The Season of Short Days.

12-28-21 SHORT HILLS: We are a week past the Solstice and are at the nadir of the sun-cycle. Think of it as a sine wave. We are at the negative end of the excursion, where the curve is flat, meaning that there’s little change in the amount of daylight. After January 21, the curve begins to climb upwards and the days slowly get longer. 

The weather has been mild. We have had dustings of snow that disappear in a matter of hours, and lots of showers without much accumulation.

There is more bird activity at the feeders. A flock of robins, perhaps a hundred, was here for several hours eating the holly berries that I showed a few weeks ago. They pretty much stripped the tree of berries and, apparently, moved on. 

There are finches, woodpeckers, doves, chickadees, juncos, bluejays, sparrows and cardinals at the feeders. The squirrel has a playmate.

New blooms: a few forsythia flowers and a couple vinca minor flowers.

House finch waiting for a turn at the feeders.

A lady cardinal at one of the feeders. That feeder has been patched up and re-patched up.

Mourning doves sat on that tree and watched the robins on the holly tree. They will sit in one place for extended periods of time, unlike some of the other birds that don't sit still for more than a few seconds.

Here's the video of the robins on the holly tree.

The holly tree before the robins.

The holly after the robins, with a dusting of snow, but no berries.

A nice sunset at 4:30.

Blue/Red Covid Choices and Outcomes.

Here's some interesting data on Covid Vaccination rates by state:

More vaccinations in Blue states and Less in Red states. These choices have predictable outcomes:

Interesting?

Almost Solstice.

12-18-21 SHORT HILLS: It’s cold and rainy, but we did a short walk with the dogs and talked with neighbor and cousin Ken and his puppy. The previous few days were sunny and warm. 

We are only a few days away from the winter solstice. The solstice always seems like a corner to be turned before the sun comes back, but we have to get through winter before it’s warm again. 

We still haven’t had a hard frost and the grass is still green, but January will probably take care of that. The huge leaf piles in the street are gone. The town crews scooped them up earlier this week. 

Bird activity has picked up a bit, and we have one squirrel scurrying around. 

One of several white-throated sparrows hopping about in the driveway.

Juncos compete with the sparrows for whatever they are scrounging up on the blacktop.

Mourning doves will sit in the same spot for maybe a half hour while the sparrows are constantly on the move.

Here's our dank, dark day.

Holly berries are plentiful this year and are back-up bird and squirrel food.

Lots of apples, too, for hungry critters.

Snowfall in Short Hills.

12-9-21 SHORT HILLS: Another palindrome date. We’ve been back in NJ for several days. Today was the first cold one with our first snow of the season. It wasn’t very deep. We still have flowers on the purple lamium and abelia.

The lawn guys have finished up and took most of the fallen leaves out of the pool area. I cleaned up the rest of the debris on the pool cover and lots of fallen sticks and branches. 

Almost all the leaves are down. The only benefit to having bare tree limbs is that it’s easier to see the birds. The feeders are busier than they have been. The berry bearing bushes still have a lot of fruit that provides alternative bird food.

A couple mornings ago, I was in the yard with the dogs when two small flocks of geese flew over head doing a lot of quacking. They were flying northeast. I found them, and many others, at the lake that’s part of the Essex County Recreation Complex. There must have been more than 100 geese all gathered at one end of the lake. 

Before we left VT, I put up all the driveway reflectors to guide the snow plowers. I also set up the game cams in new spots for the winter. I think we’re set for winter in VT and NJ, but there’s always something that turns up that I forgot to do.

Part of a huge flock of Canada geese at the Essex County Rec Complex.

The snow wasn't too deep this morning.

House finch, we have about a dozen here the last few days.

White-throated sparrow is here with several friends.

Winter is Here.

12-1-21 VERMONT: Wow, I just noticed that the date is a palindrome, and the next several will be also. T-day is over, and we’re in VT for a week. It’s cold here, 15° yesterday morning, and there’s snow on the ground, 3-4 inches, with frozen ponds. The dogs love it and want to be outside rather than cozy by the fireside.

The holiday was great, we had a houseful of thankful folks who ate a lot and rolled home after dark. All the left-overs were gone in a couple of days. Saturday we dog walked with Bill at Loantaka Park, the pond was loaded with mallards and one blue heron. ‘Get well fast’ wishes for Lynn and Bebe.

Our first stop here was at Smith’s auction house to pick up Judy’s teahouse sign. I hung it in the old mudroom. I told Judy that if anyone asks what her sign is, she should say, ‘Teahouse.’ 

We walked around the pasture with Steve and Murphy and Bini. The pasture didn’t get mowed and now won’t until spring. It’s supposed to warm up for a couple days, so we might lose most of the snow for now. 

Blue skies, white snow, green pines.

The dessert table with Maizie lurking nearby.

Maizie helps with the clean up.

Loads of mallards at Loantaka pond.

...and a blue heron.

Maizie and Bally in the snow.

The icicles will grow all winter, if they don't melt.

Snowy apples.

Gray skies in the late afternoon.

Tea, anyone. That could be-TNE1.

Turkey Day Prelude.

11-24-21 SHORT HILLS: We’ve been back here for a few days. It’s warmer than VT, and the color is still impressive. The burning bushes are bright red, and the chokecherry is orange as is the redwood. Most of the trees are bare except the oaks, but, here and there, maples and others are still in color. We had one rainy day here and a scattering of branches in the yard.  

Tomorrow is the big day, T-day, and we are getting eight guests from Brooklyn, Boston, Long Island and NYC. Judy has out-done herself, if that’s possible, prepping for the meal. I helped out, mostly doing indoor clean up, and I made my usual pecan-maple-bourbon pie. 

Have fun everybody!

We have had a few bird visits. This White-throated Sparrow was busy under the feeders.

Chokecherry in orange and burning bush in red make a pair.

Burning bush along the road mixed with junipers.

Barberry near the house next to Asian holly.

Japanese maple on the other side of the house.

Our towering Dawn Redwood showing orange turning to brown.

Judy had the highest bid on this tea house sign that will hang somewhere in the VT house.

First Ice.

11-18-21 VERMONT: Yesterday morning was 20° with frost on the grass and ice on the ponds. Both ponds were about 80% iced over and the brook was frozen as well. I broke out the big parka for the walk around. The first very cold day is always a shocker, but by January that will feel like a warm day. Today is a warm day. It’s in the fifties, foggy and drizzly, and all the ice is gone.

The garden beds are clean, thanks to Addie, all the outside stuff is inside and put away, the outside water is off. We’re ready, Mr. Winter.

We had dinner last night with Diana and Steve at Candela in Hanover. A great meal as always. 

The outside work is all finished until Spring—except for snow shoveling, spreading snow melt, spreading sand on icy snow and filling the bird feeders.

Happy Thanksgiving. 

The upper pond with ice.

The lower pond with ice at the far end and water at the near end. The sun rises over the ridge and lights up the ice.

When the beds have been cleaned, the rock foundations of the garden appear.

Snowy Moosilauke under an interesting, layered sky.

Mt. Lafayette snow covered.

Uphill above the upper pond. This view is only available when the leaves are down, but before the snow. When it's snow covered, it's just a white blanket.

First Snow.

11-15-21 VERMONT: First snow of the year yesterday, up to a half inch in the deepest spots, all gone by afternoon. We have been here for a few days after an easy trip up. The lowest temps have only been as low as the upper 20’s and some perennials are still green near the house. 

The ponds are full and draining, the waterfall is splashing, all due to an rain storm on our first night here. 

The chickadees and nuthatches have been busy at the feeder, with a occasional bluejay. There were several thrushes of some kind in the apple trees a few mornings ago.

I started the garden clean up, but now I have a new assistant, Addie, who I hope will become the garden manager. 

We had dinner at Dave and Shari’s Saturday night.

New blooms: witch hazel.  

Sunrise after over-night dusting of snow, but no ice, yet.

The morning sun reaches the back of the pasture before the house and yard.

Deer eating the apples a few weeks ago before all the leaves came down.

The bed below the deck full of the fall tangle.

The same bed after clearing the debris, two tarp loads hauled away.

Judy and friends in the pasture.

Burning bush color, not as vivid as in NJ.

Witch hazel flowers still in bloom.