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Thursday, December 31, 2009, 8:00 a.m.
22 degrees, breezy, overcast
It seems likely that we will see a bit of snow
today, probably a dusting like
yesterday but maybe more. There was just enough new fluff
on the ground after
we returned from our errands yesterday to cover up the
iciest spots and make for an
interesting trip from the car to the house. We sanded a
path, but walking anywhere else is
a real challenge. We keep ski poles by every doorway, but
it is hard to use a pole while carrying
sacks of flour and cat food; maybe I should learn to
balance things on my head to leave my hands free
for icy days. Now, there’s a picture. There is very
little snow south of Remsen, barely enough to even
leave snowbanks, and corn stubble and hay stems are
visible in every farm field between there and Little
Falls. Horses, cattle, and sheep were grazing in pastures
along the road, their forage augmented by hay
scattered across the ground. Our snow on Gomer Hill has
settled into a nice solid amount, consistently
averaging a depth of about two feet with banks as high as
three in windblown spots. Coverage is very
good, and ponds seem to be frozen enough to support the
weight of large animals, so I think we are
nearly at the ski-everywhere part of the season.
The only drawback is that the snow still isn’t quite
deep enough to easily cross barbed wire fences, but for
an experienced skier/snowshoer that is
really no big deal, requiring only a good grasp of
certain principles of physics, like gravity, and a
bit of courage. I haven’t been to Mill Creek yet
this year, so I don’t know if there is a good way to
cross that to get from here to the State Trails; I think
I will wait until after the next big storm to check
that out. There is a new view every time I ski the local
woodlands and meadows, so for now I am
happy to stick close to home. Make sure you catch the
full moonrise, just about the same time as
sunset, around 4:30. This is the second full moon in
December, making it a blue moon. The
chance that a blue moon will be on New Year’s Eve
happens only once in nineteen years.
This is also a super moon, which means that it is
at its closest point to the Earth,
or lunar perigee. Some parts of the world will have their
blue moon at the
end of January. Check out this link
for more details.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, December 30, 2009, 8:00 a.m.
14 degrees, calm, partly sunny
It is already sixteen degrees warmer outside than when we
went to bed last night,
and as soon as the sun pokes out from behind the clouds I
imagine it will be a delightful
winter day. Don’t forget your sunscreen if you
venture outdoors. We have business in the
Valley this morning, but should get home in time to enjoy
at least a walk. It looks like several
deer wandered through our back garden during the night,
poking deep holes in the snow that
leave a clear trail. Most other animals have been able to
stay on top of the snowpack, but deer
have those pointy little hooves that punch right through
all but the most frozen terrain. There have
been an amazing number of species out and about, even on
the coldest days. We have seen many
different rodents scurrying along between the rose hedge
and the other landscape shrubbery of the
yard, some big enough to be rats, and once a white ermine
with a black tail-tip ran from the barn
to dive under an old car parked out back. An ermine is
simply a weasel wearing winter camou-
flage, but it would be more effective if the pigment
disappeared from the whole critter; that
tail is a dead giveaway. The lone raven is still near;
this morning it is concentrating its
flight pattern over the meadow across the road. At least
today provides better
navigating conditions than yesterday’s bluster. We
have a good day to travel;
I wonder how much snow points south have had ? Stay tuned.
have a great day,
Daisy
Tuesday, December 29, 2009, 8:00 a.m.
-3 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
There is snow whipping across the meadows, but it is
yesterday’s flakes
that are being buffeted about; nothing new is falling
from the cloud-a-licious
sky. The sun is a shiny silver circle behind a mass of
pale grey, but blue sky shows
in big patches, indicating that the day may turn out to
be mostly sunny after a while. We
received less than a foot of snow from yesterday’s
lake effect event, but the winds that ac-
companied it were fierce indeed. I stayed home from work,
preferring our cozy warm house to
motoring on unplowed roads with zero visibility. There
were literally hundreds of snowmobiles zip-
ping through our neighborhood all during the storm; I
guess zero visibility doesn’t matter much to them.
There was a travel advisory that has just been lifted, so
I guess that storm is officially over. When the
wind dies down, I’ll bet backcountry skiing and
snowshoeing will be darned near perfect. The raven
that circled our place all day Sunday is back, flying low
and scanning the area. How it can navigate
so easily in such a stiff north wind is amazing; I wonder
if windchill statistics apply to birds? Our
local weather station reports windchill of -25
degrees; that’s keeping me indoors for a while !
Enjoy your day,
Daisy
Monday, December 28, 2009, 9:30 a.m.
31 degrees, breezy, overcast, snowing
So far about four inches of snow has fallen, dense small
flakes that stay put even in the breeze.
We are smack dab in the middle of a band of lake effect
snow that is large enough that it may
amount to something before it has passed. This is just
what our winter activites need, a good
snowfall atop the frozen base that Saturday’s rain
produced. Yesterday everything had softened
up nicely, and I would imagine that it was still gooey
enough to bond nicely to this beautiful snow.
The wind will no doubt pick up as the storm progresses,
and traveling will be sketchy on roads
that don’t need to be plowed on the school bus
schedule this week. If I can get someone to
cover my shift later I am staying put. Get ready for a
significant drop in temperature as well,
with single digits probable by nightfall. Meanwhile,
yesterday a raven circled our meadows
for most of the day, occasionally calling loudly with its
gruff holler resounding over the Hill.
I wonder if it lost a friend, or was defending some food
source, or maybe just checking up
on its human buddies. I saw it from early morning until
the last rays of the sun disappeared
If it is out there today, it is hidden from view by the
storm. In just about six weeks time
ravens will be preparing to nest, so possibly this single
bird has been trolling for babes.
When the air clears, it will be interesting to see if it
is still in the neighborhood.
Have a fine day,
Daisy
Sunday, December 27, 2009, 12:30 p.m.
40 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
This holiday weekend has been so filled with
friends and great food,
that My View From the Top seems to be playing
second fiddle for a few days.
I just returned from skiing with a friend through some
nearby forests and meadows,
and am happy to report that backcountry conditions have
improved mightily over yester-
day’s treacherous glaze. There are hundreds of
snowmobiles on the hill today, so we headed
off in a direction that we figured would lead us away
from the noise and fumes, but someone
followed our ski tracks anyway and gave us a friendly
wave, I guess just curious about who
we were. At least they couldn’t follow us into the
deep woods. We saw many deer beds
and deep rutted trails riddled with poo, and in one
swampy section there was plenty of
turkey sign as well. We found a beehive that had been
knocked down from a tree and
torn apart, every hexagonal cell identical to its
neighbor, with some sadly enclosing dead
honeybees. It is warm outside today, in spite of a
lingering breeze. Yesterday was truly a
fierce day, with biting wind and rain freezing onto the
trees, only to be blown off by the
larger gusts. I was afraid that some of the ice would
break a window as it was hurled
at the house. It was as dark and sere as today is bright
and cheery; a balance
has been struck. We may see some snow later today, and a
sharp drop
in temperature is headed our way tomorrow night.
It’s all good !
Have a great day,
Daisy
Saturday, December 26, 2009, 8:30 a.m.
32 degrees, windy, overcast
We didn’t receive nearly as much rain as we expected
last night,
but there was enough to make back-country skiing
unappealing, for
this morning anyway. We may see a little snow later in
the day, and that
would make a big difference in our weekend recreation
plans. The storm
windows on the sunporch have a thick layer of transparent
ice on every pane,
and so does our guest’s car in the yard, but I think
the hefty winds that blew all
night kept ice from clinging to the trees and shrubs. We
had two fine ski journeys
yesterday. A long trek before lunch through the meadows
and swamps that surround
the Evans Road was filled with frosted evergreens, (true
Christmas trees!) and animal
trails that told a pack of tales. The pond has ice thick
enough to support the weight of
deer and coyotes and all of the seeps and spring-holes
were covered with snow and
provided no obstacles to our little group. After lunch we
headed over into the wood-
lot, where we saw evidence of many deer afoot, with
dozens of well-used beds and
deep highways cut into the snow by their sharp hooves. By
late afternoon there was
a marked change in the air; a damp southwestern breeze
formed a thin crust on the
snow that made the gliding a little trickier than earlier
in the day. The sun almost
came out a couple of times, but for the most part our day
was warmed by
our own exertion rather than solar power. We are headed
out on foot this
morning to walk the dogs, if the wind doesn’t sweep
us off our feet.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, December 25, 2009, 1:00 a.m.
30 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
We just returned from a wonderful ski trip up the Evans
Road and into
the nearby swamp and meadows. I haven’t seen so many
animal tracks in
a long time; just about anything you can imagine lives in
our neighborhood has
left marks in the fresh snow. We didn’t see any big
cat prints, but fox, coyotes,
hares, deer, porcupines, squirrels and assorted other
little rodents, were running
around in great numbers. Conditions were perfect, fast
and silent. This will pro-
bably change with the influx of freezing rain that is
headed our way tonight and
tomorrow, so we are going out again after a lunch of
leftover homemade
pizza. Our official holiday dinner will wait until after
dark, as there
is so much fun to be had outdoors on this beautiful day.
Have a festive day,
Daisy
Thursday, December 24, 2009, 8:30 a.m.
20 degrees, calm, overcast
There must have been some fog overnight, as every
little landscape feature
is coated with fine feathers of frost, fragile and apt to
be swept away by the
first breath of a breeze. The temperature will climb into
the low thirties today,
maybe not here on Tug Hill, but for sure our recent visit
to the deep freeze will
have a little reprieve. We received about three inches of
beautiful fluffy powder
snow yesterday, an unexpected gift to top off a nicely
settled firm base. I believe
I will get out early on my skis today, before the snow
warms up too much, which
may make the sliding a bit slow and sticky. There are
scads of critter tracks, many
of which can be seen from the sunporch. There are fresh
cat tracks circling the house,
and no new squirrel prints, so that rodent was either an
entree, or found a way into the
cellar after all. Last summer was the first time we have
had a grey squirrel up here on
our property; it would sit on a broad branch of the
poplar tree and scold us as we
worked in the garden. Three cats and a dog chased it for
sport, but it was faster
and could climb higher than any of our cats deemed
prudent. I will keep my eye
on the lilac copse, and see if any little prints show up
during the next few days; I
will also be on the lookout for squirrel poo in the
cellar. Tonight is Christmas
Eve, and it is said that animals will speak in a language
that mankind can
understand at the stroke of midnight. If you are still up,
pay attention
to your pets and farm friends; they may have a message
for you.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, December 23, 2009, 8:30 a.m.
6 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny, flurries
We sit right at the southern edge of a band of lake
effect snow,
and catch a few sunlit flurries now and then. I
don’t think it will amount
to more than a dusting by the end of the day, which will
make the backcountry
skiing even more excellent than it already is. It was
very breezy in the wee hours,
and the chimney-cleaning rope had blown free of the
ladder and kept up a steady beat
against the siding; it sounded exactly like a big
dog’s hind leg thumping a wood floor as it
scratched an ear. This set the soundtrack for some pretty
interesting dreams, including a
midnight ski, a winter music festival, a mountain lion
and her cub, and fireworks; I hated
to awaken and lose the moment. The breeze is somewhat
less of a bluster this morning,
but still comes straight out of the north, making for a
windchill well below zero. A few
last minute errands will take me to Lowville later; I
wonder if it is snowing very
hard up that way. I hope to get out for a little ski
adventure later,
unless I get sidetracked, as can often happen in a busy
life.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 7:45 a.m.
5 degrees, calm, sunny
Welcome to the first full day of winter ! The temperature
nearly hit zero overnight,
but now it is climbing pretty steadily in the morning sun.
What I really like about this
time of year is the nighttime sky; it is so cold that, on
a cloudless night, the stars seem
to reach all the way down to the ground. Last night was
such a night, and a crescent moon
was perched aloft like the silvery boat in the
children’s song as it sailed towards the treeline
in the west. The longest night of the year was also one
of the prettiest, and I am happy I was
able to get out and enjoy it. This morning the snow is
pocked with animal tracks, those of the
feral cat who has been hanging around, and plenty of
squirrel prints leading from the lilac copse
to the cellar, over and over again. Hopefully the two
critters will come to a showdown before
the squirrel finds a way into the house. Deer imprints
overlay the ski trail I laid down around
the meadows, and tiny snowbird dents abound underneath
the birch tree, which has recently
released some of its seedheads. Several starlings have
visited the big maple trees in the yard
since the rest of the flock headed south, and are always
ready to brighten the day with a
cheerful whistled greeting, or some happy chatter, gossip
from the bird world. Ski
conditions remain very good in the backcountry, and Snow
Ridge will open for
the season tomorrow; check www.snowridge.com
for their holiday schedule.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Monday, December 21, 2009, 8:00 a.m.
12 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
The sun was rosy red and shiny as it rose, but it quickly
disappeared behind a low cloudbank.
A few patches of blue show here and there as the clouds
dance across the sky, and the north wind
is still very much on the scene. Today is the shortest
day of the year, so make the most of the light while
you can. Here is a nice little idea for today, if you are
looking to celebrate the season in the ancient way:
Solstice Ceremony (Ellen Jackson)
Candles are placed on a table decorated with evergreens,
and each person takes a turn lighting one.
Everyone holds hands and chants:
We kindle this winter fire
In memory of our ancestors
And of those who guard the world.
May the flame warm our hearts
And may the light remind us
Of the ever-returning sun.
Each person takes a turn naming a life-giving property of
the sun or makes a wish for the coming year:
The sun gives us flowers and plants.
The sun warms the earth.
The sun lights up our beautiful world, etc.
The sun gives us energy.
I wish for everyone’s health and happiness.
I wish for peace and kindness.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
Sunday, December 20, 2009, 9:00 a.m.
8 degrees, breezy, partly cloudy
The north wind has me thinking twice about plans to ski
in the open
meadows that flank the Evans Road. The snow is perfect,
but unless the
breeze dies down I think the protection of the deep woods
would make for
a friendlier venue on such a chilly day. The State trails
that originate on Carpenter
Road have been overrun by snowmobiles, which makes for
less than stellar conditions
over there. Please, folks, when you see signs that tell
you to keep your motorized playthings
off the property, for pete’s sake, comply. Those
signs are not a suggestion, they are the law,
especially those on State Land. The posted signs
in a farmer’s meadow should carry the same
weight as those put up by the government, protecting
private property from the noise and des-
truction that accompany every fossil-fuel burning
contraption. Meanwhile, as unbelievable as
it seems, another huge flock of geese passed over our
place this morning. What the heck ?
Do they have a chance of finding a choice winter haven at
this late a date ? The open
water of small ponds and seeps is quickly freezing over
here in the North Country,
and the cornfields and grain gleanings from last
summer’s oat and barley crops are
buried under snow, so what will they find to eat along
their arduous journey ? I have
never seen geese on the move this late in the season.
Tomorrow marks the beginning
of a new season; the solstice leads us into another
winter, and the days will slowly
grow longer. Be sure to leave a lamp burning tonight to
light the way for Old
Man Winter, although the original candle in the window
was to encourage
the Sun to return in full force. I like to think of them
as partners, a nice
balance of cold and hot that leads eventually to spring,
and the cycle of seasons that mark our years.
have a fine day,
Daisy
Saturday, December 19, 2009, 8:30 a.m.
8 degrees, breezy, partly cloudy
It is pretty cold outside, with a stiff breeze is
from the north, and the sun is behind
clouds for now, but it isn’t currently snowing in
our neighborhood. A big snowstorm
is moving up the east coast, and Virginians are coping
with several inches of it with no
snow tires. At least we are equipped to deal with it here
in the North Country. Yesterday
was cold, still, and sunny, and I enjoyed a leisurely
afternoon ski tour around the meadows.
I saw many vole trails; the little rodents pop out from
under the snow and loop around in crazy
circles that leave a shallow trough in the snow. in one
place I saw wing prints at the end of the trail,
where a bird had snatched up the unfortunate critter.
Down by the hedgerow, several vole trails were
overlain by coyote tracks, but there were so many prints
it was hard to tell who was victorious in that
fracas. There were many deer tracks around the little
patches of open water that run downhill from our
spring overflow, and more deer tracks in the cornfield
across the road, with several patches of snow
pawed through right down to the ground. There are a few
rabbit trails by the apple trees, and a set
of squirrel tracks between the white birch and the poplar
tree. I skied around our buildings, and
saw cat tracks coming out from under the back porch and
disappearing underneath the barn,
but no raccoon tracks. Cats are welcome, coons are not.
Cats are polite and fastidious,
coons are sneaky and leave stinking piles of poo
everywhere. Our own cats have not
ventured outside since last weekend’s snowfall, so I
guess we have a visitor. I put
some lukewarm water in the barn this morning; I figure
the stray can find plenty
of food (judging by all the tracks in the snow) but water
might be hard to find
in sub-zero weather. Make sure your own pets have a good
supply of water
if they spend much time outside. And be sure to keep
yourself hydrated as
well; just because it is cold, it doesn’t mean our
need for water is any less.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, December 18, 2009, 9:00 a.m.
5 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
It is a cold morning, and our overnight low broke
the record at the nearest weather
station at Jackson Hill, minus eleven degrees. We kept
both fires burning overnight,
and the house is toasty this morning. last nights starry
sky was even better than I had
anticipated, for I saw a huge meteor streak across the
sky just after I returned home
from a meeting at 8:30. I wandered out of range of the
yard light, and Orion was the
dominant constellation (actually, it is one of the few
that I recognize, but he was extra
bright last night). The shooting star passed just over
his head, and it was a truly awe-
some sight. The snow underfoot was squeaky with cold, and
it was a relief to enter
our warm kitchen after wandering around in the sub-zero
night. Today will be much
warmer than yesterday, but still in the teens. I never
did get around to skiing and may
not today; my spirit is willing, but my body is telling
me that a bit of rest might be more
sensible. It is important to pick up on the clues that
our physical bodies occasionally
whisper, gentle suggestions that hot lemonade and chicken
soup are a better idea
than trail mix and a three hour ski trip. This may be my
only chance to nip
a winter cold in the bud, and I believe I will take it.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Thursday, December 17, 2009, 7:30 a.m.
-3 degrees, breezy, sunny
It is very cold this morning, and even the little breeze
outside is enough to
bring tears to my eyes in an instant. Motes of twinkling
frost dance and sparkle,
and I am sure that when properly dressed it will be a
fine day to enjoy some skiing,
now that the snow has settled. Yesterday we ran into
heavy snowfall in Forestport, but
drove out of it on the way home by the time we got to
Boonville. The lake effect band had
drifted south, and here on Gomer Hill we only received
about three inches from yesterday’s
dump. If the sky stays clear tonight, there will be no
moon and the stars should be at their
wintry best; if you can stand the deep-freeze it will be
worth your while to take a five
minute stroll to experience the extreme cold and see the
stars as they never appear
any time but the winter months. There are no official
celestial events on the program,
but just the sight of the dense milky way and the
brilliance of the more intense stars
will have you gaping heavenwards in awe. As we approach
the longest night of
the year, take a moment to enjoy the nighttime, and sleep
extra snug as you
reflect on your good fortune to be able to have a warm
bed on such a night.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 7:30 a.m.
14 degrees, partly sunny, calm
About an inch of snow fell overnight, cleaning up the
sandy banks and evening out
the sharp ridges sculpted by weekend winds. While driving
home from Utica yesterday
afternoon, I came through one heck of a snowstorm that
lasted about four minutes; it didn’t
accumulate much on the bare highway, but visibility was
near zero, even with the wipers going
full blast. I emerged into sunny skies and dry roads
after a hair-raising interval surrounded by vehicles
whose pilots apparently had no basic driving skills; some
never even turned on their headlights. For now,
all is calm and bright, no wind, and even at 14 degrees I
was comfy chatting with a friend in the yard
for a few minutes clad only in my indoor clothes and
sandals. I am amazed at how many flocks of
geese are still on the move; a large group passed over
our house about a half hour ago, and I
saw several long vees between here and Utica yesterday. A
few flurries are beginning to ap-
pear; we have some lake effect snow in the forecast today.
They are floating slowly, drift-
ing and swaying in the still morning air, twinkling in
the sunlight, what a beautiful sight !
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
Tuesday, December 15, 2009, 7:45 a.m.
34 degrees, windy, fog
A few sprinkles of rain fell during the night,
turning the snow in the yard
into a giant Slurpie. Two of our cats decided it was warm
enough to venture
outdoors, but didn’t care for the way the slush felt
on their paws and came right
back in. We may see a little more rain before the wind
shifts to the north and brings
a return to the deep freeze later. A chance of snow for
tomorrow will give us some pretty
good cross-country ski conditions, with a hard base
covered by a few inches of powder. Rain
this early in the season is a good thing, binding
together the flakes into a strong layer of compacted
snow and ice that will hold steady for every critter that
treads upon it, skis, snowshoes, or bare paws.
Speaking of which, I wonder if the four neighborhood
bears have found a place to spend the long winter
months ? Since three are first year cubs, they will all
share a den this season; I wonder if it will be easily
recognizable if I come across it on my backcountry
excursions? Are they snug beneath a layer of snow,
dreaming of tasty berries and honey trees? Could I
possibly have skied over bear dens in the past
and not even been aware of them? And now, I am off to
brave the crowds in the city to
pick up some odds and ends for my job as Mrs. Santa
Clause.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Monday, December 14, 2009, 7:45 a.m.
26 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
A tiny film of fog has rolled away down the hill,
and the view is clear but
grey with low clouds. It was a poor night for viewing the
Geminid Meteor Shower;
there is always next year. This is a morning when even a
color photo would look like
it had been shot in black and white. As if to emphasize
this point, jet black crows and
starlings perch in the trees by the road, the crows
silent and the starlings whistling softly
among themselves. Some grey and white juncos just showed
up; they don’t make a dent
in the surface of the snow. I wonder what they are
pecking at; perhaps they are getting a
drink. It looks like the cluster of snowstorms that has
been buffeting Gomer Hill since last
Wednesday is over for a while. Yesterday we skied for a
couple of hours, doing most of
our traveling on the Smith Road. There were many places
where deer had bounded over
the bank and trotted up the packed surface of the groomed
snowmobile trail. Be careful
out there on a sled; deer will take the easiest path when
the snow is deep, and it would
be no fun to hit one at high speed. We saw quite a few
rabbit tracks near an old orchard;
even their big furry feet that gives them the name snowshoe
hare sank a few inches into the
fluff. We came back through the meadow, and were
surprised how much the snow had com-
pacted from wind, bearing our weight evenly to a depth of
about six inches. We encountered
a little face-stinging sleet that quickly changed to wet
snow, and didn’t see any of the rain that
friends in the valley reported. We picked up about four
more inches of snow before dinner-
time, and plowed the yard for the fourth time in as many
days. The clouds seem to be
thinning and the sky is bright with promise, perhaps the
sun will appear for a while.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Sunday, December 13, 2009, 8:30 a.m.
21 degrees, windy, partly sunny
After an extraordinary colorful sunrise into a clear sky,
clouds are beginning to encroach from the west, driven by
some
pretty stiff breezes. More precipitation is on the way,
and we hope it will
be mostly snow and not the wintry mix that is predicted.
Although, a little rain
would be helpful in settling the deep snow to make it a
little more navigable on skis.
Even snowshoes sink into this fluff, but they are better
than nothing. I may lay down a
trail with shoes first and then trace over it with skis,
just to get around to the nooks and
crannies that I can’t see from the plowed spaces.
There are no animal tracks in the mea-
dows that I can see, although I’ll bet some tiny
prints of voles and shrews are present,
so faint that they are hard to see even close-up. At any
rate, it is a beautiful morning,
as long as provisions are made to protect oneself from
the wind; the sun is shining
and the snow sparkles provocatively. Tonight’s treat
will be the Geminid annual
meteor shower, and its peak will be at around 9:00 p.m.
EST. Although
it occurs in the middle of winter, at least the best
viewing time isn’t
in the wee hours; 9:00 is feasible for most of us.
Have a fine day,
and a starry night,
Daisy
Saturday, December 12, 2009, 8:00 a.m.
16 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
We are perched to the north of the last bit of
lake effect snow;
I can see the front, a fat roll of grey clouds beyond our
shining blue
strip of sky. There is a breeze, but compared to
yesterday’s fulsome
blizzard this morning is downright balmy. We received
three feet of snow
(more or less) since Wednesday, and while that amount may
have been more
last night before it was windblown and settled, that is
the average of several places
I measured this morning. The snow was very light and dry,
and has shifted around into
graceful rifts and valleys. Light flurries have started
to drift across the view as the clouds
creep closer to Gomer Hill; perhaps Old Man Winter is not
quite finished with his compo-
sition. We brought our holiday tree indoors yesterday,
and as it warmed up the sweet frag-
rance of balsam fir permeated the room. Whenever I pass
by, the aroma transports me to
past Christmastimes full of toys and frosted cookies,
piles of wet mittens and snowpants
drying by the stove, and the secret hiding spots for
stocking stuffers and big gifts like bi-
cycles and snowboards. Our holidays are less hectic these
days, but no less merry, with
lights festooning the tree and poinsettias on the
windowsills. Today I will bring out a small
gathering of heirloom porcelain angels and place them on
the sill above the kitchen sink, as
a reminder that the yuletide should include time for
praise and gratitude for the blessings we
have received all year long. If there is an altar (sacred
space) in our home, it is the kitchen
windowsill, a place where my gaze is directed countless
times a day as I go about the tasks
of cooking and washing up. Small talismans that have
meaning for me are arranged in front
of a beautiful piece of fire agate, and most times of the
year there is a little vase or two of
fresh flowers; today there are some shiny green balsam
trimmings and a red geranium
blossom among the various offerings. It will all be
cleared off later, oiled to a dull
gleam, and turned over to the christmas angels for the
next month or so, even-
tually accumulating small tokens that I pick up along the
way. While the sun is
out, I guess I should go back outdoors and explore for a
while. I know the dog
would like a chance to romp in the snow; he has been very
patient this morning.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, December 11, 2009, 8:00 a.m.
11 degrees, windy, overcast, snowing
I’m calling it overcast today, although I
can’t see the sky at all through the
thick swirl of snow that is currently blasting Tug Hill.
It is impossible to measure
lake effect snow, as it is usually accompanied by high
winds that rearrange it almost
before it lands. There are some beautiful sculpted drifts
out there, some of them waist-deep.
My best guess is that we have received at least two feet
of snow since it started Wednesday,
and it doesn’t show signs of stopping. The
windows on the south and east sides of the house
are plastered with snow, which is odd since the wind has
been blowing straight out of the west
for the past two days. As I look at the mass of white
outside the window right now, it is difficult
to determine wind direction at all, with the flakes
performing a mad tarantella in mid-air. Snow
Ridge Ski Resort will be open tomorrow; if you
can get to Turin and enjoy winter sports,
call 315-3448-6405 to check on conditions. Currently
there is a travel emergency for
our area, but by tomorrow the storm should have played
itself out, leaving a few
feet of lovely fluffy powder on the slopes. I am happy we
have everything
we need to ride out this wintry event; you bet we are
going to stay tucked
in today. If we can get the block of ice melted that the
holiday tree is
standing in out in the barn, it is a good day to deck the
halls.
Have a cozy day,
Daisy
Thursday, December 10, 2009, 9:45 a.m.
24 degrees, windy, mostly cloudy, snowing
The wind has been fierce for two days, and it is
hard to guesstimate how
much snow we have received so far because it doesn’t
stay put. When we
plowed the yard yesterday, there were drifts over a foot
high in some spots,
while other parts of the yard were blown bald. We plowed
in the nick of time,
as the snow changed to rain for a couple of hours, and
waterlogged snow is al-
most impossible to push with a small plowtruck. The sun
has been shining through
the snow several times this morning, and the resulting
shimmering curtains of white
are very beautiful. We are smack in the middle of a lake
effect band, and the fore-
cast indicates that it will stay pretty much where it is
for the next two days. If that is
the case, we shall stay put as well, not taking any
chances on the roads in near white-
out conditions. Yesterday we traveled to Chase Lake to
pick up our venison from the
butcher, and although there was some sleet and freezing
rain the roads were in good
shape. Today is a different story, as the wind whips the
snow around so fast I at times
can barely see the beanpoles thirty yards away. Six crows
blew through the yard earlier,
quiet for once, probably focused on finding someplace to
ride out the storm. I don’t
know where they came from, but they headed over to the
woodlot where the thick
canopy should offer some protection. By now most of the
geese should already
be at their winter feeding grounds, even though we have
seen large flocks on
the move as recently as Tuesday; I pity any who are
trying to navigate in
this bluster. Take care if you have to venture out, and
stay warm.
Have a comfy day,
Daisy
Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 8:45 a.m.
26 degrees, windy, overcast, snowing
This is the real deal, a snowstorm worthy of school
closings and tucking in
for a day or two to wait it out, with blinding snow and
wicked gusty winds of
fifty mph and more. We have drawn off some water for
drinking and washing up,
as we almost always lose power during high winds such as
these. The storm front is
massive; this is beyond mere lake effect, although there
is some of that in tomorrow’s
forecast as well. I think it is a good day to cook some
comfort food on the wood range,
fragrant vegetable soup, macaroni and cheese, and a pan
of spicy apple crisp. The oil lamps
are full, the candlesticks loaded, chimneys clean, and we
are ready for whatever the day offers.
Make sure your pets are snug; the wind is blowing from an
aberrant direction,
and otherwise high and dry locations may be filling with
drifting snow.
Have an interesting day,
Daisy
Tuesday, December 8, 2009, 9:15 a.m.
24 degrees, windy, mostly cloudy
I can see snow falling at the edge of our meadow,
but here at the house
we are spotlit by a thin ray of sun that streams from a
tiny break in the clouds.
The edges of the cloud surrounding the sunbeam are
dazzling white, while the rest
of the mass is slate grey and dull. Ah, in the short time
it took to write that description,
the sun has disappeared and the snow has advanced up the
hill and is now over the garden,
coming closer as I watch. This looks exactly like a
fogbank rolling in, only with snowflakes
instead of mist. Another hole has just opened in the
clouds, away from the sun, showing a
beautiful patch of deep blue sky, which grows larger by
the second. Three chickadees
have appeared out of nowhere; whoever has written this
morning’s script has done a
perfect job of choreographing a perfect December dance.
Now the blue sky has opened
up so wide that the sun is blazing full-tilt boogie, and
I need to drop the curtain so I can see
the computer screen. The clouds are disappearing all over
the place, so that the original des-
cription of mostly cloudy no longer applies.
Several more chickadees have landed in the
birch tree, and a single raven has flown very close to
the house, gliding low and landing
on the apple tree. I’d better get out there for a
closer look; if the scene outside one
window is this delightful, what must the panoramic view
contain ? Later !
Have a great day,
Daisy
Monday, December 7, 2009, 8:15 a.m.
26 degrees, calm, mostly cloudy
Although there were plenty of blustery white-outs
during a late afternoon
stroll yesterday, there is surprisingly little snow on
the ground this morning. I
was sure that there would be at least enough wintry
goodness for a few cross-
country ski runs around the property, but it looks like
we have less than two inches,
very pretty but not enough for ski trekking. With snow in
the forecast every day this
week, it is possible that the Snow Ridge Ski Resort may
open for the weekend; give
them a jingle (315-348-8456) to get the latest ski report
if alpine skiing is in your plans.
I ventured outdoors twice yesterday; our morning romp
around the meadows was particu-
larly fun for the dog. He found lots of vole and shrew
trails, and traveled at least five times
farther than I, head down and snuffling, sneezing
whenever motes of snow traveled up his
nose after an enthusiastic sniff. While he explored and
rooted around in the old hayfield,
I gathered some dry sticks from the hedgerow for kindling.
We light the kitchen range
every morning during the winter months, and with old bean
husks, yellow birch bark,
and scavenged twigs we soon have a fine blaze with very
little paper needed. We came
indoors after covering all of the meadow paths, which is
the best kind of exercise for an
active dog, leash-free and following his nose. Later,
just before sunset, we walked up the
Smith Road to see what kinds of animal sign we could find
by Horsie Creek. If there had
been any tracks or scat, they were quickly covered by the
big snowflakes that filled the air
for most of our stroll. Even our own bootprints were gone
by the time we returned to the
yard. We heard a few geese calling, and they sounded odd;
I thought they might be snow
geese, not canadian. Sure enough, we looked up and saw a
couple of hundred pure white
snow geese passing overhead, at first headed north, and
then veering off to the west.
Neither direction seemed prudent for December; perhaps
they were looking for
someplace to park for the night. There were two long vees
and several broken
clusters of birds, maybe a hundred feet up. It was a
perfect note on which
to end our wandering, with darkness falling fast and the
lastnotes
of brassy avian chaos disappearing with the sun.
Have a fine day,
Daisy
Sunday, December 6, 2009, 9:00 a.m.
26 degrees, calm, mostly cloudy, flurries
A tiny mosey of snow drifts so slowly that each
flake appears to be suspended
in mid-air for a while before finally succumbing to
gravity’s lure. It is very cold out
this morning, but as there is no wind at all it is not
too uncomfortable. A bit of snow
rests on the grass, and some even sticks to the super-cooled
blacktop. The temperature
never rose above freezing yesterday; the top layer of
ground has begun to freeze solid. A
walk around the meadows was an exercise in balance, as
the hard tufts and hummocks canted
each footstep every-which-a-way. The dog had a fine romp,
with his small feet managing to land
sure-footed with every stride. He became frustrated when
he tried to dig into a promising hole; his
paws didn’t make a dent in the stiff dirt. We
zigzagged back and forth across the east meadow,
gathering whole clay pigeons that had escaped the
shotgun’s blast during some skeet shoots
last week. There were actually quite a few of the neon
orange discs, easy to locate unless they
landed upsidedown, then all that showed was a flat black
surface. Any fragments were trod un-
derfoot, grinding them into smaller pieces that will
eventually absorb into the hayfield. The whole
ones are drying under the kitchen range, to be re-used
another day. Today is the last day of regular
deer season, and most hunters I know have had good luck
this year. Black powder shooters have
another week in some districts. There are still four
bears at large nearby, and today marks the end
of bear season as well, with no extension for
muzzleloaders. It will be nice to be able to roam
through the deep woods once again, without feeling like I
am spoiling someone’s cover. Soon
we will be skiing through the forest, gliding freely and
seeing new sights; I can’t wait !
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
Saturday, December 5, 2009, 8:30 a.m.
27 degrees, calm, overcast
A pale circle of radiance shows the sun’s location
behind high clouds,
and before the morning is over it should poke through and
heat things up
a little. The lake effect snowfalls previously in the
forecast have disappeared
like smoke, although there is a chance of flurries every
day for the next week.
Frost is thick enough to be a danger underfoot,
especially on wooden surfaces
like the footbridge into the west meadow. The grass is
frozen and makes a satisfying
crunch when trod upon; the dog didn’t much like the
ice under his paws, and wasted
no time getting his morning essentials out of the way. He
confined his sniffing and ex-
ploring to the dry wood and dirt floors of the barn,
finding plenty of little critter trails
to attract his attention while I filled a few buckets
with kindling. Yesterday I had
hung some flannel sheets and blankets on the line to dry,
and while they were still
damp at the end of the day, now the whole house is filled
with the elusive aroma of
fresh Tug Hill air, emanating from the bedclothes draped
over the drying bar by the
woodstove. I hang stuff out all winter long, never
expecting it to dry, mostly to bring
the outdoors in for the brief time that the frozen cotton
gives up the awesome scent of
winter. Just remember, never put fitted sheets or
anything else out that is made with
elastic during very cold weather; if it freezes, the zip
goes right out of its do-dah.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, December 4, 2009, 7:30 a.m.
32 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
Radar shows some lake effect snow moving into
Canada to the north of us,
but unless the band drifts off course we shouldn’t
see much action today at all.
The water in Lake Ontario is unfrozen and relatively warm,
giving the potential for
many lake effect events until the ice arrives. More snow
is in the forecast for the week-
end, as well as throughout next week, so get those skis,
sleds, and shovels ready! A few
flurries landed on Gomer Hill overnight, not enough to
turn the ground white, but very pretty
scattered across the dark green lawn like tiny rough
pearls. We had a perfect five minute stroll
around the yard at dawn; there were dozens of geese
flying low overhead as the fireball of a sun
rose through some neon magenta clouds, a pleasing picture
and a great sound track. When I headed
back into the house, several starlings whistled a
greeting from what’s left of the big maple tee by
the barn.
One of them did a perfect imitation of the rising notes I
use to call the dog. I hope they stick around, they
are such good company on an otherwise quiet winter morn.
Yesterday was a wild and wooly day, but
the sun did appear for a few brief dazzling instants. The
whole Hill was in motion from hearty gusts of
wind flinging all kinds of rain around, from thin misty
drizzle to full-on torrents. I moved a few wheel-
barrows of firewood from the barn to the house in
anticipation of a snowy weekend, and it was a
challenge staying upright in the gale. We have a narrow
woodshed attached to the house as well,
filled to the rafters with seasoned hardwood, but we
don’t bust into that supply until after snow
arrives. Smaller wood for the kitchen range is stacked on
the back porch, now entirely en-
closed in panels for the winter months. We are all
buttoned up and ready for what-
ever the Old Man has in store; sooner or later, it will
be boots and wooly hats,
fleece jackets and warm gloves, and a whole different
view to enjoy.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Thursday, December 3, 2009, 9:30 a.m.
51 degrees, overcast, windy, raining
We are having all kinds of weather this week, from raging
snow earlier,
to a beautiful sunny day yesterday, and now the wind is
blowing with all
the fury of a March lion, eight months later. Yesterday
was so warm and
breezy that a big load of sheets and towels were
completely dry after just
a couple of hours on the line. We returned from the
airport in plenty of time
to hang stuff out and go for a fine walk around the
slushy meadows, tossing
snowballs for the dog to chase; it is funny to watch him
try to retrieve them as
they pretty much bust apart when he bites them. There is
no snow left anywhere
this morning; sheets of rain are borne on gusty west
winds depositing solid flows
of water on the big kitchen window. Every now and then
the sky brightens as
if the sun will burst out any minute, so I look forward
to a walk later under
some partly-blue sky. Temperatures will drop tonight, and
we have the
potential for some heavy snow over the weekend; will
winter arrive
to stay ? We got our holiday tree yesterday, so let it
snow !
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, December 2, 2009, 5:45 a.m.
33 degrees, breezy, moonlit
The full moon is on its way down, but there is still
plenty of silvery light
streaming across the beautiful white scene. We received
about three inches
of heavy wet snow yesterday; at times there was a total
whiteout. And yet, when
I got off the Hill to go to work late in the day, there
was only the merest dusting in the
lowland meadows and the roads were clear as a summer day.
By the time I drove home,
the snow had all melted from my car, and it wasn’t
until I reached the bottom of Gomer
Hill that winter returned to the picture. The snow was
sticky, perfect for forts and snow-
men, but not so good for skiing, although a friend took a
pretty zippy turn around the
meadow paths during the storm. Today will be clear and
sunny, and we are on our
way to the airport to see off some family members. We
hope to arrive back
home in time to enjoy the natural beauty of a Tug Hill
December day.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Tuesday, December 1, 2009, 8:45 a.m.
30 degrees, breezy, overcast, snowing
The big town plow just zoomed by the house, turning up
about an inch of fresh snow and
spreading a layer of salty sand, putting down the grit
for better traction as snow continues to fall.
There had been a bit of snow in fits and starts
throughout yesterday, but as the front passed through
the sky cleared for a few hours and the temperature
quickly dropped about ten degrees. It was very cold
last night, twenty-one degrees. We walked after dinner
and there was a heavy crunch of frost underfoot on
the grass. A nearly full moon had a rainbow of light
surrounding it, a harbinger of the snow to come. By the
end of the day, we just might be able to make a few x-c
ski runs on the meadow paths; what fun !
Have a great day,
Daisy
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