~
Tuesday, January 31, 2006 8:30 a.m.
30 degrees, breezy, flurries
Yesterday’s rain showers have turned to gentle snow
flurries, much needed to fill in the bare
grassy spots that cropped up overnight. Before the rain
started, it was a lovely day, and a couple
of long walks gave us a chance to enjoy a little spring
preview, a rush of creek water and odors of
wet earth and snowmelt. This snow looks beautiful to me,
but who knows when the next wave of rain
will try to sweep it all away? The weather gods have been
toying with us for the better part of a year,
all great expectations and false hope, shattering our
comfortable complacency to smithereens in the
face of yet another oddball weather event. Perhaps we are
to take away from this the realization that
our best-laid plans mean nothing at all when the forces
of nature aren’t in our control. The old hippie
phrase go with the flow is beginning to take on
new meaning when there is actual water flowing where
none has flowed before. Maybe it is time to try swimming
upstream when necessary... against the flow.
Maybe it is true, only dead fish go with the flow
(a wise man once told me this).
Have a nifty day,
Daisy
~
Monday, January 30, 2006 9:30 a.m.
42 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
Ahhhhh, just returned from a most satisfying little walk.
It is spring-like in both temperature
and mudlisciousness. The sun has made several warming
appearances, and everything even smells
like an April day. I believe more showers are on the way,
so I took advantage of the awesome morning
air to walk with the dog along the road. A few bare spots
show in the meadows, and several deer are taking
advantage of them to root around in the exposed hay
stubble. Birds are everywhere on this beautiful morning,
with crows and blackbirds predominate, and chickadees
greeting us from the roadside growth. Yesterday after-
noon was a real mess, with a couple of inches of snow
falling before it turned to icy rain. Must have been all
rain on the flats, because no snowplow showed up to
scrape away the slush; it was a slow slippery trip up
the hill last night. It poured off and on all night long.
The morning sun came as a most welcome surprise.
We are hoping for a snowy February to make up for all
that has been lost in January.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, January 29, 2006 8:30 a.m.
36 degrees, windy, mostly cloudy
It is a bright morning with an uncomfortable windchill
factor. Although the
temperature is above freezing, a front of damper air is
moving in from the south
and the stiff breeze drives the cold right to the bone.
Even the cats did a u-turn in
the yard earlier and scampered back inside. Yesterday
afternoon was perfect to be
outdoors, and a gang of friends came along to check out
our new crossing at Mill Creek.
Ski conditions were generally excellent, with an
occasional stubborn sticky stretch that stop-
ped us dead in our tracks. There is a soggy underlayer of
slush that sometimes percolates to the
surface of the newer snow; colder temps and new snowfall
later this week should help clear up the
problem. We followed Mill Creek for a while on the state
trail; the water is high for this time of year.
A pileated woodpecker posed for us on a half-dead maple
tree, then flew off with the deep steady wing-
beats typical of the species. I love to look down upon
the creek in the dead of winter and remember how
cold the water is in mid-summer, splashing my way
upstream with rod and reel. The creek twists and turns
through some steep cuts and shallow glades, and is
different every year due to blowdowns and other natural
dams. The worst time to be at Mill Creek is during black
fly hatch. One winter we had so much snow that
we were still skiing when the black flies hatched at the
end of April. There is still plenty of snow in the
Tug Hill woods for back-country fun, and a few hours
before the weather gets sloppy.
Have fun today,
Daisy
~
Saturday, January 28, 2006 8:00 a.m.
30 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
Well, okay, it is actually mostly cloudy, but I am
optimistically imagining that the sun will
eventually prevail on this mild midwinter day. Yesterday
had a grey start too; when the sun finally
chased away the high clouds the sky was the heavenly hue
of bluebird wings and gleaming sapphires.
We skied from here to the trails at Carpenter Road,
forging yet another winding path to the Mill Creek
crossing. We entered the State trail and discovered that
there had been a snowmobile on it, and were a
little upset until we realized that it must have been a
State employee, from the evidence of downfalls that
had been cut up and stacked by the trail. This careful
sledder also did a lot to smooth out the bumps left
by last weeks speed demons. Now all we need is a little
snow on top of the trail, and we are good to go.
Skiing conditions were perfect; we took turns breaking
trail in the new snow, and the second skier always
had a zippier run than the first. On the snowmobile track
it was a constant kick and glide, except where
the sled had churned down to the slush layer, and then we
detoured through the woods. As I write,
big holes are opening up in the clouds, and the sun
streams through the breaks like a blessing.
Today will be an awesome day for skiing; don’t
forget your sunscreen !
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
~
Friday, January 27, 2006 8:00 a.m.
15 degrees, windy, partly cloudy
What a beautiful morning! There was a good half hour of
predawn color before the official
time of sunrise, and we got to enjoy an extension of the
pink and orange rays while the sun
hid behind a cloud for a while, finally showing its
bright face fifteen minutes ago. The sky is
blue behind big clouds; the clouds to the west are sheer
but dark and have picked up the
blue hue nicely. Even the shadows being cast on the snow
are a little bit blue. The next
couple of days will provide awesome weather for outdoor
fun, so make sure you plan
accordingly. Leave your big indoor jobs for Sunday, when
the wintry mix returns.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Thursday, January 26, 2006 9:00 a.m.
10 degrees, breezy, partly sunny, flurries
We have had about a foot of new snow total from the
recent lake effect storm.
I think the main part of the action is over, for now. Don’t
you just love the way a new layer
of snow makes everything appear fresh and clean? Even the
old sand in the snowbanks is buried
under a little blanket of white. There is a little
breeze, but not strong enough to have rearranged the
snow into drifts and ridges. It is pretty cold outside
this morning, but not too cold for several deer who
are determined to prune our forsythia hedge for us this
winter. There has been so little snow cover so far
that the flowering buds have probably already been frozen
dead, so why not let the deer have their fill ?
There will still be a full compliment of beautiful green
leaves for the summer, even if the golden glow of
spring bloom may be less than stellar. Today I will be
retrieving some spring bulbs from cold-storage
and plant them in pots for early indoor blooms. There are
paperwhite narcissus, daffodils, and hya-
cinths just waiting to bring a little early springtime
into our home. There are always a lot of bulbs
available in November at huge discounts; almost any bulb
will bloom indoors after a few months
in the fridge or root cellar. They need a cold dormant
state or they will only sprout leaves, no
flowers. It is a good day to start some herbs as well, a
few pots of basil and chives to liven
up our salads. Time to play in the dirt before heading
out to play in the snow !
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, January 25, 2006 9:00 a.m.
28 degrees, breezy, overcast, snowing
Yippee! It snowed real good last night, and continues to
snow, about eight inches of new
powder so far. Yesterday’s exploration of our usual
route to the trails at Carpenter Road revealed
that there are good sturdy snow bridges across Mill Creek
at the upper crossing, so we still have easy
access to the State trail system. Enough snow has fallen
so that the mess left by snowmobiles should be
pretty much covered up, and we can start anew. Riding a
motorized vehicle on cross-country ski trails is
comparable to heaping piles of pig excrement across
snowmobile trails; both make either sport unpleasant.
Unlike the groomed x-c trails of better subsided Oneida
County trail systems (BREIA, Jackson Hill, Egypt
Road, etc.) the trails at Carpenter Road are set by
skiers the old fashioned way, one ski next to the other,
powered by folks like me. When a single skier sets a
track, it is difficult and often exhausting work, espec-
ially if the snow is deep. To spend an afternoon setting
tracks and then returning the next day to enjoy an
easier journey is part of the x-c ski experience. To find
the tracks ruined by snowmobiles is disappointing.
There are literally thousands of miles of snowmobile
trails in Lewis County, and very few miles of ski trails.
Please, if you are riding on Tug Hill and see ski tracks,
avoid them. And now I guess I will step down
off of my soap box and get ready to go set some tracks on
this beautiful winter day.
Play nice,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, January 24, 2006 8:00 a.m.
26 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
Although the bright morning sunshine might be short-lived
in the face of an oncoming canadian clipper, it
is fine while it lasts. As the Earth draws away from the
darkest day of winter solstice, the sun seems to be
noticeably warmer, especially first thing in the morning.
It is a joy to step outside just after sunrise and check
out the scene, listen to the blackbirds, scan the horizon
for clouds, or peruse the meadows for wildlife. The
gradual extension of daylight (about two minutes a day)
is very apparent in the late afternoon; when I leave
work at 5:00, I can now catch the sunset instead of
driving home in the shadows of dusk. It still seems to be
pretty dark in the morning, but soon enough the sun will
be getting up before I do. I am sure that there will be
many blustery days (and nights) when we will be certain
that a hot summer sun will never smile upon us again,
but this morning I am certain that we have turned winter’s
corner and are slowly sliding towards spring.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Monday, January 23, 2006 8:30 a.m.
26 degrees, calm, overcast, snowing
Fine flakes fall straight to earth leaving white ghostly
streaks in their wake. This is the kind of
snow that can be deceiving in its density, looking so
fine and fragile but in reality piling up quickly;
just what the doctor ordered! Yesterday I scoped out the
snow conditions and since the temperature
stayed in the twenties, that hard frozen surface didn’t
look too appealing for skiing but seemed perfect
for walking. We hiked on a nearby snowmobile trail and
stayed right on top of the churned up crystals;
in fact, as soon as I got on the trail I thought now
this would be decent skiing! but I already had the
dog
primed for a good walk and so I stuck to that mode of
travel. We didn’t see too many snowmobilers; I think
most of them had gone back to their weekday homes by mid-afternoon.
That’s one good thing about living in
a weekend tourist destination; we usually get our own
pristine space back after the weekend influx of riders.
Deer sign was everywhere in the light dusting of new
snow, with deep holes where they had broken through
the crust. I saw lots of fox tracks and many coyote
prints as well, along with dozens of tiny rodent marks,
very faint trails as they scurried from predators. There
was much for the dog to sniff, and I let him linger
as much as he wished, enjoying the frequent pauses in our
long hike. Mostly the dog follows my whims
and wishes, but often I follow the dog, and that is a
whole ‘nother kind of journey. Try as I might, I
can never detect the scent that will send him into a
frenzy of pawing and dancing, and finally rolling
his shoulder in what appears to be a spotless patch of
snow. Of course, this is the same dog that
can smell cheddar cheese before I even open to the
refrigerator; I believe my very thoughts must
be redolent of cheesy goodness. I swear, he is sitting at
my feet right now, wagging his tail
and looking hopeful as I write about cheese. Ah, for the
simple life of a dog !
Have a doggone good day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, January 22, 2006 8:00 a.m.
16 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
It is a beautiful morning, full of critters teetering
across the frozen meadows. Our garden
hosted nine deer earlier, happily munching away on
forsythia buds, apple tree branches, and
red cabbage stumps. I hated to send them scurrying across
the slippery slopes, but on the other
hand, I prefer to prune my own trees and shrubbery. They
are welcome to the cabbage leavin’s,
but since they are right next to contraband, the pretty
red leaves appear to be a lure to the danger
zone. A small flock of turkeys is at the treeline, having
a drink at the spring overflow. For some reason,
turkeys look extra large against a snowy backdrop, almost
like a prehistoric giant version of the familiar
bird. I was out and about yesterday on the upper road to
Boonville, and saw a beautiful red fox prancing
swiftly across a snowy field. Just past him there was a
huge flock of snow buntings, their black and white
plumage a highly visibly positive ID for the plump little
birds. There were hundreds of them, moving with
a similar flight plan, lifting off and regrouping as a
single unit. We have a dusting of new snow on top of a
frozen granular base, and cross-country skiing may be
pretty good today if it doesn’t mush up. I think
the woodlands will be an awful mess of downed twigs,
cones, and boughs, but it’s worth a shot just
to get out on such a gorgeous day. Hills will be a
challenge, but there is plenty of relatively flat terrain
here on Gomer Hill. It is possible that laundry hung
outdoors might even dry on a day such as this.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
~
Saturday, January 21, 2006 8:00 a.m.
42 degrees, windy, mostly cloudy
The eastern skyline is a lovely shade of peach, and tiny
patches of blue sky appear briefly as
the clouds dance across the sky. A few rain showers
overnight have left what little snow remains
as soggy as a kitchen sponge. The forecast shows a 90%
chance of rain today, changing to snow
after lunch. Tomorrow will be sunny, a fine day to play
outdoors, especially if we get a few inches
of snow today. Yesterday we hiked along a snowmobile
trail, and the snow was thick and sticky;
I felt that I’d made the correct choice by leaving
the skis at home. What was surprising is that the
streams are still pretty much snowed over here on Gomer
Hill. The valley is absolutely flooded from
Wednesday’s heavy rain, with giant ponds where
meadows once were. Lowland creeks have become
broad rivers, not a chunk of ice to be seen in the
torrents. Here at the top of the world I expected the
same, but there is very little standing water and many of
the snow bridges left from the earlier sub-zero
temps still abide. Meanwhile, I found some crows
yesterday afternoon, but as I was on foot I couldn’t
easily follow them. Sentinels flew ahead of the flock,
gave the meadow the once-over from atop the tal-
lest tree, and called out the all-clear . There
were seven crows in all, spread out as if in a search
pattern.
I heard the call of a raven from deep in the forest, but
it has been a while since I saw one of those huge
black birds. It was good to hear that deep guttural rasp;
soon I will have to go looking through the woods
for my old friends. The last sighting was of a single
raven, harassed by crows in mid-air. Ah ! The sun !
Perhaps this is the 10% of the day that it won’t be
raining/snowing; better get out while I can.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Friday, January 20, 2006 9:00 a.m.
40 degrees, breezy, cloudy
A thin pink line lends a spot of much-needed color to the
monotone grey vista spread out
before our eyes this morning. Warm moist air has settled
the snow from Wednesday’s storm to
a glossy compact blanket, good packy snow for forts and
snow sculptures. There is a small chance
of rain today, but for the most part it looks like a nice
day to go out and play. It is a little breezy, but
not cold enough to matter much. If the skiing isn’t
good, take a walk. Make a snow sculpture, maybe
an animal or something unusual. A friend once made a full-size
Volkswagen Beetle in his driveway;
it looked authentic. Crows are on the move today, dozens
of them filled the air a little while ago. I
don’t know where they came from; we usually have a
few that stick around the neighborhood for
the entire winter, but this was a regular gang of them,
looking for fun on this mild winter morn.
I think I’ll go out and see if I can figure out
where they went.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Thursday, January 19, 2006 8:00 a.m.
25 degrees, breezy, overcast, flurries
Yesterday’s lake effect snow squall dropped ten
inches of heavy snow all over Tug Hill.
We were on the way home from Watertown when the rain
turned to snow, and had a very
interesting ride. (People, people, when it is
snowing sideways and the wind is gusting up to 60 mph,
d’ya think you could at least turn on your
headlights? Sheesh.) At any rate, we enjoyed the rest of
the
storm from the snug safety of our home, watching windows
plaster completely over with wet snow, big
flakes rushing past the yard lights with the roar of a
freight train. Glass on all four sides of the house is
coated; a mighty wind must have come from all directions
at some point in the storm. Many branches
have come down during the past two days; the yard is
littered with limbs and twigs. North of here,
we saw several landscaped cluster-birch trees in various
front yards all broken at the trunk. Ours
were bowed by the ice Tuesday night, but fortunately are
in relatively protected spots so they didn’t
get the one-two punch of ice plus wind. Light snow is
gently falling right now, wafted here and there
by a slight breeze, winter as it should be... for now.
Whatever happens during the next three days
(rain? snow? frogs?) we will have today’s perfect
picture of winter as a fond memory, good enough.
Have a fine day,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, January 18, 2006 9:30 a.m.
44 degrees, windy, raining
Last night just after sunset icy bullets started to fall
from the sky, building quickly into a glassy
sheen in the parking lot and necessitating lots of
windshield scraping before I could head home
from work. The roads were slickery, and sand trucks could
barely keep up with the frosty pellets
as they built up into a measurable depth. In due time the
frozen rain turned to liquid, but stuck fast
to trees and roofs as hard ice. Later still, the winds
picked up into gale force, and the ice blew off
branches and thudded against the tin roof, wintry
shrapnel startling us from dreamland a dozen times
during the night. Electric power went off moments before
dawn, and now it is back. Presently it is
pouring rain, a regular deluge that is water and wind and
nothing more... for now. Ah, if only this were
all snow; we would have something then, my friends. We
may yet see a few inches of lake effect snow
before this storm is over. For now, I am very grateful
for the roof above and strong walls around, the
crackling fire that warms from without and honey-drizzled
toast that warms from within. Our furry friends
are all dozing peacefully, and life’s frenzied pace
has slowed to a crawl, for a little while at
least.
Have a mellow day,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, January 17, 2006 8:30 a.m.
16 degrees, calm, sunny
It’s a very pretty morning, calm, sunny, user-friendly
in anyone’s book.
Get a very clear mental snapshot of this beautiful scene
to run behind your eyeballs tomorrow,
when it will be raining, sleeting, snowing and blowing
with gusts up to 50 mph. The jury is still out on
the weekend weather, a close call between rain and snow.
I hope the snow wins. Yesterday’s walk
took us partway up a snowmobile trail, okay for walking
but I can’t imagine running a sled over frozen
ruts, gravel, and ice and have it be anything but an
outing from hell. And yet, we continue to see those
cyclopean headlights in the wee hours of the morning,
bucking and churning up the dirt road to beat the
band. Not my idea of fun, especially at ten below zero,
but I guess it’s time to drag out that useful phrase
from the 60s, diff’rent strokes for diff’rent
folks, and so on and so on, and doobie doobie doooooo...
There is still time for a good hike this morning
before the routine of appointments and jobs sets in.
Likely
tomorrow will be an indoor day all around, so soak up
some sunshine-vitamin D while the opportunity exists.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Monday, January 16, 2006 8:00 a.m.
0 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
Zero degrees; sounds like a total absence of air
temperature. At zero pounds of air pressure,
a tire would be flat. At zero inches of hair, a head is
bald. With zero friends, one dines alone.
However, step outdoors and you will see that zero degrees
is not a null set at all, especially on
a calm sunny morning like this one. The air is filled
with tiny frost crystals, ambient humidity trans-
formed into dazzle. It smells cold and hot at the same
time, as the first inhalation produces the clean
cold aroma of icicles and frost, with whiffs of warm
painted metal and rubber emanating from the big
truck parked in the yard. Blackbirds sit motionless in
the big tree by the barn, nothing moving but their
bills as they whistle, trill, and click to each other. A
small flock of wild turkeys strolls single file across
an icy south meadow to see if the water is frozen in the
neighbor’s springbox overflow. As long as
the wind doesn’t kick up, it will be a wonderful day
for a walk. It is still too icy for cross-country
skiing, and snowshoeing is out of the question. Don’t
forget your sunscreen !
Cheers,
Daisy
~
Sunday, January 15, 2006 8:30 a.m.
-5 degrees, very windy, partly sunny
There is plenty of fine snow blowing sideways all across
the view, but it is hard to tell if it is new snow
or leftovers from yesterday being shifted around by a
strong north wind. As the temperature dropped into
single digits yesterday, scattered rain showers turned to
sheets of icy sleet and finally snow, but it skittered
across acres of ice and hardly accumulated at all. There
are small drifts at the edges of the meadow where
stone walls brought snow to a quick halt; I assume that
there is pretty good coverage within the shelter of
the forest. Big clouds are flying across the sky, and it
wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see a few periods
of heavy snow this morning. Blowing snow will make
visibility on the roads very poor at times; make
sure you travel with your lights on. If the wind dies
down, it will be a good afternoon to get out. For
now I am happy to watch hearty gusts pick up snow into
tall whirling funnels from a cozy chair by
the kitchen woodrange. Skies should clear in time for
moonrise, just after six o’clock tonight.
This waning full moon is called the Wolf Moon; get out
and howl a little.
Aaaaaahhh-OOOOOO,
Daisy
~
Saturday, January 14, 2006 8:00 a.m.
41 degrees, breezy, overcast, sprinkles
We awoke to rainfall so thunderous that the clock-radio
news broadcast was totally unintelligible.
The more I turned the volume up, the harder it rained.
Somewhere in the grey sky a round full moon
is setting right this very moment; we got our fill of
that beautiful orb last night as it illuminated all the
land,
big silver clouds framing its smiling face. The glow
reflecting from acres of snow intensified the brightness.
Yesterday’s hike along the Mohawk River under sunny
skies was a nice change from the meadows and
forests of Gomer Hill. We saw mallards galore, green
sleek heads iridescent in the bright sunshine. There
was a good breeze blowing across the water, creating
little whitecaps in the muddy brown channel. A thick
layer of ice coated the still water by a lock gate, which
was undergoing repairs and cut our riverwalk a little
short. We took a turn around the town of Little Falls, a
beauty of a town full of steep hills and charming Vic-
torian buildings. I drove home from the Mohawk Valley
just after moonrise, where it appeared gigantic and
golden, with the fiery colors of sunset painted on the
opposite side of the glen. What a sight! Rain didn’t
start
to fall until early this morning; the sky opened up and
it poured in several strong cloudbursts. Lingering sprink-
les seem to be hovering just at the edge of snowflakes,
and although the radar shows that the brunt of the storm
has passed, another is waiting in the wings, full of
wintry goodness. There is still plenty of snow on much of
Tug
Hill; a few bare spots have appeared in the meadows, and
the heavily traveled snowmobile trails are down to
bare bones. It is likely that rising waters in the creeks
and streams have swept away our natural snow bridges
and opened up some of the swampy areas. As the
temperature drops into single digits tonight and a few
inches
of snow bond to the soggy base layer, tomorrow looks like
it will be a good day for back-country skiing.
As for today, be ready for just about anything.
Be prepared,
Daisy
~
Friday, January 13, 2006 8:00 a.m.
40 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
What a beautiful morning! On a sunny day like this I wish
we had not enclosed our back
porch for firewood storage; it would be a perfect spot to
sit with our coffee and enjoy the kiss
of sunlight on our faces for a little while. Earlier, I
carefully made my way across the icy yard to
open up the outbuildings for the cats and loved the fact
that it is mid-January and I was outdoors
in short sleeves, comfortably listening to cheery
birdsong. A huge waxing-to-full moon has just dip-
ped over the western treeline, almost simultaneous with a
stunning sunrise in the east. Today is Friday
the 13th, but it is a lucky one for me because
I will be visiting friends in the Mohawk Valley, with
plans
to hike along the Canal and enjoy the January thaw. There
is still plenty of snow in our neck of the woods,
but elsewhere the ground is bare. The little creeks and
streams are opening up on Gomer Hill; even Horsey
Creek has big sloppy puddles near its origin. We walked
on a snowmobile trail yesterday, and much of
it is bare and gravelly. With more rain in the picture
for tonight and tomorrow, out-of-town riders might
better stay home until more snowfall patches up the
trails. Make time to enjoy this lovely day;
it will be a while before this kind of weather blesses us
again.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Thursday, January 12, 2006 8:30 a.m.
36 degrees, windy. overcast
It rained really hard last night, and a driving wind sent
it clattering against the windows
with relentless din. Wind is still whistling through the
trees, but the rain has stopped, for now.
Deep channels have been worn in the thick ice that covers
the yard, and footing is treacherous.
Salted sand has cleared the icy layer from our road and
there was no school delay today. It seems
that winter sports will be on hold for a couple of days,
until a Canadian Clipper delivers plummeting
temps and some more snow on Saturday. Some sunny breaks
later today will be most welcome,
giving us a chance to walk along the plowed roadsides and
sniff the good smells of a January
thaw. Let’s hope the honey wagons haven’t been
spreading their natural fertilizers, or we
might miss the sweet balsam and cold mud whiff that the
sun’s heat will release.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, January 11, 2006 8:30 a.m.
34 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
It is a very nice morning, a little icy underfoot from
some drizzle that appeared overnight, but for
the most part it is a good day to step outside and enjoy
the view. Three crows and a handful of blackbirds
mingle in the large maple tree by the barn, sharing each
other’s company in silence. Usually the blackbirds
are happily chattering, whistling and crooning, and crows
will converse loudly from tall trees in the distance.
But today, no songs or calls of alert; it is as if they
are all gathered in silent meditation, basking in the
peace
and quiet of a midwinter North Country morning. Yesterday
we skied through a pine plantation near here,
following new pathways to Mill Creek in search of an easy
crossing. We found ourselves at the headwaters,
a shallow vale with gentle slopes and good snow bridges
across the trickles. It isn’t too far from there to
the
State owned Mill Creek Ski Trail; we now have a new way
to access the Carpenter Road Ski Trails that even
a rookie can use with ease. Our original route involves
several steep hills, including one that enters the gorge
formed by the creek over the years. Even the best skills
are tested at that part of the trail. Skiing conditions
were excellent, with a thin layer of new snow covering
pebbled frozen snow. Glide on the downhills was
fast, with just enough texture so that speed could be
controlled with an occasional stem-turn or snowplow
maneuver. We may see a little rain for the next three
days, compacting the base and making for tricky
conditions until the next snowfall. The milder
temperatures will set the stage for some good walks;
get out and enjoy your neighborhood.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, January 10, 2006 8:30 a.m.
28 degrees, calm, overcast, flurries
Tiny snowflakes are falling straight down, just at the
edge of being raindrops. A warming trend has begun,
one that may see temperatures in the fifties by Friday.
It looks like an official January thaw, something we
haven’t seen for a few years in this neck of the
woods. Sure, two years ago it rained for one day, but
noth-
ing like the juicy week that could lie ahead. The past
three Januaries have had a whole lot of days with temps
in the negative realm, and windchills so bad that they
kept me indoors. Of course, this year the weather has
been so goofy that I absolutely expect to expect the
unexpected. Forecasts have been stupendously wrong
all year; the best thing to do is wear lots of layers and
carry extra socks for your outdoor adventures. That
way, you will be ready for the rain or snow that comes
out of nowhere, rain that was not in the forecast and
not even on the radar map, rain born out of the moist
breath of our angry and abused planet. We are getting
off easy here in the North Country with nothing more
challenging than erratic precipitation or miscalculated
temperatures. Elsewhere, flood, drought, hurricanes,
tsunami, earthquake, fire, it seems like all possible
natural disasters have reared their ugly heads during the
past year. I can’t help but think the negative
energy generated by mankind’s greed has somehow
started a terrible chain reaction of events.
Not very scientific, but I’m no scientist, just a
casual observer looking for answers. Got any ?
Have an unexpected day,
Daisy
~
Monday, January 9, 2006 8:30 a.m.
34 degrees, overcast, calm
It is a pretty nice morning out, considering all the doom
and gloom the weather pundits have been predicting.
Nexrad Radar shows a lot of precipitation passing north
of us, and unless the wind starts blowing from that
direction I think we are in for merely a grey day, no big
whoop. Temperatures will be warmer than usual,
and we will just have to wait and see whether there is a
real January thaw underway. I didn’t manage to
get out to play at all yesterday, but I certainly enjoyed
the way the sunlight slanted in the window from
time to time and bounced around the room, reflected off
the little mirrored disco balls that hang on our
holiday tree. I suppose I should really take the tree
down soon, but it is still hanging onto its needles
and looks so darned pretty. A dozen crows have just
appeared along the edge of the woods,
issuing an invitation to get out and join them for a
while. I’ll pack a rainjacket just in case.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, January 8, 2006 8:30 a.m.
26 degrees, calm, overcast, flurries
Big snowflakes drift slowly down to earth, falling in a
straight path in the absence of wind.
Several deer are gathered at the far end of the meadow to
drink from a springwater seep that
has shown up during the past month. There are scads of
deer in our neck of the woods this winter,
and during the past week I have seen many of them dead by
the roadside, victims of motor vehicle
contact. There was one smack in the middle of Turin’s
Main Street the other night, still warm but tho-
roughly dead. While I wondered if I had the muscle
required shift the big fella, a nice young man stopped
and dragged it near the bank. I can’t imagine
someone could hit a large animal like that and just
abandon it,
hit-and-run. At any rate, use caution and watch for
critters while you drive everywhere, not just where you
see deer crossing signs. We saw plenty of deer
sign in the woods yesterday afternoon, deep ruts worn in
the snow and many piles of shiny black droppings. There
were tracks from just about every kind of animal,
some faint under a light dusting of snow and some so
fresh we must have startled their makers into sudden
retreat. We wandered around for quite a while, through
balsam swamps, over frozen creeks, past pucker-
brush and toolies and around lots of huge blowdowns. We
finally ended up pretty much back where we
started, having made a huge clockwise circular path. I
love a good aimless ramble, particularly when it
is an easy enough thing to backtrack if we seem to be
hopelessly lost. Ski conditions are awesome,
and Tug Hill is the perfect place to ramble around
enjoying winter’s wonders. My downhill skiing
friends report that Snow Ridge has had excellent
conditions as well. Hooray for snow !
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Saturday, January 7, 2006 9:00 a.m.
15 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
The temperature has risen twenty degrees since I arose,
and with this lovely warm sunshine
we will be in the twenties before we know it. A broad
beam of pure silver light streamed to earth
like a blessing from the sun earlier this morning, but it
is gone now. Two inches of fluffy clean snow
covers the entire hilltop, and frosty ice crystals
sparkle in the cold clear air. It is a fabulous morning
and I am looking forward to a long ski trip later with
friends to explore the newest logging trails in our
area. We should be able to cross swamps with ease after
the deepfreeze that yesterday’s north wind
brought. Take advantage of this beauty of a day, even if
it is simply to sit on your porch for a while
with the sun clearing away all of life’s little
problems. Just for today, no worries !
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Friday, January 6, 2006 9:00 a.m.
14 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy, flurries
The sudden drop in temperature has coated all of the tree
branches with light frost,
right down to the tiniest twigs. It is a more delicate
embellishment than last week’s thick
coating of snow, and not likely to last very long,
especially if the sun comes out. The snow
is crunchy underfoot this morning, but gives way readily
unlike the hard boilerplate it could have
become. A little north wind makes it seem colder than it
really is; in the woods all will be still, and
woe to the backcountry skier who does not dress in layers
on such a day as this. It is better to be
able to peel away the fleece and wool one thing at a time
than to be trapped, sweating from exertion, in
a state-of-the-art subzero parka with nothing underneath
but a turtleneck shirt. We need every garment
as we trudge up the road, heading into the bite of Old
Man Winter’s icy breath, eyes streaming and noses
running. But once in the shelter of tall balsams and
spruce, the body’s core quickly generates the kind
of
heat that aerobic exercise produces indoors or out. If
your feet typically get cold, consider investing in
a good pair of wool blend socks that will keep your feet
warm and dry. Great socks will keep your
feet warm even if you fall in a creek. (Been there, done
that, thank goodness for my magic socks!)
And now, off to explore a little on this beautiful frosty
morn.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
~
Thursday, January 5, 2006 9:00 a.m.
32 degrees, breezy, overcast, snowing
Snow is falling here on Gomer Hill but if it is anything
like yesterday afternoon,
it could very well be raining in the valley. We have had
about two inches so far, icy sugary
stuff that is very slippery underfoot. Yesterday morning
we skied into a pine plantation up the
road from here, intending to connect with the state
trails that originate on Carpenter Road. For the
past two weeks we have been laying down tracks on this
side of Mill Creek, and yesterday there had
been just enough of a thaw and freeze that they were very
icy, little individual luge runs for our skis. After
my first out-of-control expletive-flinging terrified
downhill run, I decided to abandon my partner and take
off through the woods in search of a less steep path to
the creek. I knew one existed, I’d been there
before;
however, a keen sense of direction is not one of my
strong points. I first became disoriented by a large tree
that had fallen across the logging trail, but after
wandering for some distance away from my destination I
man-
aged to backtrack and find the right route. The snow in
the woods was wonderful, not too deep and very
zippy with a slightly frozen surface. There were more
animal tracks than I have ever seen, rabbits, fox,
porcupine, bobcat, coyote, squirrel, deer, turkey,
grouse, and the exquisitely tiny prints of little rodents
and possibly faeries. Sun shone through the tall trees
and striped the forest floor with sharp shadows,
and when I finally reached the creek the water’s
surface sparkled like a river of diamonds. I found a
place to cross, but it was close to lunchtime so I headed
back to the house. Things are definitely im-
proving here on Tug Hill, and with more snow in the
forecast conditions will only keep getting better.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, January 4, 2006 8:30 a.m.
25 degrees, calm, mostly cloudy
Beautiful red and orange flaming rays preceded today’s
sunrise, but once the sun came up there
was very little afterglow, except along the mountaintops.
It is wonderful to see the sun, and yesterday
almost seemed like a spring instead of early winter. A
little January thaw is in the mix for later today, some
rain followed by snow, just what the doctor ordered to
improve the base layer for all winter sports. Clouds
drift overhead from west to east, thinning out at some
places and layers deep at others. The beautiful frosting
that shivered the timbers’ twigs and branches is all
gone now, melted and pocking the surface of the snow un-derneath.
We walked as far as the snowmobile trail yesterday
afternoon; where it was solid enough for easy
treading on Monday, the sun had turned it to mush so we
didn’t get too far. Crows, blackbirds, chickadees,
hairy woodpeckers, and evening grosbeaks peppered the
trees and power lines, coming in and out of the
picture with a flash of feathers, silent as ghosts. Just
now a half dozen turkeys are pecking at the wet
spot near the bottom of the meadow; that place has seen a
lot of action these past few warm days.
And now, off to the woods while the day is still fine !
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, January 3, 2006 8:30 a.m.
31 degrees, calm, mostly cloudy
Although the sky is overflowing with big clouds above,
the view is far-reaching, all the way
to the Adirondack Mountains. Some snowflakes are still
stuck to trees, but the fog took much
of it away yesterday. The layer of ice underneath it all
seemed to soften a bit as the day warmed up,
and wet snow that fell last night has helped to bond ice
and snow together, so it should be a little easier
to ski on today. The eaves on all of our buildings are
festooned with tiny icicles, straight as arrows and
slowly adding to their mass with a steady drip from tin
roofs. It looks like sunshine may be imminent as the
clouds slowly drift apart. That would be a welcome sight!
The sun almost came out a couple of times yes-
terday, but wishing did not make it so. Several deer have
gathered at a seep near the far end of the meadow;
they paw through the snow to drink and search for
greenery. Ten blackbirds have gathered in the middle
of the road to peck salt from the sand, walking slowly
with their heads down, a little herd of birds.
Enjoy your day,
Daisy
~
Monday, January 2, 2006 8:00 a.m.
28 degrees, calm, foggy
Dense fog prevents us from admiring much of the morning
view; the trees and bushes close to the
house still wear their lovely mantles of frost, three
days running now. We haven’t seen the sun in ten
days; a little peek would be most welcome. Traffic on the
Gomer Hill Road has been heavy this morning,
SUVs and trucks hauling snowmobile trailers, headed back
to faraway cities and suburbs for a short work
week after ten days (and nights) of tearing up and down
the trails. Good-bye, and have a safe journey home.
(It just won’t be the same without you...)
Meanwhile, we had a wonderful walk yesterday, trekking up
the road
past the Welsh Hill Cemetery and beyond. It was a mild
afternoon, and it was to be merely a short walk to give
the dog some exercise, but he was having so much fun we
stayed out until daylight faded. There were a few
crows pecking at detritus in a barnyard, the only
wildlife around. There were plenty of coyote and deer
tracks on the snowbanks, indicating where road crossings
had been made. It has been quite a while
since we have heard the high lonesome wails of coyotes;
maybe there is nothing to sing about on
icy winter nights. The fog is beginning to brighten,
perhaps my wish for a sunny day will be granted.
Have a fine day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, January 1, 2006 8:15 a.m.
25 degrees, calm, overcast
Frosted flakes are still stuck to just about every
surface, even thicker than yesterday. What a gorgeous
sight !
Unfortunately, the layer of ice that binds the delicate
crystals to tiny branches and twigs also covers the
entire
expanse of ground, hard as a rock and potentially very
treacherous. A scant half inch of snow is barely enough
to make the slippery boilerplate skiable, but ski I did
for most of yesterday afternoon. I approached each down-
hill run in a series of across-the-meadow traverses,
barely able to check my speed by fanning my tails into
the
wide vee of a classic snowplow maneuver. Even though the
metal edges on my back-country skis were newly
sharpened, it took all of my strength and skill to remain
upright for what would prove to be one of the most
challenging trips of my life. I skirted the edges of the
forest and finally entered at a spot that seemed fairly
hill-free; after all, I had ravens to seek. The flat
shadowless light dispersed by high thin clouds gave very
few clues as to what was steep and what was gentle, and I
quickly learned not to trust my eyes. I had
a packful of apples to share, and skied from tree to tree
leaving behind a scattering of red fruit, festive
against the white wintry background. Deer have worn deep
ruts into the snow and ice as they followed
the same trail day after day. I left the bulk of the
apples close to the trails, not wanting to lure the
animals
onto the unstable icy surface. Where they had left the
trail there was evidence that a thin leg or two broke
through the sharp surface every few steps. I didn’t
go anywhere near the lip of the deep gorge, very aware
of the thin line between fearless adventure and reckless
stupidity. As I skied, I kept looking up, eager for a
glimpse of the ravens of the realm, but saw only one
pileated woodpecker noisily working his way around a
tall spruce tree. I crossed the road and did a final
sweep of the meadows and copses behind our house, inten-
ding to check the bluebird nesting boxes to see if anyone
was using them for the winter, but they were all frozen
shut. As I made my rounds from house to house, I caught
sight of two large black birds perched very still atop
the tallest trees in the hedgerow. Could it be that my
ravens had found me? My heart was filled with joy, and I
sang out a greeting to my long-lost friends. I slowly
approached the treeline, and thought, “those birds
sure are
looking at me funny, there’s something strange about
the way they are turning their heads to and fro... wait a
minute, ravens don’t have necks...” and with
that insight the birds suddenly took flight, their heavy
bodies and
deep slow wingbeats revealing them to be wild turkeys,
not ravens. Five more big birds left the trees from their
concealed locations nearer the ground, and I felt a
moment of disappointment that I had been fooled. On the
other hand, I did enjoy an instant of happiness that was
genuine, even if triggered by a mistake in perception.
Was that moment of joy any less real? Some day I will see
ravens again, maybe the same pair that I have be-
friended over the years, or maybe different birds
altogether. Whatever happens in the future, I will still
have the
memory of one breathtaking instant of delight so pure
that I believe my spirit must have shone like a beacon.
What lights your fire ?
Happy New Year !
Daisy
~
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