12-27-20 VERMONT: We did get a big rain on Xmas and over night, I guess an inch to 1.5 inches. The thermometer reached 60° for a high and a fog rose up from the ground that was melt-water mist. Most of the snow is gone including all the snow that was on the roofs. After the rain, it turned cold and froze everything that remained on the ground. Every hollow and depression in the ground was filled with rain water that subsequently froze.
The pasture is almost bare, and around the house, there’s a few inches of crusty, icy snow. The waterfall and brook thawed and were flowing. Actually, I filled a hole that developed on top of the waterfall with gravel. The ponds are otherwise still frozen solid.
High winds had been predicted, but didn’t appear. In the last two weeks, we had a big snow and a big rain, but almost no tree damage, no branches down.
We go back to NJ tomorrow.
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| During the rain, the roofs are clear, but the ground is misty. |
Thursday, December 24, 2020
Xmas Eve.
12-24-20 VERMONT: After more snow and cold, today it’s in the forties and everything is melting—benches and fences are emerging form the snow. There’s a drizzle, and water is accumulating on the ponds. We’re supposed to get a big rain tonight and tomorrow. It will wash away a lot of the snow, and if New England behaves as it usually does, what’s left will freeze solid after the rain.
We’ve been snowshoeing almost every day and the trails are almost highways now. The roofs on the houses and barns are metal and the snow is sliding off and crashing to the ground with roars and booms, which has Kaley, thunder phobic, terrified. THC drops help her a lot.
A few days ago in was warm enough to convert the powder snow to wet, packing snow—skiers call it mashed potatoes. The goldens turned into snow dogs, they were covered with snowballs from armpit to groin to all four feet and could barely drag it back to the house. It took us a half hour to comb them out.
Snow coming off the roof means re-shoveling the deck and the doorsteps, which I have now done three of four times. It’s not so easy because the snow gets compacted into ice when it lands.
We missed the planetary conjunction like we missed the meteor shower because of overcast skies.
We have already started Holiday feasting with PIB’s, ML’s and caviar pie for lunch. It’s almost time for the Prosecco.
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| Judy and Shari snowshoeing across the dam. |
Maizie fashioning snow balls.
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| Solstice bonfire at the neighbors, usually this is a big party. |
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| Maizie testing the ice on a foggy morning. |
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| Winter gear on the porch. |
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| Maizie again taking her afternoon nap in early evening at a little after 4PM. |
Saturday, December 19, 2020
Blue Skies.
12-19-20 VERMONT: It has stayed cold, 12° now, and it was in the low twenties this afternoon. Yesterday we had a deep blue, cloudless sky, but today its getting overcast, and there might be more snow tomorrow.
We have been out on the snowshoes for short walks using the dogs trails as starters. They have been everywhere plowing or bounding through the deep powder—if only I stilled skied. Slogging in the deep powder is hard work until there is a packed trail. Yesterday we bought bags of food and a case of wine so we’re set for any kind of weather.
We were shoveled out by Scott and plowed out by Eric. Here that’s only the first stage because on the roofs of the houses and garage, there’s as much snow as was already cleared. As soon as it warms up a bit, all that snow will slide off the metal roofs and need to be re-cleared.
We are now getting nuthatches and blue jays at the feeders.
The trees are outlined by snowy branches.
Thursday, December 17, 2020
My Pond Runneth Over.
A stag a few days later with the water level still low.
Saturday, December 12, 2020
First Snow.
12-12-20 SHORT HILLS: The last couple days have been mild, 50’s, and I have been outside doing some very end-of-the-season chores—removed leaves from the pool cover, did another round of clearing deadfall from the shrubs, washed the skylights over the sunroom, trimmed over-grown shrubs behind the house, and other stuff I don’t remember at the moment.
It was supposed to rain today, but hasn’t yet. It did snow a few days ago. We got a dusting that was gone by the next afternoon, but it looked pretty for a few hours. I forgot to put the glass rain gauge away and found it broken from the recent freeze.
The squirrels remain baffled by the new feeder formation—could it be that they’re out-foxed? I’ll bet they figure some way to get back on the feeders.
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| Foretaste of the season. |
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Squirrel stuck foraging form the ground-so far. |
I posted this on FB a few days ago, after a long walk, so it's old news, but I wanted the pic on the blog.
Monday, December 07, 2020
Winter is Coming.
12-7-20 SHORT HILLS: We are getting regular rain here now and, I think, the drought we had last summer is over here. In VT, however, the precip total is still way below normal—there was about 1.5 inches in November. BTW this November was the warmest November on record, and 2020 will probably set another warmest year record.
In the back yard, at Judy’s urging, I bought a pole for the feeders and set it up so that it’s not under a tree, and, so far, the squirrels haven’t gotten to the seeds. The birds had no trouble adapting to the new location.
December is giving us our first colder weather with some below freezing temps. We walked this morning with Lynn in Loantaka Brook Park, which is a wetland with streams and ponds in the woods off the trails. It’s a nice level walk on paved paths. The ponds had a thin cover of ice.
The first taste of winter in December is always invigorating because of the novelty and all the holidays and Xmas music, but once New Year’s has come and gone, it’s just a slog through the winter doldrums. I used to be OK with winter because I skied and snowshoed and didn’t much mind the weather, but now it’s just two months too cold, windy and icy.
Mallard on our Sunday walk.
The new backyard pole, equipped with a squirrel baffle. The chickadees were the first to find it.
The front yard feeders are still hanging from the apple tree, but a bit higher so the deer can't reach them, but the squirrels still have no problems stealing from that downy woodpecker.
Friday, November 27, 2020
Thanksgiving Weekend.
11-27-20 SHORT HILLS: It’s been a while, but there’s not been much garden news to post. We’ve had rain here and, I suspect that NJ is getting normal amounts of rain at this point, but VT is still behind with about half of the normal amount of rain this month. It remains warm here, in the sixties most days, too warm for November.
Judy and I did a T-day dinner by ourselves, but had a Zoom meetings with Alison’s and Val’s families mostly scattered around the East. Lucy is in Washington. Next year, after vaccinations, we will all do the usual celebrations here, hopefully. Everything Judy made for us was perfect, as always.
I filled the feeders yesterday for the birds and for the deer and squirrels. The grackles have left until the spring and we are hosting the usual feathered winter crew.
New blooms: forsythia, dandelion. [The warm days after a frost always give us a few yellow flowers.]
Furry bandit.
Hanging on by a toe.
One of the two on the ground was also on the feeder. Dan, any suggestions?
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Ready for the Snow.
11-17-20 VERMONT: I think all the chores are done, but there’s always something that I remember that I forgot just after we’ve left for NJ, which will happen tomorrow. The picnic table is on the terrace and wrapped in a tarp along with the rockers, leaving the deck clear for shoveling. Not shoveling lets too much snow and ice accumulate putting too much weight for the deck to support.
Two broken fence posts were replaced by Hank, one of our go-to helpers. The two posts were next to each other and both down in the same direction along with all the rails, I’m guessing a bear or a moose. I repaired the fence electric line. I like to keep it in place even if we’re not using it at the moment. It needed a few broken insulators replaced and some wire repairs.
The last burn pile, left over from the barn re-construction, was burnt, and the next day I used a magnet to recover all the old nails from the ashes.
Judy and I replaced a bunch of ‘Posted’ sign along the road. Hunting season has started, but it is not like it was in the nineties when we were first here. Then, being outside in November, was like being in a war zone with rifle fire banging away on all sides. Now shooting within ear shot is rare, maybe that’s partly my hearing.
The sad news is that Brady the horse died shortly after returning to his home pasture after his summer and fall here. This was at least his twentieth summer here as a pasture ornament and grass eater. He was a very obliging companion, who always came over to a visitor for a pat or a treat. When we were first here, there were many horses on the road and riders were almost as common as cars and trucks, but they have moved, retired, stopped riding, or died and Brady was one of the last. One by one, our animal friends are disappearing.
We have had some rain, but are still too dry and are down several inches for the year. The hurricanes have all the rain. After a week of warm weather, we are back in the cold, and we need coats, hats and gloves outside. Today we had snow flurries. The ponds have had ice patches in the morning. I moved the game cams from the pasture to the area near the house.
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
All Cleaned Up.
11-11-20 VERMONT: Hideous Trump hangs on—with made up claims of voter fraud. What else would we expect? I would love to see the US Marshalls drag him out of the White House before New York jails him for tax fraud.
I have been busy everyday doing the clean up while the weather is mild and pleasant. I am pretty much done after five days, although I had done some preliminary work the last time we were here. All the dead plant debris has been cleared from the beds and dumped behind the little barn in the pasture in an area that is often wet and soggy. If the beds aren’t cleared the stalks and leaves get compressed into a thick mat by the snow, making it hard for the plants to grow in the spring.
The clearing process requires that care be taken to not damage the little biennials growing in the beds for next year’s flowers or small perennials still alive. Clearing everything lets us see the stone walls, the garden’s bones, that are mostly hidden by the plants in summer and by snow in winter. There is a stark beauty to the empty beds and leafless trees while the plant world is in its long, winter’s nap. The frogs are still hanging out on the last few tattered lily pads.
Gardener
