Snowdrops? Now?

1-30-20 SHORT HILLS: We’re almost at the end of a warm January. Lots of buds are swelling and snowdrops are showing shoots and flower buds. I’m still afraid that harsh winter weather in the next two months may cause damage to those shrubs and trees. I have done more deadfall cleanup.

I remember a very short and mild winter several years ago that occurred during an El Niño event. This year we were in an El Niño a few months ago, and it might be re-forming now.

I’m off to India this weekend with Val, Lynn, Sarah and Bill. Judy is not going because Gus is very frail. We will be in Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and a couple National Parks for birds and tigers. I will try to do trip posts as we go, depending on the WiFi.


Snowdrops are apparently responding to the mild, relatively mild, weather.

Those are flowers buds a week or so away from opening. Usually they open in early March or late in February.

January Blues.

1-24-20 SHORT HILLS: More than a month past the Solstice and winter is still here. We’re past the halfway mark between December 1 and March 1. We have almost 10 hours of daylight now, but winter starts to drag at this point—snow is not a novelty any more, the cold isn’t invigorating any more, the darkness is bleak. But in five or six weeks, things will start to warm up and green up, maybe. It has actually been a fairly mild January, so far, but can easily turn very nasty.

I was out in the yard today for a bit, it’s sunny, not windy and in the forties. I did more broken branch clean up. I think there has been more tree litter than usual this year.


House finch in winter clothes.

Not much snow here.

Lots of bare branches.

A Taste of Winter.

1-17-20 VERMONT: We came north on a sunny, warm winter Wednesday, an easy trip, to find sparse snow cover. The snow deficiency was filled almost immediately with a new six inch blanket of white, that night.

We walked around as the storm was ending. The temps were in the upper twenties, but dropped steadily during the evening and plummeted overnight. This morning it’s minus one and feels like minus 14. Tomorrow is supposed to be colder and snowy, again.

The middle of January is half way from December 1 to March 1, and so far, January has been warm and rainy, in NJ, but not here, today. The dirt road was muddy when we drove in, but now is snowy and frozen. Last night we braved the chill and ate at Molly’s and saw 1917 at the Nugget.

Today looks like an inside day, but tonight we are going to Pine for dinner with Ann and Roger.

If you’ll allow me a moment of reflection, I was struck by a scene in the movie last night as a metaphor for old age. British soldiers were attacking the German lines, they climbed out of the trenches and charged across a field with their buddies as the bullets were flying and bombs exploding. One by one or two or three they fell, dead or wounded. The further they got, the more likely they were to being a casualty. Sorry about that whiney thought.

NJ Sunday, weather permitting.


During the storm, everything is white, as soon as it stops, the trees and roofs start to shed the snow.

White world.

Queen of the snowshoers with snowy dogs.

It got very windy with blowing and drifting snow.

When we arrived, the cover was pretty thin.

Kaley with souvenirs of our walk.

Hot Day After a Hot Show.

1-13-20 SHORT HILLS: Yesterday it was up to seventy, and Saturday was in the sixties, but now winter has returned. I did some outside work in the spring-like weather. There had been a lot of windy days and branches had rained down all over. The warm days caused lots of shrub and tree buds to swell. We need cold weather to make them wait for real spring and not get damaged by the snow and freezes to come.

Friday we had dinner with Alan at L’Allegria in Madison. Saturday we saw Moulin Rouge at the Hirschfeld Theatre. The show is a spectacle with flashing lights, strobes, spotlights, dancing and singing. The songs are pop tunes, dozens and dozens, used as dialogue. Most of the audience recognized them all, I thought I was doing well with knowing about half of them. Judy had wanted to see it, I was reluctant, but I loved it. We ate at Frankie and Johnie’s Steakhouse before the show.

Yesterday, we dog walked with Bebe and Ronny.


Marquee of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre with a drawing of himself done by himself.

Before the show--all those lights flash, strobe, change colors during the show, there's an elephant, in blue, on the right.

The red mill on the left.

It hit seventy yesterday, and the mallards and Canada geese are out on the water.

2020 Begins.

1-6-20 SHORT HILLS: We were busy the weekend after New Year’s Day. Friday we had dinner with Bebe and Ronny in Millburn at EVOO and Lemon, a Greek/Med place. Saturday we heard the NYPhil at Geffen Hall in Lincoln Center. Jeffrey Kahane conducted and was the soloist for Mozart Piano Concerto, K. 482, and after intermission, he conducted Trittico botticelliano by Respighi and then Haydn Symphony No. 96. Before the concert, we had dinner with Ina and Marcel at Bar Boulud.

Then we were back in the city the Sunday morning for brunch with Lucy, Steve and Val at Chez Moi on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn Heights. There were lots of Hellebore in bloom along the streets in Brooklyn.

There was no traffic Saturday night, but on Sunday we had to avoid a demonstration on the Brooklyn Bridge, and so we were in a bit of a delay on Canal St. going to the Manhattan Bridge.

We have had rain on and off and a bit of snow last night that is now gone. The temps have been in the thirties and forties, and mild weather is predicted for most of January.


Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center is scheduled for a major overhaul.

If I understand the new plans correctly, the orchestra will be where the orchestra seating is now and then seating will surround the players, they're guessing it will look like below.

The look for 2024, if it goes as anticipated. I hope the acoustics are improved.