Vermont in December.

12-17-25 VERMONT: We came up a few days ago. It is C-O-L-D here. The temps have been below freezing for more than a week. There is maybe a foot of snow, packed down in places. The ponds are frozen. The roofs are covered with snow, and the solar panels have been snow covered and are not working. We’ve been plowed and shoveled. The dogs love the snow. It is unusually wintery for December. The horses are very furry with their winter coats and dressed in blankets. I filled the bird feeders, the bears are asleep, with the left over seeds, but have no visitors. I guess the seeds are too stale. 

The tree is up and lit and decorated. Judy has started prep for the Xmas day party. Oh yes, today has brought us another Vermont tradition—a power outage. The generator is running so some of the house is working. I checked with GMP, and it looks like our road is the only one in all Vermont with no power.

We picked up the swan and the butterfly from the last auction. The butterfly is hanging in the old mudroom, and the swan has joined the flock. The roads are fine, plowed and sanded. 

We will meet Laura-Beth for dinner tomorrow in Hanover. 

Snow on the ground gray skies above when we arrived.

There's been a lot of snow.

The horses, Raven and Peachez, dressed for the season with their Mom and Dad.

New old butterfly weathervane in the mud room.

The house and road with snow on the roof. Today is supposed to warm up a little and all the snow might fall off with house shaking thuds.

The sky cleared in the evening for a sunset.

The tree with St. Chelsea on top.

Me and Blue sharing the sofa.

Ragtime.

12-9-25 SHORT HILLS: It’s been cold, unusually cold, with actual temps at night in the teens. Vermont is even colder. We are headed there the end of the week after they get mid-week snow. We will be there through Xmas with many guests, and our usual Xmas day party, Judy’s triumph.

We saw the new production of ‘Ragtime’ Saturday at the Vivian Beaumont at Lincoln Center. I read the book by E. L. Doctorow years ago, and we have seen either the movie or previous stage productions. This one is a knockout. Set in 1906, it is relevant today re immigration and racial prejudice. The three principles, Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy, and Brandon Uranowitz playing Coalhouse Walker jr., Mother, and Tateh got standing O’s. Making cameos are Admiral Peary, Houdini, Emma Goldman, Henry Ford, J.P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Booker T. Washington and others. My hearing aids set at ’T-coil’ worked perfectly to amplify the sound. 

I guess, like kids who want the same bedtime story repeated every night, adults also like their favorites repeated.

We had dinner with Lynn and Bill Sunday at T of A. 

We had a dusting of snow that disappeared by noon.

We haven't been to Lincoln Center for a while.

The Met looks almost the same.

Ragtime poster, yopu can just make pout the reflection of the photographer.

The reflecting pool doing its job.

Theatre goer in the cold.

Warming up inside. There is not a bad seat in this ampitheatre.

Freezing.

12-3-25 SHORT HILLS: We have now had a hard frost, with a harder one to come tomorrow or tomorrow night. I was filling the bird feeder Monday and saw the birdbath frozen. It subsequently thawed and then re-froze. We went from mild fall weather to winter almost overnight. Several low temps over the next ten days will be in the teens.

The birds are gobbling up sunflower seeds and the suet blocks, as well as the remaining berries on the shrubs. I am trying to keep up with the demand. 

As often happens, a warmish day after cold ones induce the forsythia to open flowers. I don’t think there are any pollinators left out there. Fortunately only a handful of the buds open. 

Thanksgiving was fun with all the east coast family at Anna and Gardner’s plus Gardner’s sister Elizabeth and some of their friends. You can tell it’s going to be a good party when the first glass of wine is served in mid-morning.

New blooms: forsythia.  

Cold water.

Thanksgiving table.

I had help with my zipper when we left.

Forsythia- "It's December."

Blue and Judy were at Covenant House this morning.

Peachez in the snow. Vermont is at least 10° colder than NJ and is getting a bunch of new snow.

Almost Turkey Time.

11-24-25 SHORT HILLS: The Japanese maples are still clinging to some leaves. Oaks and beeches are holding on to brown leaves, as they do for most of the winter. Why they do this is unknown, but theories include protection of next years buds. Marcesence is the name of this phenomenon. 

I first noticed it, marcesence, while waiting in line for gas in the pre-dawn during that crisis years ago—all the oak street trees had lots of brown leaves in winter. Usually it is assumed that any trait offers some advantage to the species, but this one is a puzzle.

November continues to be mild. I don’t think there has been a hard frost here, and we’re getting rain now. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Japanese maple with autumn color late in the season. The leaves are green in summer.

Another one with red fall foliage.

One more with red foliage.

A Japanese maple without the red. They all have green leaves in summer.

One of several pedestrians on our street.

Back in NJ.

11-15-25 SHORT HILLS: The trees have been gradually shedding leaves and now most of the leaves are down. I don’t think there has been a frost yet, certainly there has not been a hard frost. We have had rain, but the rain gauge is put away so I don’t know how much. It’s been windy, but today is calm. The aurora put on a show that was visible at our latitude and further south, but it was overcast here both nights. The color here has been good, but is mostly over at this point.

Before we left Vermont, there was a day of rain that washed away all the snow, leaving not a single flake behind. Subsequently a little new snow has fallen there. 

We had dinner with Lynn and Bill. Thanksgiving is on the horizon.

 

Snow all gone.

Color here, chokecherry in orange and burning bush in red.

New neighbor.

November Surprise.

11-9-25 VERMONT: I woke up early this morning, before the sun, and yet things seemed very bright. A glance outside showed me a November surprise—an inch of snow. It’s in the mid-thirties and raining now, so the snow will be melting soon. The first snow is beautiful. By January, it’s not beautiful, it’s a pain. We go back to NJ tomorrow and normal November weather.   

The dogs are fine with the snow.

White world.

Neither pond is frozen.

The apple tree hasn't been white since May.

The horses take it in stride.

The burning bush shows through the white.

Viburnum berries.

Return to Vermont.

11-7-25 VERMONT: We’re back in VT, and it’s noticeably colder, down to 23° last night. The leaves are almost all down, the grass is still green and the little pond was ice covered this morning. That pond, the upper one, is now back to half full, the lower pond is full and not yet frozen. 

Lafayette is snow covered, and Moosilauke has snow on the north peak. Today it’s in the forties and the high winds from yesterday are gone. The sky is overcast. The horses are getting furry. 

I have been doing more chores. The last hose is put away, the outside water is off. Bed borders are put away. The furnace intake is winterized. The plumber was here this morning and repaired several faucets and snaked the slow drains.  

We have dinner with cousin John tonight, and tomorrow with Shari and Dave.

In bloom: last aster, witch hazel, forget-me-not, fever few. 

Mt. Lafayette in winter clothes.

Moosilauke is also snowy.

Last aster looking very purple.

The delicate flowers of witch hazel.

Yesterday at sunset at 4:30 PM. Pink clouds.

The dogs in orange collars for hunting season, and the upper pond recovered to half full and ice covered.

Judy's new bird house on the right and some color in the burning bushes. [I know they are non-native.]

Fox caught by the game cam.