~
Monday, February 28, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
32 degrees, overcast, windy, rain/ice
I was awakened just before dawn by the music of
rain on the tin roof, and the drops are freezing
onto the clothesline and twigs like little shining pearls.
As I sipped my first cup of joe and admired
the view, a huge skunk waddled up over the snowbank and
headed for the crawl space under our
sunporch. I asked it to go elsewhere, but it ignored my
request and drew steadily closer. As an act
of desperation, realizing that such a thing might have
some unpleasant consequences, I picked up my
singing bowl and struck it on the edge, one sharp rap
that just about loosened my teeth with the shrill
tone that it produced. The skunk stopped dead in his
tracks, squinted up at the frosted window, and
then bolted down past the asparagus bed, moving fast
considering the depth of the snow. I have never
used that bowl for anything but making mellow rich tones,
produced by stroking the rim with the felted
end of the wand. Good to know it can also be used to
sound an alarm if necessary. That was one of the
biggest skunks I have ever seen, with a double wide tawny
stripe; it looked like it needed a good bath. I
like skunks, and they are usually welcome to forage in
our compost pile, as their burrowing saves us the
work of turning it by hand. However, I don’t want
one living under our porch, nope, that would definitely
be trespassing in my book. I hope he finds a good hidey-hole
in the stone wall, not in our barn or garage.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Sunday, February 27, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
28 degrees, breezy, overcast, flurries
Three or four inches of light snow fell since noon
yesterday, much of it while we slept last night.
Today will be the last chance to frolic on this lovely
fluff, as rain will probably have moved in by
this time tomorrow. Alpine skiing has been very good,
especially in the wooded glades; Snow Ridge
has just had a very busy vacation week, and gliding and
riding today should be just about perfect. Back-
country skiing will best be served by either going to a
groomed trail or taking a few friends along to take turns
setting a track, as the snow is rather deep in spots.
Perhaps a slow stroll through the woods on snowshoes
might
be fun. For sure, it is warm enough to take the dog for a
nice walk on the plowed road, so he can sniff in the
good aromas of all of the skinks that have come out of
their dens to look for spring. There are so many ways
to enjoy a late winter day that don’t involve a
noisy engine and stinky exhaust fumes; try one today !
Enjoy yourself,
Daisy
Saturday, February 26, 2011, 10:00 a.m.
19 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy, snow
The sun shines through the clouds as well as the
snowflakes, so the morning is very bright although wintry.
Yesterday was as wild and wooly as it gets on Tug Hill,
and I went outdoors only long enough to rescue our
mailbox from the snowplow’s path. We received
somewhere in the neighborhood of ten inches of new snow,
with the first four inches sugary and dense, and all of
it windblown into fantastic drifts. Our meadows are deep
in some spots and icy in others, so skiing earlier this
morning was a little tricky. Overall the snow is deep
enough
to provide a physical challenge both uphill and down, and
the icy spots are just plain surprising. We have plans
to go out later today as well, so the short run this
morning was mostly to help decide which skis to wear for
a
longer trek. One of my friends has a pair of short fat
skis with climbing skins built right onto the bottom, so
it
is almost like using snowshoes with the added feature of
a slow downhill glide. Some day I will try a pair
of those when we plan to go on steep terrain. The
upcoming week has a mix of rain and snow in the
forecast, so backcountry conditions will change on a
daily basis. Whatever you plan,
dress in layers, because while the sun may be warm, the
wind can be bitter.
have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, February 25, 2011, 8:15 a.m.
28 degrees, overcast, windy, snowing
The weather pundits apparently accidentally got a
forecast right.
It is snowing sideways, and so far about two inches of
fine grained
snow has stuck to the road and covered all of the grody
snirt that has
been plowed around over the past weeks. It isn’t
cold enough to keep the
crows under wraps, and their sleek black bodies have been
traveling from tree
to tree all morning; it looks like they are having fun.
Last night I drove home from
work in a little freezing rain, and when I walked from
the garage to the house at dusk
a coyote pack sounded the hunting call, very close to
home. They were still on the run
when I let the dog out before bedtime, so I wonder
whether they were the hunters or the
prey. There are still many unenlightened sportsmen
in our area who would wipe every last
one of these beautiful canines off the face of the earth
with no thought for their place in the
food chain. Wild dogs cull the deer herds, yes, but
usually only take the weak ones for food.
The most important thing on their menu is small rodents.
Without coyote predation, we would
soon be overrun with mice, voles, shrews, squirrels, and
even rats. We have never lost a pet or
farmyard chicken to coyotes; in fact, it is rare that we
ever even see one, although their tracks tell
us they are in the neighborhood. The few times I have
been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one,
they hightail it out of my sight before I can even get my
camera turned on. The snow continues to
fall; I guess I will stick close to home today, this is
no kind of weather to be out on the road.
Take care,
Daisy
Thursday, February 24, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
28 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
After a beautiful and very colorful sunrise, old
Sol has apparently decided to seek the cover
of clouds for the rest of the day. There is a winter
storm in the forecast, but as most of the pre-
dictions for this season have been less than accurate, I
will wait for the snow to actually start falling
before I modify any plans I have for the next few days.
The air is mild this morning, at any rate, and
the lingering aroma of skunk in the yard tells me that
the seasons are turning pretty much on schedule.
Yesterday was a perfect chance to get out and enjoy
bright sun and fresh snow, so we headed cross-
lots to the pine plantation along the old Slivka Road.
Recent logging has created many new routes to
explore, and we eventually found ourselves at the Mill
Creek crossing which was our destination.
There were several sturdy snow bridges across the stream,
and we climbed up the opposite bank
and linked into the official cross-country ski trail
system that originates at Timberview Lodge on the
Carpenter Road. A track had been set by earlier skiers,
and we traveled to a scenic overlook where
we noticed that much of Mill Creek is completely covered
by snow, with very little free-flowing water
visible. We saw many rabbit tracks, and the trail of one
coyote and one much larger canine; they didn’t
seem to be traveling together, but their trails were long
and meandering, as if they were both on the hunt.
Conditions were as close to perfect as they ever get,
with the snow being zippy with frozen crystals so
we could glide even while going uphill, but deep enough
to help us descend with some control. Near
the end of our journey, we enjoyed a wonderful long
downhill run through a hayfield, and when we
turned and admired the straight rows of tracks our grins
of delight broke into peals of laughter
at the perfection of such an afternoon. The last mile
home was the longest mile, as we had
pretty much tapped into our reserves of energy. There is
nothing like a fine adventure
with friends to remind us that every day the universe
showers us with blessings;
we just need to recognize them and bask !
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
15 degrees, calm, sunny
I was awakened by a bulging half moon at 4:00 a.m.
that seemed almost as bright as last week’s
full moon. It still hangs in the sky as it prepares to
disappear behind the balsam forest to our west,
and still emits a shine that seems a bit too intense, but
I suppose it is merely reflecting the sun which
is bouncing off the vast expanse of snow here in the
North Country. We have plans for a long ski trek
after lunch, and it looks like the day will be perfect
for that. Starlings, crows, mourning doves, and blue-
jays are all perched on trees around the yard, taking
turns greeting the day with enthusiasm. Yesterday
I walked up the Smith Road for a while, so I could take
the dog along. Although the air temperature
was cold, the sun had warmed the road enough that his
feet didn’t rebel too much. As he grows
older, the snow seems to bother him more, but he was good
until we hit the churned up
crystals on the snowmobile trail. So our walk was short
but long enough to get
a little pink glow on my nose; don’t forget your
sunscreen this time of year !
Have a great day,
Daisy
Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
1 degree, breezy, sunny
Cold, crisp, and clear, the three cees of winter.
We dipped a little bit below zero overnight,
and even though the sun is warm on my face it is taking
its time tempering the outdoor air. A
slight breeze stirs twigs and weeds, but doesn’t
shift the snow around at all. There are still a few
crusty spots in the meadows, but for the most part a bout
four inches of snow lies like a soft blanket
over the frozen base, and cross country skiing has been
awesome. Even if I can just get out in the fresh
air for a half hour, that gives me more energy to
complete the more mundane tasks of daily living. Energy
from the sun, solar powered human beings, ain’t it
awesome? Everything on this planet depends on the
sun for life, and it is easy to forget that; we do tend
to take so many miraculous things for granted. On
a bright sunny day like this, make sure you take a moment
to be grateful for its warmth and awesome
energy supply that keeps food on our tables, and supplies
every other creature comfort as well.
Wander around for a bit and sing a chorus or two of You
are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
I wouldn’t recommend that you be on a crowded city
street when you do this,
but lift your voice to our closest star as you bask in
its glow.
Have a beautiful day,
Daisy
Monday, February 21, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
7 degrees, breezy, overcast, snow
Light snow is falling, and the morning breeze
isn’t stiff enough to rearrange it into drifts and
ridges.
Yesterday we skied the outback for much of the afternoon,
and there were many places in the meadows
that had been blown right down to crusty boilerplate,
which is not the best surface to traverse on skinny skis.
The woodlands and other protected areas were a different
story, and skiing doesn’t get any better than yester-
day’s long trek. Three inches of beautiful fluffy
powder covered a solid base, and we could go anywhere, so
we
did. We headed down our east meadow and through old
pastureland that has grown up into young hardwood
forest. After moving steadily downhill, including some
pretty steep slopes, we crossed the Mill Creek Road
and then skied straight up the old Platt Road for about a
half mile, onto an old farmstead rich with burdocks,
blackberry canes, and thornapple trees. These were fairly
easy to avoid, and the best feature of that prickly
obstacle course is that it provides good cover for many
little critters. We saw plenty of varying hare tracks,
as well as those of deer, coyote, squirrel, fox,
porcupine, skunk, and mouse. We skied across an old clear-
cut logging landing and through some trees to the top of
the southernmost slope at the Snow Ridge Ski Re-
sort. The lift attendant wondered if we were lost, but we
told him we were just checking out the alpine
skiers, of which there were many. We ended our journey
with a nice downhill glide on the new road
that has been made for house lots, and ended up at a
friend’s house in Turin. The sky was true
blue, the sun shone on us all day... off-piste skiing
doesn’t get any better than that !
Enjoy your day,
Daisy
Sunday, February 20, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
7 degrees, breezy, sunny
We picked up about five inches of fresh powder in
yesterday’s lake effect storm,
but the accompanying hearty wind scoured much of the
fluffy snow from the frozen
base; I’ll bet the woodlands and other sheltered
places still have some good coverage
for backcountry skiing. The scene was very windy and raw
on Gomer Hill, but when I
went down to Snow Ridge later in the day it was sunny and
very pleasant, with only a
little breeze. My friends that skied all day at the
resort reported that the wind was fierce
at the top of the slopes, which is roughly the same
elevation as at our house. I think I will
head off into some old orchards and logging roads later
today if the snow will hold me up.
I imagine that Friday’s hard rain will have
permeated the deep snow and conglomerated
everything into a uniformly frozen base layer by now, but
I need to make a test run before
setting out for a longer trek. I will definitely choose
my metal-edged skis no matter where
I venture today. Even at only seven degrees, the slowly
strengthening sun has the power
to warm the air as February enters its third trimester.
If you go out today, dress in layers;
you may be cold when you first set out, but don’t
overlook the power of the late winter sun!
Have a great day,
Daisy
Saturday, February 19, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
16 degrees, windy, overcast, snow
Yesterday’s balmy breeze started to turn
chilly as we walked late in the afternoon,
and it shifted from the west to the northwest with
amazing speed. Snow didn’t arrive
on the scene until after midnight, and so far about three
inches has gathered, most of it
driven into the nooks and crannies by insanely gusty wind.
We went to Rome yesterday,
and it was almost like a May day; we were comfortable
with just a sweater for outerwear.
Snow had fled from roadsides and most of what was left
was slushy snirt, untidy and but no
hazard for driving or walking. This morning, the patches
of melted snow that remained in the
yard after a two-day thaw are treacherously slick. The
roadways are blown mostly clear but
visibility is very poor with frequent whiteouts, at least
here on Gomer Hill. I haven’t seen any
birds this morning; like me, they are probably planning
to tuck in until the wind dies down a bit.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, February 18, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
44 degrees, breezy, overcast, rain
Yesterday’s warm temperature and last night’s
rain have really eaten away much of our snowpack.
Areas of the yard that were recently plowed are now down
to grass and bare pavement, and several
patches of muddy stubble have shown up in the meadows as
well. A pair of mourning doves joined the
starlings in our big tree for an early morning sing-along,
and several crows did a fly-by, adding their two
cents to the hootenanny. Yesterday we walked up the Smith
Road a little bit, but there were so many
snowmobiles that we cut our walk short. We saw tracks of
fox, skunk, coyote, and deer in the fields,
and our own dogs left their distinctive prints along the
edge of the road. They stopped more frequently
than usual to inhale long draughts of scent through their
quivering noses, so our outing was more of a slow
amble than a brisk hike. The town road crew cut down all
of the pussy willow shrubs to widen the ditch last
summer, so we will have to journey farther than usual to
see if the first little fuzzy harbingers of spring have
started to appear. Hundreds of honeybees swarmed from
their hive in one of our big maple trees when the
warm spell arrived, only to drop dead on the snow beneath
the tree and on the garage roof soon after emerg-
ing. Flies, mosquitoes, and ladybugs that have been
dormant around the windowframes are beginning to stir,
another sign of winter’s wane. Rain is coming down a
bit harder now, and water is running down the road
in sheets. I hope the runoff ditches and culverts
aren’t needed, as they are all still packed full of
snow. The
wind is supposed to pick up later today and usher in more
snow; stay tuned, anything can happen !
have an interesting day,
Daisy
Thursday, February 17, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
40 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
What a beautiful morning! This is the kind of
midwinter morn that makes me think about the
springtime that will surely arrive soon on one of these
warm southern breezes. I know there is
still much wintry weather left in Mother Nature’s
gift bag, but when the sun feels this warm and
starlings greet the day with such an optimistic anthem,
one’s blood thins out just a bit in anticipa-
tion of a thaw. Yesterday we skied up the Smith Road and
back to a pond, where the only tracks
we saw were old deer ruts that had been partially
obscured by Monday’s scouring wind. We en-
dured a smattering of wind-driven grauple at the start of
the trek, but when we got into the shelter
of the tall trees that border the road the air was calm
and lovely. We didn’t see one drop of rain at
all, and the clouds parted to reveal some of the bluest
sky I have seen in a long time. We didn’t come
across any open water; Horsie Creek is all snowed over,
and even the outflow of the big pond didn’t
reveal even a tiny gurgle of liquid. The lack of watering
holes may have forced wildlife to a different
part of the Hill, where steeper declines would keep the
water moving more. We didn’t even see
any birds on our journey, which I thought was odd, as
chickadees often follow us along that
route. The days will continue to be mild until Friday
night, when a cold wind will usher in
more seasonal weather. Get out early today to take
advantage of this little taste of spring.
Have a fine day,
Daisy
Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
20 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
Warm air is moving in, and it smells like a little
rain may be carried on the west wind.
I spent some time yesterday clearing the yard and
shoveling paths to the outbuildings,
so if rain does fall it will wash right through the yard
and not puddle up too bad. I am
eagerly awaiting the return of Mr. Hill who has been away
at man-camp for the past
week; his hard work has always been appreciated, but it
only took a couple of good
snowfalls to tell me how hard that work really is. The
plowing was easy, the truck does
all the work, but the shoveling, oy! I can tell exactly
which muscles are brought into play
when doing that job, especially when the snow is as wet
and heavy as from the past two
storms. Some friends are coming up later this morning to
ski on the Smith Road snowmo-
bile trail, and we will look for signs that winter is on
the run. Yesterday I snowshoed around
our meadows and did not see one animal track or pile of
scat. There is only a small opening
at the spring runoff where water still flows freely, but
no one had been there to drink since
Monday’s storm. The surface of the snow is a bit
crunchy, but the shoes bore me up
pretty well, except every so often one leg would sink in
up to the knee, so I had to
stay focused on putting one foot after the other. It is
very different than x-c skiing,
enjoyable in a whole different way. And now, off to make
some
chocolate pudding, a treat no matter what the season.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Tuesday, February 15, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
2 degrees, breezy, sunny
I need sunglasses to look out the window this
morning. A fresh layer of snow sparkles almost
psychedelically in the strong midwinter sun, especially
just after dawn, when everything was painted
pink, even the shadows. We had a heck of a storm
yesterday, no rain up here at the top of the world,
only snow, wet and sticky at first, plastering itself
onto the trees and buildings, and yes, the freaking
satellite
dish. Again. I had a very slow trip down the hill after
lunch, in low gear and unable to stop even if I wanted to,
the snow was that slick. The main roads were all clear,
just wet, but when I came home after work at twilight
it was a different story. The pavement was covered with
frozen slush, and visibility was close to zero at many
places along the route. One of the windshield wipers
decided to quit working halfway home, thank goodness
it wasn’t the driver’s side. I think the
residue of ice that I failed to completely scrape away
had shredded the
rubber right off the blade, but that’s easy enough
to replace. I was very happy to finally arrive home, even
though the end of the driveway had a new barrier of wet
snow piled up by the town plow; I muscled through
it with my trusty AWD car and will deal with it later
this morning. The barn doors have been drifted over as
well, as much of the storm came from the southwest. I
find it unbelievable that the temperature has dropped
forty degrees since yesterday morn, and by noon tomorrow
it will have gone back up to forty again. What a
roller coaster! After I plow the yard and dig out the
barn, I will strap on snowshoes to clear the snow from
the Dish, then trek on down to the spring to see if any
critters have been stirring since the snow has stopped.
A friend in town reports that she smelled a skunk
yesterday morning, which is one of the first signs that
win-
ter is on the wane here in the North Country. She has a
bird feeder, and seeds spilled onto the ground
often attract the first skunks of spring. Several crows
have come out of hiding to liven up the sky,
and my contingency of starlings is slowly gathering in
the big tree to add music to the scene.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Monday, February 14, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
38 degrees, windy, mostly cloudy, snow
The sky is bright in spite of sheets of wet snow that are
flying across the view at a high rate of speed.
It looks like the sun might be almost shining over the
Black River Valley, and the snow that sits in those
vast meadows alongside route 12D is bright and shining
white. The temperature has dropped two degrees
since I arose, and I think more snow is probably on the
way. I am glad I was able to get most of the snow
cleared from the yard yesterday, as the temp is rumored
to head back into the deepfreeze by tomorrow.
By the time Saturday’s storm was over and the wind
had shifted the snow into huge mounds, we ended
up with about three feet of heavy wet snow across the end
of the driveway, and the drift in front of the
barn peaked to about five feet at its deepest. It took
almost as much time to shovel a path to the barn
door as it did to clean up the whole rest of the yard. A
stiff wind is from the southwest today, and I
see that the path to the barn has already started to fill
in again. Six starlings showed up earlier, and
it occurred to me that it won’t be long before those
other blackbirds show up, the redwings of spring,
thrilling me with their distinctive mating call. For
now, the cheerful clicks, gurgles, trills and whistles of
the starling choir bring a big grin to my face every time
I hear them. So, in spite of the wet snow pelting
my face when I was out with the dog, I was as happy as a
human can be on a blustery February morn.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Sunday, February 13, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
20 degrees, breezy, cloudy, snow
A band of lake effect snow is swiftly passing
through the neighborhood,
not nearly as intimidating as what we recently
experienced. Yesterday’s surprise
storm left huge drifts in certain places, and scoured the
yard clean in others. Scads of
branches and twigs were blown from the big maple trees
around the house, so I collected
some of them for kindling while the dog was out this
morning. Snow had not yet begun to fall,
and the breeze was from the southwest and felt a bit damp.
Yesterday’s lake effect storm was
as bad as any I have ever ridden out, with visibility of
near-zero from wind-driven snow. I have
no idea how much snow fell, only that conditions were
fierce out there for most of the day. The
sun came out before dinner, but the wind didn’t die
down until bedtime. I was amazed at the
huge number of snowmobiles that were out on the trail
during the worst of the storm; how
could they even begin to see where they were going? I
need to plow out the heavy glop
that the snowplows have deposited across the end of the
driveway before any rain moves
in; as the breeze shifts more to the south the
possibility that the day will warm up is a good
one. I only ventured outdoors yesterday to yank the
mailbox out of the snowbank; it was
nearly buried by wind-driven snow. The town plow had to
make two consecutive passes
to clear drifts from the road. Snow falls harder now, but
the wind isn’t too bad. Yet.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Saturday, February 12, 2011, 8:15 a.m.
21 degrees, windy, overcast, snow
This morning I am more certain than ever that the folks
who write for Saturday Night Live
are the same ones that write the weather forecasts
for the website that I check (wunderground.com) to
help plan my day. For the past three days there has been
a Winter Storm Warning, and we received a
whopping three inches of snow during that time. This
morning’s forecast is for occasional snow and
we
have received three inches of heavy wet stuff since I
arose at 7:00. The wind is blowing so hard that by
the time I carried the full ash pan to the storage barrel,
it was empty. Thank goodness there weren’t any
live coals in that load. Visibility is about a hundred
yards; I can say that with certainty, because I
can’t
see the neighbor’s driveway marker which is that
distance away from my window. Yesterday was a
beautiful sunny day, but very windy, so most of the fun I
had outdoors was limited to the shelter of
the buildings. It is always fun to toss snowballs for the
dog, who tries to fetch them but ends up
with nothing in his mouth but a big grin. We walked a bit
up the road, but the wind got the
better of us both and it was a short hike. Wow, the snow
isn’t slowing down, and yet I
can see the faint outline of the sun at times, as if the
storm is thinning out for now.
The wind is amazing; I think I will go fill a few jars
with drinking water,
in case we lose touch with the grid.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, February 11, 2011, 9:00 a.m.
12 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
I heard the town plow early this morning, and thought
that perhaps more snow had arrived overnight.
The yard has even less snow in it than yesterday, thanks
to a scouring west wind that swept most of it up
against the terminal moraines created by our own
plowtruck. The temperature dropped down to three degrees
last night, cold enough; some low-lying areas nearby
reported lows in the minus-twenties. A stiff wind still
blows,
so I will schedule my day’s activities accordingly.
I went out on snowshoes again yesterday, and my tracks
have
blown completely smooth, with no sign that anyone
recently trod through the meadows. Likewise, all animal
signs have been erased, except for some deer tracks that
cut deep into the plowed banks by the roadside;
once the animals cleared the packed heaps of snow, their
tracks disappeared. There were many such dis-
turbances near the crossing up the Smith Road, by the
Horsie Creek culvert. There is still a bit of cold run-
ning water showing between the steep cornices on either
side of the stream, which makes it a likely watering
hole for all kinds of critters. I could find no open
water in our east meadow; the spring overflow is totally
bur-
ied. This is a hard time for wildlife, now that the deep
snow has arrived. If you have livestock or pets that live
outdoors, make sure their water supply is thawed. We
don’t currently have any barn cats; if we did, a
plastic
bowl of warm water would be set out twice a day for them.
Don’t forget to keep your own self hydrated;
in winter, our homes and workplaces tend to be very dry,
and you will do yourself a big favor if you drink
sufficient water every day. It is easy enough to remember
to have a tall glass of good water in the summer
when you are hot and dripping with sweat, but it is
important to quaff plenty of liquids all year long.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Thursday, February 10, 2011, 9:30 a.m.
17 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
Although we are still under a lake effect snow
warning until suppertime,
I am so tired of the media crying WOLF ! that I no
longer give much credence
to such alarms. For all of the hoopla and ballyhoo that
preceded this latest non-event,
we now have about three inches of new snow, not even
enough to bother getting the plowtruck
out of the garage. The sun is warm on this beautiful
midwinter morn, and although the wind is brisk,
old Sol does a nice job of balancing the chill, as well
as highlighting the dazzling facets of the newfallen
snow. Yesterday I strapped on snowshoes for the first
time in many years and went out to clear the snow
off of our new satellite dishes. They are located at the
edges of our berry garden, and if we hadn’t insisted
on using longer poles than what the installer had in his
truck, one of them would be completely buried in
snow by now. I think that folks who live off The Hill
have no idea of the kind of drifts that we get, even
in a year with relatively little snow. Whenever we get
wet snow from the southwest, the little metal sau-
cers load up and cease to function. I have looked online
and found that I can purchase a cover for
about forty bucks, but couldn’t I just spray it with
Pam instead? Just Kidding. Maybe. Anyway,
I soon realized that this outdoor housekeeping task was a
blessing in disguise, because I had
forgotten how easy it is to get around in deep snow with
snowshoes. Once I got over
the impulse to glide down the hills, I had a pleasant
walk around our property
just as the sun was beginning to disappear from view.
Hooray
for remembering another fun thing to do in winter !
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 9:00 a.m.
12 degrees, windy, partly sunny, flurries
Some small flakes are falling from the sky, but
most of the swirling wintry activity outside is
from blowing snow, pushed every which-a-way by a strong
west wind. There are some awesome
drifts, and the deep footprints from my trek to fix the
satellite dish on Sunday have been blown completely
smooth. A band of lake effect weather has drifted off to
the north, after dropping about an inch of new snow
in the neighborhood. There is a lake effect snow warning
in effect until tomorrow evening, with more than a
foot expected overall. Last night was very cold, and the
oil furnace kicked on during the wee hours, but now
both wood stoves are up and running and the house is
warming up nicely. The chimneys and pipes have re-
cently been cleaned, but we need to take care when the
wind is this powerful to keep the fires small and
under control. We have prepared for a power outage,
drawing off drinking water into jugs and recharg-
ing the flashlights, as we often lose the grid when the
gusts are strong. Wednesdays are my day off,
so I plan to do the vacuuming and floor mopping early,
while the power is still with us, then take a
few hours this afternoon to curl up with a book and watch
the weather from inside looking out.
I had enough of it when I went out to empty the ashes and
fetch the weekly newspaper earlier.
I like snow, but this frigid wind is a little scary to me.
Stay snug,
Daisy
Tuesday, February 8, 2011, 9:00 a.m.
18 degrees, breezy, overcast, snowing
The temperature is falling like a lead balloon, and the
northwest breeze pushes the snow across the view,
both the stuff already on the ground and the fat flakes
that are currently falling from the sky. I can see a
bright silver circle in the sky that tells me the sun is
shining above the clouds, and maybe this little storm
will shove off and leave us with a bright morning.
Yesterday was warm enough to turn the snow into slush
in parking lots and on sidewalks, and as the thermometer
heads towards zero that will freeze into a real mess.
We had about four inches of new snow in the yard when we
arose, and plowed the yard as clean as we could.
Yesterday we cleared snow from the rooftops, and it is a
good thing we did. There is a chance of rain over the
weekend, and nothing will collapse a barn faster than
waterlogged heavy snow. Thank goodness we got it off
before it froze. We walked up the Smith Road snowmobile
trail for a little bit, and once we reached the shel-
ter of the tall balsams and maple trees, it was nice.
Flurries continued to fall off and on, and we got in a
good
mile before the dog decided he had enough, but it was a
good short hike for us both. The snowmobile trail is
loaded with deer tracks, which of course is the easiest
way for them to get around since the snow became
so deep. Perhaps I will ski on that trail today, as there
is usually very little motorized traffic on a Tuesday.
Oh! Here comes the sun! Yippee!
Have a great day,
Daisy
Monday, February 7, 2011, 8:15 a.m.
28 degrees, breezy, overcast, flurries
I am not sure if flurries is the correct
term for these heavy little frost-bombs that drop from
the sky like lead fishing weights. They are huge, and
waterlogged, and will do little to improve
the view except cover up the snirt that has started to
bleed out of the snowbanks. Yesterday was
warm enough to start a little thaw, and so we decided to
forgo the skiing, which would have been slow
and sticky in the new deep snow that fell Saturday, and
enjoy some indoor visiting instead. One gal men-
tioned that it is only six weeks until peas can go into
the ground, and I guess that’s true enough for some
areas, but up here on Tug Hill it is more like eight or
even ten weeks before the snow will be gone from
the garden soil. But it got us talking about our gardens,
and I am already lusting after the first baby greens
that we will be able to pluck for salads in early May.
After I returned home from a lovely Sunday of visiting,
I took the dog for a walk and it was very nice outside,
not too windy with a nice tang of spring on the air. We
only walked a mile, as the sun was beginning to lower in
the west, and I don’t like to walk in the twilight
when
there are so many snowmobiles around. Meanwhile, I had
noticed earlier that our new satellite dish was not
working, so I thought I would go out and check the actual
receiver and see if it was blocked by snow or ice.
I couldn’t be bothered to get the snowshoes out of
the storage area, so I put on some boots and headed a-
round the back of the house to check the apparatus. Holy
moley! Waist-deep heavy snow made for a very
interesting trek, and there were times when I had to
actually grab my leg with both hands and raise it out
of the deep imprint to make the next hole. I look at
those tracks this morning and just shake my head,
what was I thinking ? When I got to the first of
the two dishes, I saw that it was completely encrust-
ed with wet show, so I cleared it off. I had visual
contact with the other dish, which brings in local
channels, but that one seemed to be clean. My return trip
wasn’t quite as difficult, as long as
I stepped in the same holes I had made on the way out.
Usually one can shuffle through
deep snow, but this stuff is amazingly dense. I will give
it another day or two to settle,
then see if it has compacted enough to support a skier
with ease. Until then,
walking along the plowed roads has been very enjoyable.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Sunday, February 6, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
25 degrees, windy, overcast
The northwest wind carries some bite this morning,
but no precipitation.
Yesterday’s breeze was right out of the south, and
tasted of mud and rain,
but what it eventually delivered was a foot of heavy
sugar snow, and the view
is splendid with huge rolling drifts that formed as the
wind pushed the stuff around.
We were walking our dogs after lunch and were quite far
up the Gomer Hill Road
when the storm struck, so we were pelted with wind-driven
snow the whole return
trek. When we set out the sun was shining and it was
thirty-five degrees, quite pleas-
ant for February. The neighbors’ horses were dozing
in the sun, munching on summer-
baled hay and no doubt dreaming of a good gallop in a
snowless flower-filled meadow.
Our pets greeted all of the neighborhood dogs, who were
all outdoors enjoying the after-
noon in their respective yards. As soon as we passed the
Welsh Hill cemetery, the sky
quickly filled in with clouds and the soft southern
breeze had intensified as it shifted a
bit to the west; a few wet flakes started to fall. We
walked on a few hundred yards
farther until we realized that the pretty picturesque
winter scene was about to turn
harsh and unfriendly, and the wind that was now at our
backs would be in our faces
the whole way home. Our 180 turn around was a shift in
more than just direction; as
spring-like and warm as the outbound journey was, the
return was a trip not just back
to our home but also a return to winter. I think I will
tuck a scarf into my jacket pocket,
in case this happens again; it was surprising how fast
the storm rolled in. We were warm
enough except for our faces, which were stinging from the
hard-driven snow. All of the
yard-dogs had gone inside, and the horses stood near
their shelter with their backs to
the wind, steaming with fresh fallen snow and comfy under
their shaggy winter coats.
By the time we arrived home, two inches of snow had
gathered, and was starting to
cling to the dogs’ feet, so our timing was just
right. I have plans to ski later today
with friends, and once we get a track laid down it should
be pretty good gliding.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Saturday, February 5, 2011, 7:30 a.m.
22 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
We have had a couple of amazing dawns the past two days,
and last night’s sunset was one
of the most colorful I have seen in a long while. By the
time I got suited up and trod up the road
a few hundred yards to get a good photo (one in which the
power poles and road signs wouldn’t be
a prominent feature) the colors had faded from neon
fuchsia to plain old silver. Clouds have rolled in fairly
quickly this morning, and there is snow in the picture
for later today. Yesterday’s high winds kept me off
of
my skis, but I did enjoy a short walk up the Smith Road
to immerse myself in the awesome bluster. It wasn’t
horribly cold, so windchill wasn’t daunting. The
main problem was that the roar of the wind completely muf-
fled the sound of snowmobiles, and there was much traffic
while I was walking. The danger of being struck
down from behind was very real, and walking while
surrounded by exhaust fumes isn’t on my top ten list
of outdoor fun things to do, so I turned around at Horsie
Creek and called it a day. That little stream has
become mostly snowed over, and I suspect that most small
creeks on the Hill now have good snow brid-
ges across them. I hope to get into the woods at least
one day this weekend to find out for certain.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, February 4, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
13 degrees, partly sunny, windy
Clouds have been building since a red dawn,
ripples and billows of white and grey that have slowly
overwhelmed the clear expanse of bright blue sky. The
wind is significant, and may squelch any plans
I had to play outdoors, especially if the temperature
remains in the teens. Visibility is awesome, and I
can see the Adirondack Mountains on the horizon and all
of the gleaming snow-filled meadows that
stretch from here to there. All of the trees are in
motion; entire hedgerows near and far sway and
twitch as if getting ready to uproot and march forth in
battle, a scene from a C. S. Lewis tale. I
can hear the wind, not a gentle susurration but a dull
roar, with an occasional thrumming gust.
I need to get out and experience this extreme weather,
even if only for ten minutes;
then I shall decide whether to suit up and head into the
woods for a look-see.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Thursday, February 3, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
8 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
A few clouds hover at the eastern horizon between
the Black River and the Adirondack Mountains,
but the sky over Gomer Hill is a true robin’s egg
blue. We never had much of a snowstorm yesterday,
although a second front carried a few more inches and
some pretty gusty winds with it. The temperature
rose to 31 degrees, and some of the snow was very dense
with moisture. Over the past forty-eight hours
I would guess that we had about a foot of new snow total,
which will certainly help make skiing and snow-
shoeing in the woods easier, especially if the recent
denser flakes settle into a firm base. The sun is very
bright this morning, making the single digit temp a
little more bearable. I stood on the woodshed step
for several minutes listening to crows call back and
forth to each other, basking in the sun that reflect-
ed off of the fresh snow in the yard. Yesterday we
finally got around to processing our big crock full
of sauerkraut, and now there are 22 quart jars of briny
fermented cabbage in the pantry and another
18 ziploc bagsful in the freezer. This is enough kraut to
last us a couple of years, plus I will give a
few quarts to the friend who helped me prepare the raw
cabbage last autumn. I won’t be home
for dinner tonight, but I am certainly looking forward to
one of our favorite dishes tomorrow:
smoked sausage, apples, and sauerkraut baked with a
little drizzle of maple syrup on top. Yum !
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
17 degrees, windy, overcast
Some fine snow fell earlier this morning, but it has
stopped. It appears that the storm of the century
may actually be merely the storm of the week ,
in our neck of the woods anyway. We have received
about eight inches of snow during the past twenty-four
hours, and it appears that the worst of snowfall
has already moved on. A couple of small blips on the
radar may bring a bit more, but for all the hoopla
that the media has been shouting, this is a bit
disappointing. The forecast still calls for another five
to nine
inches, but I can’t see it on the map anywhere. AT
any rate, if a groundhog did happen to accidentally
come above ground in our east meadow this morning, he
would not see his shadow. I’m uncertain if
this means we won’t have six more weeks of winter;
the Groundhog Day rule never really worked
here in the North Country. The texture of this snow is
very dense, and even though the wind is
roaring, new drifts have not formed. There haven’t
been any birds hanging around the yard
on this blustery morn, and our meadows are an untracked
expanse of smooth white snow;
it won’t take long for the deer to wear a path to
the spring runoff, which has not yet been
closed in by snow or ice. Here come a few fat snowflakes,
so there may still be hope...
Have a great day,
Daisy
Tuesday, February 1, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
15 degrees, breezy, overcast, snow
We are anticipating a major snowstorm, one that may even
be made more exciting by the addition
of thunder and lightning after the sun goes down tonight.
This southeast wind brings a whole ‘nother
kind of snow with it, fine-grained and dense, falling in
a continuous sheet of wintry goodness. Lake effect
snowflakes, which are delivered on a west wind, are often
huge and float gracefully, drifting here and there,
dancing with the gusts and shifting into graceful drifts
after they finally hit the ground. This stuff looks like
it
will stay put, and probably be hard to move with the
plowtruck. This kind of snow packs into a good solid
base, which we have not yet had on Gomer Hill this winter.
Every ski outing last month had been a phys-
ical challenge, breaking trail through a couple of feet
of fluff, and even after the trail had been set, a
good wind gust would fill it in again. This robust
nor’easter gift should pack in pretty well, and
after
the skies clear again (along about Thursday) we should be
able to move about through the back-
country with alacrity. And cookies. We have been waiting
for the snow to become deep enough
to cross over barbed wire fences, and this fast-moving
storm might do the trick !
Have a great day,
Daisy
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