~
Saturday, December 31, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
34 degrees, calm, cloudy
Yesterday’s warming trend seems to be hanging around,
and we will have near spring-like conditions for tomorrow;
might as well get the January thaw out of the way on the
very first day. The birds are lively this morning, as the
warm air
has exposed a new layer of weeds and seeds, the juncos
are positively dancing around the old garden plots. We
saw several
crows during yesterday’s ski outing, and came across
many spots where they had cleared away snow to get at
some tasty morsels.
The snow was decorated with crow tracks and delicate wing-prints
from their many take-offs and landings. We saw evidence
of many
wild things, deer, fox, squirrels, and small rodents, but
the crows were the only living creatures that graced our
afternoon. of course, we
weren’t being particularly sneaky, laughing and
chatting as friends do whenever they gather. We are
planning a larger ski party for today;
as long as it isn’t raining sideways the going
should be most excellent. We will see more regular winter
weather by tomorrow night, with
the arrival of lake effect snow, and a return to the deep
freeze for Monday night. Never a dull moment here on
Gomer Hill, that’s for sure!
Happy Hogmanay,
Daisy
Friday, December 30, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
26 degrees, breezy, overcast, flurries
Fine snow sputters lightly across the morning view in
fits and starts. We received about an inch of sugary
stuff overnight,
but the forecast calls for a warming trend with a change
to a wintry mix and eventually rain. Ugh. Our plan for a
weekend
ski party may be in jeopardy. I glided all over Gomer
Hill yesterday afternoon, through meadows and into the
woods, and
could go pretty much anywhere I wished except for areas
where water flows or stands in shallow open pools. The
base was
hard and crusty with several inches of sparkling powder
on top. There were many places in the meadows where the
icy boiler-
plate had been blown bare, and even though I tried to
pick a line that was covered by snow, I still had a few
exciting runs across
short stretches of noisy ice. The runoff from our spring
box still flows free, and there were dozens of deer
tracks in that area, as they
appreciate a good waterhole this time of year. The apple
trees have long since dropped their fruit, but they yield
another useful crop
in the dead of winter. I make sure to swing by the old
trees on my way back to the house after every ski trek to
break off some of
the deadwood to use for kindling our daily kitchen fire.
I have also been culling the rose and privet hedges for
old dry stems. Oddly,
the forsythia never dies back, it just keeps spreading in
ever-widening directions. Our biggest forsythia bush now
covers a twelve-
foot square corner of the garden, and on most mornings
hosts a fleet of juncos who have been using it as their
neighborhood
joint. Starlings have returned after hiding through the
freezeup, and our yard is bustling with avian activity on
this grey day.
It is already starting to warm up a bit; I think I will
take the dog for a walk to enjoy the view from the
outside.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Thursday, December 29, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
9 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
The temperature dropped thirty degrees yesterday, and now
the sun is easing us back up into positive numbers once
again. We had
snow for most of the day, and the wind was so strong that
I cannot even guess an accurate measurement of new
accumulation. There are
three-foot drifts in many places, while the frozen slush
of the meadows has been blown nearly bare. Friends in
town report that their weather
was not so dire, that about two inches of new snow was
floating gently to earth while up here, at the same
moment, I couldn’t see the barn for
the bluster. I plan to head into the woods on skis later
to see if enough snow has settled for easy passage; if
not, I suppose I could trek up the
Smith Road again, not as much of an adventure but still a
fine outing for a sunny day. At least with the snow so
shallow there won’t be many
hidden obstacles, such as buried trees or buried running
water. It is all right there in the open, to be avoided
or ignored. One of the biggest
hazards of back-country skiing is landing in a hole
created by deep snow atop the branches of a downed tree.
I have been in holes a
couple of times, with one or both skis stuck under a limb,
phone in the backpack that was underneath me, and if I
had been skiing
alone I might have been there until the thaw. Thank
goodness for friends to haul me out. So now I carry the
phone in a front pocket,
and set my skis on the loosest clamp so I could remove
them if necessary. To be sure, I always leave a note when
I ski alone, and only
one time has it been necessary for my family to come
looking, and that time it was because I had broken a ski
and was still in the woods
as dark approached. They knew just where to look, and
heard me singing loudly (to scare away the wild things)
as the sun went down.
One should never let one’s love of adventure become
marred by a lack of planning.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, December 28, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
28 degrees, windy, overcast, snow
Holy smoke, is it ever windy out there! A stiff northwest
wind is driving wet snow into every nook and cranny,
and the windows are plastered on that side of the
house. This storm started out as snow late yesterday,
then morphed
into rain, sleet, and freezing glop. A car spun off the
road in front of me on the way to Boonville, and backed
out of the field
and continued on as if nothing had happened. By the time
I drove home, it was dark and rainy, and several inches
of slush were
on the roads, with only a small part of the route having
been plowed. There was plenty of traffic, made worse by
folks who were
so engrossed by the poor conditions that they failed to
dim their headlights. So, by the time I hit Turin and
turned up the hill for the
last mile home, I breathed a (premature) sigh of relief.
Fog enveloped me at the bottom of the hill, and at the
break of the rise slush
turned into deep untracked snow. So, blind from fog, with
no tire tracks to guide me, I crept the last half mile at
a snail’s pace, which
is lucky, as three deer narrowly missed colliding with my
car just before our driveway. After I was snug indoors,
the snow changed to
rain for a brief time before turning back into snow,
which is still coming down at a nice rate. This is the
stuff that will make a great base
for all winter sports, and I can’t wait for the wind
to die down so I can get out and play. The temperature is
dropping, and the winter
weather advisory is as much for windchill as for snow, so
be sure to dress for the day no matter what your plans
are.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Tuesday, December 27, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
27 degrees, windy, mostly cloudy
A stiff southwest wind may be blowing some rain our way,
but not to worry;
as it shifts to the northwest later tonight that rain
will likely take a more solid form.
It is possible that, at our elevation, we will have all
snow. Yesterday was a perfect
day to go on a little ski trek with friends, and although
we stayed mostly on the Smith
Road due to unfrozen slush off-piste, we had a good time
and enjoyed being out in the
fresh air. Two snowmobiles passed us going lickety-split,
then a couple of minutes later
passed us going the other direction. Part of the main
snowmobile trail near us runs through
a cornfield that was not cut last autumn, and I think
that many folks will not care to take their
machines through such rough terrain. It will take much
more than six inches of snow to make
that route passable, not to mention all of the water
hazards that have not yet frozen over. The
extensive renovation that Smith Road underwent after it
washed out last spring included en-
larging the drainage ditches at the roadside; currently,
they have a couple of feet of water
in them, covered with a little snow. This feature will
prove entertaining (for us, anyway)
as some sledders will inevitably try to ride along the
side of the road instead of on it.
Meanwhile, the roadbed that overpasses the biggest
culvert is noticeably less steep
than in pre-flood times, and not nearly as much of a
cheap thrill to ski down; con-
versely, it is much easier to ascend the other side. We
need at least six more inches
of snow before the meadows will be skiable and another
foot to provide coverage in
the forests. Hopefully, by the weekend we will have been
blessed with enough snow
so that we can ski anywhere we wish. For today, I will be
happy to walk with the
dog on the pavement, as soon it will be too cold for him
to enjoy being outdoors.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Monday, December 26, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
22 degrees, calm, partly sunny
Blue sky and sun is being slowly overtaken by several
large cloud banks,
moseying down from the north at a snail’s pace. We
were gifted overnight with
a wonderful gentle snowfall that left us with four inches
of fresh white powder. We
put the back yard light on and watched the fat flakes
stream past the window as we
dined last night; it was an entirely appropriate show for
Christmas. Yesterday I walked
up the Smith Road with the dog; there had been only one
snowmobile on that trail, which
turned around at the plowed road. We were utterly alone
on our trek, and free to enjoy
the day with the sunlight filtering down silently through
the evergreens and a handful of
chickadees keeping a companionable pace. We saw many deer
tracks, most of them
leading to and from the creeks and seeps which are still
flowing fairly freely. There was
also evidence of varying hares and red squirrels leaping
and lolloping through the old apple
orchard. Crows showed up when we least expected them,
giving no warning, just appear-
ing all at once at the side of the road. One pileated
woodpecker finally broke the silence
with his crazy laugh and jetted through the trees with
occasional deep wingbeats, as
beautiful in flight as when clinging to the shredded bark
of a tall tree. I think the
Smith Road will be skiable today, if we go early enough
to miss the bar-to-bar
sled traffic which is certain to be dominating the trails
later this afternoon.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Sunday, December 25, 2011, 9:30 a.m.
26 degrees, windy, partly sunny, flurries
After another very cold night the temperature is rising
to a more user-friendly number. The wind is brisk,
but coming from the southeast, so it has the potential to
whisk even balmier temps along in its wake. The sky
was clear as a bell last night, inky black and filled
with twinkling stars. I looked to the north in case there
were
left over meteors from the annual Ursid shower, but all I
saw was the familiar Big Bear, the drinking gourd that
points the way to the north star. No matter where I am,
if I have a clear view of the sky at night, I look for
that
north star, which will always tell me in which direction
my loved ones are. Although miles may separate us, as
long as my family and friends are held close to my heart,
distance is unimportant. My wish for you all is
that, even if you are not physically reunited with those
you love for holidays and life’s markers and
milestones, you can feel the love that spreads from heart
to heart at all times,
even transcending the ethereal constraints of time and
space.
Love to you all,
Daisy
Saturday, December 24, 2011, 9:30 a.m.
7 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
My goodness, is it ever cold out there! We had a low of
minus three overnight,
so I am glad it has warmed up ten degrees so far. We have
had a dusting of sparkling
snow on top of the frozen wet stuff that fell on Thursday
night; all we need is another inch
or two and I would be encouraged to test the mown
pathways on my skinny skis. Friends
who visited the Snow Ridge Ski Resort yesterday report
that the skiing and boarding were
better than they expected. I ran the gamut of all weather
on the twisty roads to Little Falls,
from fog to driving rain to blinding sleet, with an
astonishment of spectacular sunlit clouds
for the journey home. I checked the night sky for
shooting stars before I retired, but
I could see only a few stars of the common kind peering
around the high clouds.
There is a new moon tonight, so the sky should be inky
black for viewing
all manner of celestial events. Perhaps that guiding star?
Or,
for the more secular among us, Rudolph’s red nose ?
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, December 23, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
28 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy, flurries
Wow! Three inches of wet snow fell during the
night, and every twig,
branch and blade is dressed for winter in garments of
frosty bright white.
There is a hole in the clouds over the valley and silver
sunbeams illuminate
the top of lower clouds and rising billowing mist; mere
words cannot describe
the scene laid out before us like an offering to this,
the first full day of winter.
Snow Ridge is opening for the season today, and this
natural snow is just
the ticket to top off the manmade base that they laid
down last week.
Yesterday I had a fine walk on the paved road; it was
unnaturally warm
and there was a bit of rain mist in the air, much more
like an April morn that
three days before Christmas. A flock of crows stayed with
my for most of my
trek, quiet as smoke but dogging my every step. Did they
imagine that I would
strew a few stale crackers in my wake, as I had done in
the yard a few days ago?
They gobbled those right up; maybe they look at me as an
interesting source of
forage. I found a few more johnny jump-ups in the flower
bed and two yellow
pansies in bud, so I brought them in for a small bouquet.
I am on my way to
Little Falls this morning, a pleasant journey to meet
with an old friend for
lunch and stock up on supplies at the Community Co-op. I
wonder
if the route will be as beautiful as our own back yard ?
Have a great day,
Daisy
Thursday, December 22, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
34 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
We had quite a bit of rain yesterday and overnight,
and it just finally stopped.
There isn’t a bit of snow to be seen in the morning
view, but there is some in the
forecast for later today and for the next four days. Snow
Ridge has put down an
impressive amount of man-made snow for their opening day
tomorrow, but I fear
my plans to trek out on cross country skis will have to
be put on hold for a while.
Walking is still the best outdoor exercise for me now; if
I didn’t have my bike all
cleaned up and in storage for the winter, I would
consider taking a ride this morn-
ing. The ground is once again waterlogged and very
squishy, but the Smith Road
isn’t too bad. The ditches by the roadsides are full
of water, and gravity is work-
ing overtime to drain them. There have been many birds
flying around this morning,
but nothing new to report. Of course, after I mentioned a
lack of skunks yesterday,
we had a blast of that pungent aroma coming from behind
our barn when we returned
home from town late in the afternoon. We didn’t
investigate, but we have not let our dog
roam around off-leash since then. There was probably some
altercation at the compost pile;
an all-white skunk has laid claim to that bounty for
several years, and woe to any who chal-
lenge him. Today marks the winter solstice, a term which
literally means sun stands still.
Today will be the shortest day of the year, and tonight
the longest night. This year, the
solstice happens to coincide with the annual Ursid meteor
shower, so if it isn’t too
cloudy, go outdoors after midnight and look up in the
direction of the Big Dipper.
And when you awaken tomorrow morning, rejoice in the
return to light
that the first day after solstice represents. Shift
happens !
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, December 21, 2011, 8:15 a.m.
30 degrees, windy, overcast, freezing mist
It looks like the bulk of the rain will pass south of us.
The drizzle that has been falling since about midnight
has
left a thin sheen of ice on hard surfaces, but
hasn’t decorated
the natural landscape features at all. I walked with our
little dog
around the barn earlier, following the tracks of a very
large dog that
came through the yard at some point during the night.
There are big dogs
in every home in our neighborhood except ours, but they
are usually kept tied;
however, it isn’t unusual for one or two to chew
through the rope on occasion.
I saw plenty of wildlife near the roadways on my way home
from work last night.
Deer appeared at three places on route 12D/26, thank
goodness they were stand-
ing still. A raccoon was strollingright in the middle of
Main Street Turin; I had to
wait for it to get out of my way. A beautiful red fox
with a fluffy plume of a tail
stared me down at the crest of the hill heading towards
our house. I stopped
to admire it, expecting the fox to bolt at the sight of a
car, but it sat like a
dog waiting for a cookie, fearless and bold as brass. It
finally turned
slowly and loped into the woods. I haven’t seen any
skunks
for a while; perhaps they have retired for teh winter.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Tuesday, December 20, 2011, 8:15 a.m.
17 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
A thin river of sunlight strikes the frozen puddles and
shallow ponds strewn across the valley below,
and while the sunlight isn’t blinding, the
reflection from those icy mirrors is. The grass is
crunchy underfoot,
and the yard is glazed and makes for tricky footing. I
could hear the snow guns at the snow Ridge Ski Resort,
and they plan to open for the season this coming Friday.
For more details, visit www.snowridge.com
. We had a
fine long walk on the Smith Road yesterday morning. The
snow had been compacted by offroad truck traffic over
the weekend, and some blood spatter and chunks of fur
indicated that coyote hunters had been at their dark
hobby.
As if harassing these animals isn’t bad enough,
someone left a big pile of cigarette butts and pull-tabs,
apparently
dumped from their ashtray onto the road. I don’t
understand hunting for any other purpose than for the
meat it
provides, or leaving a trail of litter in one’s wake.
It took a lot of fresh air and blue sky to erase those
troubling
images from my mind’s eye. The rest of our hike was
filled with more positive sights, chickadees dashing from
branch to branch, crows keeping pace with us, red
squirrels bounding through the woods, and over all the
sweet
scent of balsams and spruce trees soughing under a warm
winter sun. A fine drizzle started to fall late in the
afternoon,
but it didn’t take away much of the snow. In fact, I
believe whatever snow we get tonight will probably fasten
itself to
this frosty base like velcro. After a bit of wintry mix
tomorrow the forecast settles down into an offering of
snow every-
day right through the holiday weekend. I really look
forward to having enough snow to ski all over Tug Hill,
not just
on the mown pathways and back roads. After a few more
frigid nights the swamps and seeps should be frozen;
those are my favorite places to explore on skis, rich
with birds and small forest creatures. So, get your
woolies
out of storage and wax up your skis, for along with the
winter solstice arriving at 12:30 a.m. Thursday,
it looks like the official start of winter sports as well.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Monday, December 19, 2011, 8:15 a.m.
25 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
The forecast calls for rain or a wintry mix today, but
the sunny sky says otherwise.
Snow ridge spent all weekend making snow so there will be
a good base for skiing during
the upcoming holiday week, and a little natural wet snow
would be a good thing. There is a chance
of snow just about every day this week, with freezing
rain, grauple, and glop for Wednesday; at our
elevation it is likely to be all sticky snow. This would
make for a good solid base for all winter sports
activities, and is just what the doctor ordered. I think
the frigid temperatures of the past three nights has
helped stabilize the waterlogged ground underneath our
scant snowpack; now all we need is a good foot
or so of fresh snow to settle in, and skiing should be
awesome. Our backyard evergreens have had a full
compliment of bluejays for the past week, as many as six
at one time, with the more usual number being
four. A dozen mourning doves have been spotted in several
locations, silent as grey ghosts as they glide
from pillar to post. Yesterday morning hundreds of canada
geese winged up from the mill Creek gully,
headed south of course, better late than never. The dark-eyed
juncos that arrived ten days ago have
stayed, finding plenty of seeds in the meadow weeds that
are poking up well above the snow’s surface.
Many trees in the yard are laden with seeds as well, and
these cute little guys particularly seem to enjoy
hanging out in the white birches. The starlings
disappeared with the cold snap, but I will look for them
as the day warms up. It is a good morning for a walk, the
earlier the better,
in case the weather forecast happens to accidentally be
correct.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Sunday, December 18, 2011, 9:15 a.m.
10 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
The temperature has risen twelve degrees since we arose,
and although it is still very cold,
the lack of any wind makes it a fine morning to soak up a
bit of vitamin D on the back step.
For sure, I needed a blanket to sit on. Some cat prints
encircle the barn, but do not go inside
either door, preferring to explore the area underneath.
The dog thoroughly followed the trail and
lingered by the upper barn door; perhaps the cat has
found a hidden entrance from below. There
are some bales of straw in there that would be a cozy
spot for a feral cat to burrow into on a frigid
night. Our current three-legged kitty was found up there
on a cold December day, injured and in
pretty bad shape. Thank goodness we heard him crying.
This is the time of year when wild critters
will be looking for a warm place to hole up on nights
like we just had. We are kind of hoping that a
feral cat or two will hang around long enough to feast on
the mice that have been munching the barley
out of the baled straw. All of our pets have been
foundlings who happened to wander into our lives;
many of them found their way into our house and hearts as
well. If you are looking for a furry com-
panion and don’t live in a rural area where they are
liable to show up at your door,
I urge you to visit your local animal shelter and let a
lucky dog or cat rescue you.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Saturday, December 17, 2011, 8:15 a.m.
11 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny, flurries
The frosty air is filled with sparkling sunlit snow
crystals, as pretty a scene as I have ever seen.
About an inch of sugary snow sits on the ground, and
hopefully it has been cold enough overnight
to help freeze some of the water underneath that remains
from Thursday’s deluge. It looks like a lake
effect band is moving through slightly to our south, and
we are receiving some light snow from the edge
of that front. Let’s hope it drifts up this way
before it peters out. Snow was late arriving last year as
well,
and there have been a few years when our Christmas was
green. A friend reports seeing some pussy wil-
lows starting to bud not too far from here, which is
surprising but not unheard of when early winter weather
has been so mild. Our garlic is snug under a thick layer
of straw, so even if a few of the bulbs have started
to sprout they are protected from the elements until they
are supposed to begin growing. A few friends
have seen snowdrops and crocuses poking up through the
soil, but ours are still underground.
This is the first truly frigid morn we have had so far
this season;
perhaps some more traditional winter weather will settle
in.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, December 16, 2011, 7:45 a.m.
28 degrees, cloudy, windy, flurries
The wind is all that remains of a wild and wooly night of
intense rain that changed over to snow too late to amount
to much.
I drove home from Boonville last night in some of the
heaviest rain I have ever experienced; the roads were
running with water
and I drove very slowly to avoid hydroplaning. Visibility
was as bad as if it were snow instead of rain, and the
windshield wipers
just couldn’t keep up. It was hard to get to the
house from the garage without being blown sideways; as I
struggled with my par-
cels I could hear the roar of water rushing down the
drainage ditch on the other side of the road. The
barometer is on the rise,
so it looks like these few remaining flurries will soon
move on. Just a light dusting of snow sits on the ground
like powdered
sugar on gingerbread, and the paved part of the yard has
frozen into our own private skating rink. We are in for
some
cold weather, so hopefully Snow Ridge will get their
snowmaking under way so they can open for the holiday
break.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Thursday, December 15, 2011, 8:45 a.m.
44 degrees, windy, overcast, light rain
A stiff south wind and heavy rain have stolen most of the
snow from Gomer Hill, so it doesn’t look too good
for any winter
sports activity this weekend. Rain is supposed to morph
into snow tonight, but unless we get scads it will just
disappear into the
waterlogged ground. We are back at square one in the
wintry goodness department, and Jack Frost is going to
have to work overtime
to help us have a white Christmas this year. We will
bring in our balsam tree this morning; I am looking
forward to stringing the lights and
reminiscing over days of yore while hanging the baubles
on each branch. Yesterday we spent much of the day in the
city, where the sun and
warm temperature were not at all in line with the
decorations and cheesy holiday music that were all-encompassing.
The stores were all very
busy, which I think is a good sign in these troubled
economic times. We returned home in time to take a walk
on the Smith road, where we
spooked several deer who galloped up the trail ahead of
us. If I had any doubts about our dog’s increasing
blindness and hearing loss,
the fact that he paid no attention to the fleeing deer
finally confirmed those sad facts. His nose still works,
however, and he was all
business sniffing up the fresh spoor, happy as a young
pup. Do the best with what you have... that's a
good plan. And now,
the rain seems to be letting up for now. Best to try and
get in a walk early, before the temperature starts to
drop.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, December 14, 2011, 6:45 a.m.
34 degrees, breezy, overcast
The sky is as black as can be, no stars, no setting moon,
no chance of seeing even one shooting star.
It was a dim view at midnight as well; so passed another
meteor shower which may have been magnificent
when viewed from a different location. I have seen so
many that I had no trouble forming a picture in my
mind’s eye,
which will have to hold me until the Quadrantids in early
January. To view a 2012 calendar of celestial events,
check out
www.seasky.org/astrono.....-2012.html
. I can’t get over how dark it is outside right now,
but in about a week we will turn
that corner and look forward to the days stretching out
little by slow. Yesterday was a fine day for walking, and
even the dog
got over his aversion to having cold feet to romp
alongside of me for a couple of miles. There must be
something about snow
that holds a scent in a different way, as he always makes
more frequent stops to inhale deeply when there is snow
at the
edge of the road. The Smith Road is still fairly covered
in white, but there are even more stones poking through
than
when we skied there on Monday. There is a small chance of
a wintry mix for the next few days; I hope it is
more snow than rain, so that I can get out on skis with
my teacher friends during their winter vacation.
We are headed to Utica for appointments today; it will be
nice to have a different view for the day.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Tuesday, December 13, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
28 degrees, windy, partly cloudy
Fog is rising from Tug Hill to reveal a pale blue sky
with huge cloud banks to the southeast, thick throughout
but wispy on the edges,
allowing the thinnest trickle of sunshine through. We
will be seeing a warming trend for the next three days,
which is too bad, because
we finally figured out where to find some decent skiing.
We headed up the Smith Road yesterday after lunch, and
followed the snow-
mobile trail until we got to the tri-corners. In some
places the road had been churned up into a gravelly mess,
but there were always
places we could ski to avoid the worst of that. It was a
gorgeous bluebird-sky day, warm on the sunny stretches
and chilly in the
shade. We didn’t experience any of the slushy goo
that had plagued our trek Saturday, and had a fine first
ski tour of the season.
Deer tracks were abundant, as well as several dog or
coyote prints. There were cat tracks around our
outbuildings, made by
one that had four legs, so I know they weren’t from
our tripod kitty. We have seen skunk tracks close to the
house as well,
so we have been keeping the dog on-leash for his outdoor
necessities. Tonight is the annual Geminid meteor shower,
and
although there will be bright moonlight there still
should be a pretty good show. We have a 40% chance of
snow tonight,
but that means a 60% chance of no snow, right? I will be
heading out to check before I go to bed, because after
all,
how many more meteor showers will I have a chance to see
in this lifetime?
I want to see them ALL!
Have a great day,
Daisy
Monday, December 12, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
23 degrees, breezy, sunny
A flutter of snowbirds decorates the big snow-covered
forsythia bush by the corner of the back garden like some
kind of art
deco holiday display. They are such handsome little guys,
dressed up like penguins only with slate grey instead of
black plumage.
When we walked up the plowed road yesterday afternoon
those were the most common birds on the scene, along with
a few chicka-
dees and pigeons at the nearby dairy farm. Last winter
there were snow buntings at the neighbors’ feeder,
but so far we haven’t seen any
this season. Snow conditions hadn’t improved for
skiing, but there were plenty of snowmobiles on the Hill
over the weekend, including one
that ran all over our west meadow. I sincerely hope that
he didn’t mess up his sled with the fresh cow manure
that was spread over that area
just before the snow fell. Last night I was outdoors to
watch the moon rise, and called to the barred owl to see
if it was in the woodlot. To my
surprise, I had an answer, but not from the owl. Hundreds
of geese honked out a greeting as they passed overhead,
probably looking for a
place to spend the long cold night. If they had passed
across the face of the dark orange rising moon, that
would have been perfect...
but they were far from that part of the sky, strung out
in a long vee against the deep purple twilight sky.
Tonight will be clear as well, so look for a waning full
moon to rise at about 6:30.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Sunday, December 11, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
23 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
I don’t have an official tally for the amount of
snow we received from a narrow lake effect band that
parked right over our house,
but I would guess between eight and ten inches total for
the past two days. There was enough depth that we thought
it would be a
good afternoon to explore on our cross-country skis, so
we suited up and headed out into the wind-driven flurry
down the slope
of our east meadow after lunch. The snow was powdery-light,
which turned out to be unfortunate, as we sank through it
all into
the water logged hay stubble beneath. We hadn’t been
out for five minutes before the bottoms of our skis were
so packed with
wet snow from below that we had a slow trudge back to the
house where, after scraping off the buildup and trying
again, the same
thing happened. We put our skis away last spring with a
thin layer of Speed-cote spread on the bottoms, but today
I will bring them
in and rub some F-4 glide wax into them; hopefully that
will work out for today. Plus, the snow has had a chance
to settle overnight,
and the early morning temperature in the teens may have
helped firm it up some. A dozen juncos are looking for
tidbits this morning,
mostly flitting about the birch trees or perching in the
rose hedge. Crows and starlings were in the big maples
earlier, and I can
still hear the crows nearby, out of sight but not out of
mind. The sun is bright and I love the morning view,
still white and
clean, marked with only the tracks of one little dog. We
will need to plow the yard and dig out the outbuildings,
but then this gem of a day stretches before us with any
amount of possibilities to ponder.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Saturday, December 10, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
22 degrees, mostly cloudy, calm, snow
After some really great snowfall yesterday, I am
disappointed that there is only about three inches on the
ground,
after all the hoopla. Big chunky flakes are falling
straight down this morning, so we may see a bit more
before the fat
lady sings. Last night’s full moon was a gorgeous
sight, and the clouds scuffled off for the best of it to
shine through the
windows, imparting some pretty lunatic dreams and
moonstruck notions. There will be a total eclipse of the
moon this
morning that will only be visible on the Pacific coast,
but if you want to imagine it in our neighborhood, it
will begin at
7:45 EST and be over at 11:18. So if your farm critters
and household pets act a bit squirrelly during that time,
that
could be one reason. The moon had a subtle but very real
affect on us all; its comings and goings at all phases
can
pull great oceans to and fro, why wouldn’t it have a
similar result on us, as much of our bodies are composed
of
briny fluids like the sea? Perhaps it would be a good
idea to add a moon salutation to the morning stretch.
Here is a nice one from Shiva Rea: http://www.yogajournal.com...
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
Friday, December 9, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
27 degrees, breezy, overcast, snow
It started to snow about an hour ago, and the storm seems
to be picking up steam as the morning wears on.
The flakes are dense and plentiful, true lake effect snow.
Since this kind of snowfall is unpredictable, we will
keep a watch on the radar before heading out anywhere
today. We received less than two inches yesterday,
and the ground underneath is so wet that it will take
quite a bit more snow to make a good base for skiing
or snowshoeing. I can guarantee, however, that Tug Hill
will be crawling with snowmobiles this weekend,
no matter what the conditions are. For today, I will be
content to enjoy the changing view as I go about
the ordinary and never-ending homely tasks of cooking and
cleaning, knowing that soon I will be gliding
silently along the meadow paths, a reward for jobs will
done and patience with Old Man winter’s whims.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Thursday, December 8, 2011, 9:00 a.m.
28 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy, snow !
I guess the snowbirds were right on the money when
they showed up in our yard yesterday.
Flurries started to drift down in the afternoon, and
continued to fall all night long. Because the
ground is warm it is taking a while for the flakes to
accumulate, but I think nearly an inch sits on
the meadows at this point. There is more lake effect snow
on the way tonight and tomorrow, but
now a few holes have appeared in the clouds and the sun
streams through the spinning crystals,
turning our ordinary pastoral view into an extraordinary
sparkling wonderland. We picked up our
holiday tree yesterday, and local residents will be happy
to know that the Lyons Falls farmer’s supply
store has been purchased and will be fully stocked and up
and running before we know it. They currently
have beautiful balsam, frasier fir, and spruce trees in a
variety of sizes and priced lower than we had expected.
They are local trees, freshly cut from a tree farm in
West Leyden. It was a joy to wander among the fragrant
boughs, and there were so many perfect ones we took our
time choosing. We purchased a beautiful slender
balsam that will fit perfectly into the corner of our
dining room where we always have our tree. Right now
it is in a bucket of wet sand in the barn; we will move
it in the weekend before Christmas. Yesterday the
house was filled with the scent of spiced pecan cookies,
my father’s favorite. When I was a young girl,
I never saw the appeal of these, as they were not frosted,
sugar coated, or filled with chocolate chips.
Nowadays I love these simple cookies, and always bake a
batch in December in memory of Dad,
and share them with friends. This lake effect band is
drifting off to the south, so we may be done
with snow for a while. We are ready here for Old Man
Winter on Gomer Hill; are you ?
Have a great day,
Daisy
Wednesday, December 7, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
30 degrees, calm, overcast, drizzly mist
The valley is sunk beneath bright silver fog, and the
trees of the hedgerow stand out in stark
dark silhouette against the nullifying backdrop. Flocks
of birds appear from the mist as if by magic,
and several juncos have landed in the winter garden to
peck around the old plants which once were
bright with flowers and butterflies. Mist has frozen onto
our vehicles in a thick layer of ice, but the roads
are merely wet with good traction. The juncos are a
harbinger of snow some say, and there is indeed snow
in the forecast for later today as well as lake effect in
store for the weekend. We are planning to choose a
holiday tree today before they are covered with snow; I
hope we can find a fragrant balsam, but if not, a
spruce will be a good choice too. We have a fresh balsam
wreath hanging in the dining room, and every
time I pass by I get that wonderful sweet fragrance that
is the very essence of the winter holiday season.
In two weeks time we will celebrate the winter solstice,
that wonderful point in time where the days will
start to stretch their legs and amble back to the light
once again. A friend of ours is in Antarctica,
and for him that will be the absolute longest day of the
year. The sun doesn’t set between
November and February, but at the (summer) solstice at
the South Pole it will
be high noon-ish for the entire day and night. Think
about that !
Have a great day,
Daisy
Tuesday, December 6, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
35 degrees, breezy, overcast, drizzle
So, did anyone get small gifts left in their shoes last
night? “Today is the feast day of St. Nicholas.
The figure of Santa Claus comes from St. Nick, who in
turn comes from the real-life St. Nicholas,
a fourth-century bishop from Myra, in what is now Turkey.
In many parts of the world, today is the
day that children get gifts — on the evening of
December 5th, they might put out shoes and get small
gifts like fruit, coins, or toys.” (The
Writer’s Almanac). When I read this I thought it
was worth sharing,
as I hadn’t heard this information before. With all
of the festive commotion in every store and business, the
lights, the never-ending jolly tunes, the ads in print
and other media, it is worth pondering that the American
idea of Christmas is indeed in the minority worldwide.
Our popular image of Santa Clause as a portly white-
bearded gent is due largely to a poem by Clement C. Moore,
A Visit From Saint Nicholas which was writ-
ten at Constable Hall in 1822 in the nearby village of
Constableville. For more information about this, visit
this link.
Meanwhile, the outdoor view this morning is not all that
festive, no snow left at all and a dull driz-
zle falling on Tug Hill with fog enveloping the valley
below. A bright spot in the morning was a handful of
bright yellow and purple johnny jump-ups that are still
blooming near the house. For the first time since
we have lived here the holiday angels on my kitchen
windowsill have a little bouquet of fresh flowers
in their midst. Some of the myrtle in the bank has tight
little purple buds, and if the day remains
warm we may be able to pick a few of those as well.
Nighttime temps will dive into the teens
by the weekend, so this may be the last chance we have to
pick blossoms in December.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Monday, December 5, 2011, 8:00 a.m.
42 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
A southern breeze seems to be pushing rain clouds away
from our neighborhood and up into
Canada for now. We have another day of work in the
woodlot leftover from clearing away dead
and dying trees, and we may be able to wrap things up
today if the rain holds off. There was some
critter that came visiting our property during the night,
as our dog took off like a bloodhound chasing
a chain gang runaway first thing this morning. He has
been extra sniffy lately; perhaps as his eyesight and
hearing diminish with age the nose has taken over.
Yesterday when he romped off-leash in the back mea-
dow he spent more time with his nose buried in the
hummocks than he did in motion. There are piles of
deer scat all over the place but I think he was on the
trail of something less obvious. One time he dug
for a moment and uncovered a clutch of brand new pinkies,
so tiny I couldn’t tell whether they were
shrews, mice, or voles. His curiosity about them overcame
his appetite, and he got his nose right
full of their whiff before I pulled him away from the
nest. I covered them back up with turf and
hoped they weren’t too disrupted. One time I was
clearing litter from the hen house and un-
covered a similar group of newborn rodents, but by the
time I had fetched a shovel to move
them outside the chickens had eaten every one of them.
Ugh. I mean, as an omnivore I
will eat just about anything, but day-old rodents just
seems a bit over the yo.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Sunday, December 4, 2011, 9:30 a.m.
37 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
A large murmuration of starlings has decided to
play above and in our west meadow,
their wings whispering on the wind as they shift and
jockey for position. They have been
there for nearly a half hour. I suspect they are picking
bits of matter from the freshly spread
cow manure that was delivered last week to our garden;
quite a bit of it was flung onto the mea-
dow grasses as well. Our day so far has been very windy,
but the temperature is supposed to climb
into the forties this afternoon. Yesterday we had a fine
walk but turned back early because there were
shots fired very close to where we were. It is not
unheard of for a high-speed bullet to miss its mark and
travel a mile or more, and we just didn’t like being
so exposed with the sharp reports that near. Today is
the last day for regular deer hunting in our zone, with
another week of muzzleloading to follow. We plan
to work in our woodlot for part of the day; at least we
won’t hear the shooting over the din of our chain-
saws and woodsplitter. I have had the dog out already for
a brief walk; he didn’t really want to journey
any further than our yard, as we had several visitors
yesterday along with their dogs, and he was quite
happy to cover the same ground over and over again,
filling his nose with exotic smells of children
and new dogs. The old dog is perfectly happy with his old
tricks and makes the most of them;
there is a lesson there for us two-legged critters as
well.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Saturday, December 3, 2011, 9:30 a.m.
30 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
The sun has begun to melt the skimcoat of snow
from the vehicles and tin roof,
but it sits like tiny slick ball bearings on the paved
part of the yard, which presented
a balance challenge for both me and the dog. When it was
falling yesterday it was so
sticky and wind-driven that we gave up watching tv for
the duration, as it stuck to the
Dish as fast as I could scrape it off. It was a great
afternoon for hustling through the in-
door work of sweeping up and watering plants for the
reward of relaxing by the fire with
a good book for an hour or so, with the dog and cat
curled up on my lap. This is the part
of winter I look forward to the most, the quiet cozy doze
while the wind whistles up a good
flurry. When the flakes slowed down we went out to the
barn to fill some buckets with kind-
ling and then looked in on the cross country skis to see
if they need any work. I try to put them
away all ready to go for the next season, and as far as I
can tell they just need to be dusted off and
then we are set. That is my other favorite part of winter,
the ability to step out the back door, put on
skis or snowshoes, and see the secret parts of Tug Hill
that are hidden from our view during the green
months. We can follow tracks in the snow and find signs
of a wealth of wildlife that is too shy to appear
in person. By being very patient and still, sometimes we
will be able to catch a glimpse of a mink or vary-
ing hare as it leaves its den. For all of the hare tracks
we see in winter, I have yet to see one of these beaut-
iful animals during the summer, although they must be all
over the place. I guess their mottled brown coats
really provide the intended camouflage effect against the
thick underbrush twigs and dull forest litter. What
is funny is to see one wearing the winter white fur, when
it has not yet snowed. It will sit still as a stone,
perfectly visible under the shrubbery, but imagining
it’s blending in since it is, after all wintertime.
There is not yet enough snow for winter sports, but a
long walk is definitely in the plan.
Have a great day,
Daisy
Friday, December 2, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
32 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
Clouds have moved into the area after a
breathtaking pre-dawn light show.
The actual sunrise was anticlimactic after that blast of
intense color. The night
sky was cold and clear, studded with stars and a half
moon on its way down to
the western treeline. I heard a big pack of coyotes for
the first time in many months,
and a couple of the neighborhood hounds joined in the
howl, a beautiful sound to hear
as long as I can dash indoors if it draws too near. I
have been in the middle of the woods
when I heard the clamor, and the only thing to do is run
towards civilization while scanning
the area for climbable trees, wondering if I could pull
myself up with one hand while grasp-
ing our little dog with the other. Oddly enough, the
sound of wild canines doesn’t phase our
dog at all, unless it is on a CD I have that combines
music with sounds from nature. When
he hears them for real on Tug Hill he is unconcerned. We
never have been marauded by
coyotes in any way, not even when we had hens pecking in
the yard or a batch of new
kittens learning how to hunt. I am pretty sure that if I
were to run into a pack in the wild
they would take one look at me and hightail it in the
other direction. Pretty sure, but not
positive. Still, to hear them in full throat on a clear
December night is a wonderful ex-
perience, one which has been missing for a long time. We
are expecting a little snow
today, and we still have a few hours left at our wood-cutting
project in town.
Best get going!
Have a great day,
Daisy
Thursday, December 1, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
25 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
A dusting of snow reflects the bright morning
sunshine, which may not be strong enough to melt
it very quickly. Nine starlings greeted me as I crunched
around on the frozen grass earlier, possibly
the same nine who have been hanging around since the
larger flocks headed south. They were making
random noises when I stepped out the door, but after I
whistled for the dog to come away from the com-
post pile, a couple of them replayed those two shrill
notes over and over, delighting me and confusing the
heck out of the dog. I think I will take my slide whistle
and harmonica out there tomorrow morning and see
what else interests those fine mimics. There isn’t
much of a breeze this morning, which is fortunate, as we
have agreed to help a friend clear away some trees that
the county felled in her front yard. I am sure the
work will keep us warm, but there will also be some time
spent on the tractor lifting the larger logs, and
that would be cold work in a stiff north wind. I will be
sure to dress in layers, for it will be easy enough
to peel some away as the day warms up. It is time to get
the woolies out of storage anyway, as true
winter weather and all of the outdoor fun that goes along
with it can’t be too far in the future.
Have a great day,
Daisy
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