It's Cold Again.

4-8-25 SHORT HILLS: the past two days have been windy and cold, but not below freezing. The plants don’t seem to have minded it as much as I did. 

House painters have been here for a week. While I concede that the structure might need attention. The process is traumatic-to-fatal for the foundation plantings and ground covers that I have planted and fretted over. 

We haven’t done much of anything, but we will see the new production of “Pirates” this Saturday. We are going to the matinee and sitting in the mezzanine. 

New blooms: Yoshino cherry, pulmonaria, marsh marigold, squill, violet, boxwood, pear, PJM rhodo.  

Forsythia defines yellow.

PJM rhodo. Very early rhodo puts some color in the yard.

Pachysandra flowers are easy to overlook.

Saucer magnolia about to explode.

Quince will put on a show this year.

Another daffodil.

Spring Parade Marches On.

4-2-25 SHORT HILLS: We had one day in the eighties, a fore-taste of June, followed by more rain, wind and cold. I have continued to remove deadfall, but every windy day brings more of it down. The new pool cover pump works well, I plug it in after every rain and then unplug it when the water is gone. 

Lily and Danna were here for a visit over the weekend, and I had lunch with Bill a few days ago. This house is getting painted, which is causing the usual chaos. 

Snaps for NJ Senator Cory Booker for his long, record-setting speech.

New blooms: forsythia, spice bush, daffodil, Okama cherry, pachysandra, pussy willow. 

Daffodils. Always a welcome sight for winter-weary eyes.

Forsythia brings more yellow.

Spice bush also says yellow.

Still Cold.

3-23-25 SHORT HILLS: We’re near the end of March and past the Equinox, so it’s definitely spring, but it’s cold outside. I was doing more clean up today, and I had a coat, hat and gloves on. Signs of spring are everywhere. The leaf buds are opening, little leaves are out, early flowers are out, bees are buzzing, the grass is green in places, birds are pairing up, I am sneezing, pussy willow buds are big and fuzzy, flower buds on forsythia and spice bush are big and swollen—we need some warm, but we might get snow tonight. 

We have dinner with Trina and Jeffery tonight, and Ellen and Bruce joined us.

New blooms: vinca minor.   

The first vinca to open.

A bunch of vinca.

I don't think I've shown these before. The tree in the center is a bald cypress, a staple of southern swamps. It is hardy here, and is known for its knees, above ground root growths. The knees get to a couple feet tall over time, and some of them are pointed on top. The function of these root growths is unknown. The knees would grow all around the tree, but the lawn mowers knock them down in the lawn. Some are starting to come up on the other side of the walkway. They're called 'bald' because they're deciduous. I planted the tree in that spot because it was wet all the time,  now much dryer.

The early shoots of an Itoh peony.

Showers and Flowers.

3-18-24 SHORT HILLS: We came down on Sunday ahead of the rain storm. Spring is underway here. Crocus are up, Andromeda are in bloom, some leaves are opening up, bugs are flying around, the grass if greening up, trees are in bloom. Forsythia and spice bush have fat flower buds.

I have done more deadfall clean up, and I finally got the pool cover pumped out. The lawn guys were here and did the clean up, but left a pile of debris near the house. I will need to remind them about that.

All the feeders were totally empty when we got back but are now full and being swarmed. 

We had a big rain, but the gauge isn't out yet because it would break if it froze with water in it. I'm guessing an inch of precip.

New blooms: crocus, Andromeda. 

Crocus were up and open when we got back to NJ.

Andromeda. This shrub is about eight feet tall and has thousands of these white bells.

Snowflakes, Sweetness, Eclipse, Mud.

3-14-25 VERMONT: We’ve been here for a few days. There is plenty of snow, especially around the house. A few spots in the pasture are melting out—the pasture faces south and the sun. I always say that March in Vermont is a winter month, except that it’s warmer, and the dirt roads turn to mud, which is one of the reasons to have an all-wheel drive vehicle. 

March is also the beginning of sugar season. Neighbor Steve has sap collecting buckets adorning all the sugar maple trees. Signs of sweetness to come. Today is warm, in the sixties, but there will be lots of cold weather yet.

Last night was quite exciting with the lunar eclipse. Judy woke me up around 2:15 AM, and we staggered outside to see the moon in red with a touch of white as it was beginning to emerge from the earth’s shadow. It was in the south-west a few hours before moonset. I took a handheld picture. I should have used a tripod, but it was 2:30 AM. 

I should also have posted before we left for VT, because the snowflakes were up in NJ. They’re cousins of the snowdrops, just a week or so later. The snowdrops were all open and swarming with bees. By the south side of the house here, the snow has melted a little, and snowdrops have come up. Something has been eating them, probably deer.

New blooms [NJ]: snowflakes.

Snow piles under the eaves will be here until some time in April, possibly even May.

More snow piles.

Buckets along the road. I count fourteen in the picture.

A closer look at the buckets.

Moon emerging from shadow. The black lines are tree branches in front of the moon.

Snowflakes look a lot like the snowdrops, but are little domes touched with green.

Snowdrops in NJ, fully open and swarming with bees.

Snowdropos in VT, just coming up, but have been grazed down.

March Winds Blow.

3-9-25 SHORT HILLS: Time slips by. March is acting like March—temps in the fifties, but very windy, some rain. I have done some more yard work, mostly removing dead fall from shrubs and grass. The ice and snow are gone. 

We were out to dinner with Lynn and Bill Friday and Alan and Nancy Saturday. Today we were in NYC to visit Anna, Gardner and Emmett, Lily and Danna were there also. Emmett is now walking confidently and talking.  We identified our noses, heads, tongues, toes, shoes, ears and played with cars.  

Anna and Emmett.

Anna, Emmett, Lily and Judy's back.

Anna, Emmett, Lily and a car, hints of Judy and Danna.

Judy and Danna. Judy used to be that tall.

Spring Is Here.

3-1-25 SHORT HILLS: Yesterday I was outside doing more clean up. I was removing dead fall from the trees and shrubs in the upper triangle at the intersection of our two streets. I did about half of it, and that took over an hour. During a break I saw, wait for it, snowdrops up and in bloom! In February!

I have always considered March first as the beginning of spring and look forward to six months of spring and summer and then three months of fall. I know about the Vernal Equinox on the 21^st and all that, and that we will probably get more snow, but March first does it for me.

New blooms: snowdrops.

 

A cluster of snowdrops, always our first to show.

A closer look shows that some are not only up but open.

Return to NJ.

2-27-25 SHORT HILLS: We have been back in NJ for more than a week. 

I‘ve been going to docs, and Judy’s been doing dog visits. The yard was snow covered when we got back, and there were plow piles in the driveway. The temps have been in the fifties most days, and almost all the snow is gone.

It’s been nice enough outside so that I’ve started doing spring clean up of the winter’s dead fall. It seems like a lot, but probably no more than usual.

I have been walking without the cane for a couple of days. I’m a bit unsteady but good enough to leave the cane at home.

Sunday we were in NYC for brunch at Helene and Paul’s, Roger was there also, good to see them all. 

The bird feeders have been mobbed since we’re back, but yesterday the grackles returned, along with a lot of red wing blackbirds. They migrate together. The other birds are intimidated by these new arrivals, and haven’t been around today.    

A cardinal dares to use a feeder while the grackles are here.

The grtackles look intimidating to me.

Grackles and redwing blackbirds with a yellow wing bar.

A pair of downy woodpeckers hoping to get a shot at the feeders.

A mourning dove wants in.

The Storm Is Over.

2-17-25 VERMONT: The storm is over, the sky is blue and the sun is out,  but the wind is blowing and gusting. We never lost power, to our surprise, but it could still happen on this windy day. Officially we got 17 inches of snow. It’s hard to tell, actually, because the early snow is compacted by the later snow, to accurately measure you have to check hourly and wipe the surface clear between measurements. It’s cold today, low twenties and windy. The bottom rail of our three rail fence is covered by the snow.

We are getting shoveled now and will be plowed soon, so the storm will soon be yet another distant memory. NJ tomorrow.

Over except for the shoveling.

Cold bench.

In two months it will all be gone.

Snow Storms in Vermont.

2-15-25 VERMONT: The snow has started, just as predicted. We are expecting several inches with wind and cold, and we are stocked up with batteries, food, propane, candles, wood and are ready for the power to go out. 

We came up on Wednesday, a day after a snow storm and a day before another snow storm. We had dinner plans that got canceled with Cousin John the night of the second storm, and tonight we were supposed to have dinner with Jim, Brooke and Lara-Beth, but that too is canceled. 

We are house bound, but I’ve been doing repairs and chores that keep me going up and down stairs, so it’s like a workout. I brought a load of wood in this morning.

I had been watching the birds at the feeders in Short Hills when suddenly they  all vanished into the shrubbery as a hawk flew in. It landed in a tree over-looking the feeders and stayed long enough for me to get pix. The ID from Merlin was either a Coopers Hawk or the much less common Sharp Shinned Hawk. They are virtually identical unless you see them side by side to compare them for the subtle differences.  

There’s two weeks to go in February and then it’s March and the beginning of Spring! Can’t wait.

The red birds stand out against the drab colors of winter foliage.

Here's a goldfinch just with hints of the summer color. He knows Spring is on the way.

The Coopers Hawk. Anybody with a better ID?

Blanca's favorite show is only on once a year. Actually both dogs were watching with Judy.

This woodsman carries a cane instead of an axe.

From a neighbor--horses wearing stocking caps.

Doesn't look like Spring here.

The chairs and tables are set--waiting for the customers.

Caught in Bed With a Blonde Girl.

2-8-24 SHORT HILLS: Judy caught Blue and me in bed this morning. Actually Blue doesn’t climb on the furniture, Judy helped her up on the bed. It wasn’t that late in the morning.

Adventures of Val and Steve.

2-4-24 SHORT HILLS: We were back in NYC to have Sunday brunch with cousins David, Kenny, and Moni at their place on 64^th St. We were there for hours talking about past times and current times. Tonight we had dinner with Lynn and Bill here in NJ. Last week we ate at Eataly in the Mall with Bebe and Ronny.

The exciting news is that Val and Steve are in Finland, northern Finland, to see the Northern Lights. They are sleeping in glass igloos and get roused if there is any activity. They have been lucky, with a nice show, and maybe more to follow. I will post their pix that were on Messages.  

Dog Sleds ready for action.

Another mode of transportion.

Here it is: Aurora Borealis in green and red.

And another shot. [all these pix are from Val.]