excited about
heading out alone on
skis later in the day, so I dumped the plan to explore
the woods and was very
content puttering around with basic household tasks, the
minutiae of small details
such as watering plants, organizing kitchen cupboards,
and brushing the pets to try
and keep ahead of winter shedding. One can be busy all
day long at such small stuff,
and at the end have little to show for it except the
satisfaction of time passed in relative
peace and quiet. Meanwhile, it has been brought to my
attention that the Great Back-
yard Bird Count is coming up, taking place from February
13-16 this year. Wouldn’t
it be fun to have a gathering on one of those days to
count the birds in your area ?
Perhaps a picnic, or a hike, or a ski/snowshoe trip. For
more information on
how to participate, visit www.birdcount.org.
It could even be done from in-
doors looking out, if the weather is iffy. Make a plan
now to gather with
friends and family to do a little twitching (bird-watching)
next weekend.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, February 6, 2009, 9:00 a.m.
10 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
Today is warmer than yesterday, but because the
sun is hidden
and there is quite a nippy south wind, I am disinclined
from taking my
show outdoors for a while. I intend to eventually explore
the woodlot,
and see how the creek is flowing at the bottom of the
gorge at its south
edge, if it is indeed flowing at all. The forecast
indicates that the sun will ap-
pear later this morning, which will make a world of
difference in ambience,
if not in actual temperature. We walked briefly yesterday,
as the dog doesn’t
enjoy super-cooled snow on his paws; he has become quite
a tenderfoot in his
older years. We had to climb a high bank to look down
into Horsie Creek, which
is completely covered with snow on both sides of the
culvert. This is the stream that
empties into the much deeper gorge that eventually finds
its way into the Black River,
and I am curious to see whether water is moving through
that larger channel after all
of the recent sub-zero temperatures. Sometimes that is
the only water available for
wildlife to drink, and every spring there are many deer
carcasses at the bottom of
the gorge from their quest to slake their thirst. The
walls are shale, and even the
most sure-footed among us can succumb to sudden gravity
syndrome when the
rock under out feet crumbles. Even when you think you are
on solid ground,
it doesn’t hurt to have something you can grab onto.
I’m just sayin’.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Thursday, February 5, 2009, 8:00 a.m.
-4 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
A few starlings stopped briefly in the yard this
morning on their way to
elsewhere, uttering only one little whistle before easing
on down the road.
Crows abound within earshot, but are not to be seen; they
must be out behind
the barn somewhere, blocked from view by that big grey
edifice. It is even colder
this morning than yesterday; thank goodness there is no
breeze. We headed north
to Watertown to take care of some business, and were
treated to the sight of snow
rollers along the Number Three Road as well as parts of
Route 12 through Copen-
hagen and beyond. These unique formations come about as a
product of very spec-
ific weather conditions, namely wet snow and strong winds.
The ones we saw yes-
terday ranged in size from marble to soccer ball, and lay
in backyards and fields
by the dozen, hundreds, or occasionally the thousands.
The surface of the snow
was shiny and blank as a gessoed canvas except for the
rollers and the trails they
left as they grew in size. I am sure many of you have
made a snowman, pushing a
snowball through packy snow until it was quite large.
Snow rollers (sometimes called
snow doughnuts) are made in a similar way, with the wind
doing all the work. For more
about this phenomena, as well as some good photos, visit this site.
Oftentimes when we
are back-country skiing and conditions are just right we
will stop by a steep slope and
have snowball races, sending small orbs down the hill and
watching as they grow larger
and finally come to a halt. Points are awarded not only
for distance, but for size. It is a sim-
ple game, one I have been playing for many years. We also
bowl snowballs for the dogs
to chase, finding it funny every time when they catch
them and find little of substance to
grab hold of. Most of our favorite games are free and
require little but time and inclination.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, February 4, 2009, 9:00 a.m.
-2 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
Fine hoary crystals have formed overnight on everything
outdoors, and the sun highlights them prettily on this
very cold
morning. The storm door’s window on the woodshed has
a delicate
tracery of frost, looking much like the opaque shower
door in a cheap
motel. My footfalls squeaked as I walked about the yard
earlier, and
breathing was a chore, even for the brief time I was out
with the dog.
He didn’t linger much at his simple tasks, and I was
grateful for his haste.
We are rethinking a ski outing planned for later, as the
north wind is due to
pick up and give us some uncomfortable wind chill
temperatures. Perhaps the
sun will mellow out the ambience; we will keep an open
schedule for now, allow-
ing the day to progress in its own fashion, keeping busy
with indoor work until
we see what the level of comfort is at high noon. Five
crows pay no attention to
the weather, and have been soaring from tree to tree
since dawn. I can’t believe
their feet don’t get cold. No cold feet for us, with
two wood fires pumping out
both warmth and comfort, an age-old balm on a frigid
February morn.
Enjoy your day,
Daisy
Tuesday, February 3, 2009, 9:00 a.m.
22 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
The Black River Valley is being held captive by a heavy
layer of fog,
so thick it looks like it would stop a car cold on the
way to the village
of Lyons Falls. No way a mere 3000 pounds of metal would
be capable
of punching a hole through something that dense. We sit
in brilliant sunshine
here on Gomer Hill, which has brought the temperature
soaring up from the
morning low of five degrees in the blink of an eye. The
sunporch is heating up
nicely, and we will be able to enjoy our lunch out there
today, with a good view
of winter from windows on three sides of that cozy little
room. The cats love it
when we open that space up in winter, and will all
be sunbathing on top of the
hot tub cover within minutes of hearing the door swing
wide. That room is a
great example of passive solar heat, with no other source
of warmth than the
sun beaming through the storm windows. Yesterday was a
wonderful day,
sunny and warm enough to send me to the barn for some
potting soil. I
have a few hyacinth bulbs to force into bloom, and will
probably start
some lettuce seedlings as well. Sometimes we have spring
early up here, and
if I can put out a few salad greens in mid-April it would
be wise to start them
indoors. Of course, the way the snow has piled up this
winter, it will be lucky
to get to bare dirt in the gardens by mid-May. I love
this time of year, when
the sun is growing warmer and the amount of daylight is
slowly stretching out.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
Monday, February 2, 2009, 9:00 a.m.
28 degrees, calm, partly cloudy
It is such a nice morning that I had to step out
for a while to see
what the crows were doing. There were five of them,
calling softly
and circling the barn, not their usual raucous clamor of
warning or loud
calls of greeting, more the gentle conversational tones
of old men meeting
for morning coffee. It almost seemed like they were
searching for something;
perhaps their dialogue went something like this: Isn’t
there a tasty pile of garbage
somewhere around here? I can smell it, but all I see is
snow... Indeed, in the warmer
months, our compost heap attracts all kinds of critters
to the easy pickings of seed, peel,
and pod. Now, everything recognizable in summer is under
feet and feet of snow. Our bird-
houses are nearly buried, even the ones atop six-foot
posts. There is a car parked behind our
house that is entirely gone, except for the tip of the
antenna poking through. The looming road-
side banks are slowly closing in, and in some stretches
there is barely room for two vehicles to
pass. We have run out of places to push snow, and are
moving it around the yard with a front
end loader just to clear spots for visitors to park. We
walked up the Gomer Hill Road yester-
day and passed an old one-room schoolhouse that had the
tallest banks on the whole road.
Can you imagine how hard it must have been to keep a path
shoveled to the classroom in a
winter such as this? Most of the old-timers on this road
attended that school, and they report it
was an honor to be selected to help the teacher clear the
path and kindle the wood fire every
morning. When I was a young girl, we waited with bated
breath to see who Teacher chose to
wash the chalkboards at the end of the day. If you
misbehaved, you were out of the running.
Ah, the good old days... Of course, we have an excellent
new day stretched out before
us today, with every opportunity to create another
wonderful memory or two.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Sunday, February 1, 2009, 9:00 a.m.
28 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
It is warm out there this morning, and just a
little damp. If the sun
comes out I will probably imagine I smell frogs somewhere
on the Hill,
just a leftover memory of last spring. A walk up the
plowed road is in the
plan for today, as it is nice enough for my dog-owning
pals to come and stretch
their collective legs along with me and mine. This brings
up a recent concern of mine;
our local no-kill animal shelter is in dire financial
straits. If you are unable to adopt a pet,
please consider a monetary donation to the Lewis County Humane Society.
Any community
with a shelter needs support beyond mere cash, in the
form of your volunteer hours as well as
donations of towels, blankets, old sweaters and such for
bedding, so do what you can in your
neighborhood if not in mine. If you are lucky enough to
have found a four-legged companion
(or in our case, one with three legs) give them a little
extra scritch behind the ears, and pat
yourself on the back for giving space in your homes and
hearts for a furry little friend.
Enjoy your day,
Daisy
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