~
Wednesday, August 31, 2005 7:30 a.m.
63 degrees, breezy, raining
Rain has been falling steadily for the past eight hours,
pencil-thin and relentless.
So far there hasn’t been much wind, but some brief
gusts have been very erratic, pushing
big drops up against the windows on all four sides of the
house. The barometer has been
falling and we are under a tornado watch until 9:00 a.m.
This weather activity is only a small
inconvenience for us, literally a drop in the bucket
compared to what those on the Gulf Coast
have been experiencing during the past three days. Aerial
videos of the area have been surreal
and unbelievable, and for every shattered building there
is a story of triumph or grief. As you
go about your mundane and normal day, keep a good thought
for our displaced countrymen.
Take a moment to meditate or pray, thanking Spirit for
our many blessings and sending
positive energy to the South, that families may be
reunited and pets find safe havens.
Sincerely,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, August 30, 2005 7:30 a.m.
62 degrees, breezy, overcast, foggy, raining
Rain held off for most of yesterday, although it
certainly looked as though it could fall
at any moment. Light sprinkles cooled us off on our
nightly walk, but not enough to make
me wish for a jacket; it felt good after the heat and
humidity of the day. This is a preview of
harder rain coming, fueled by the northern edge of
Hurricane Katrina. There are flood watches
in effect for most of our state. Let’s hope things
clear up for the weekend. Rain isn’t slowing down
the turkeys who are strolling along the meadow path,
headed for the lower garden. We have young
spinach and lettuce plants just beginning to emerge; I’d
better be ready to dash outdoors to direct
those big birds down the return path. It’s always
fun to try to herd turkeys; usually they dash
away full of flap and flutter, but if they really want to
get to the garden they will just part like
the Red Sea and go around me, never shifting their
glittering little eyes from the prize.
Come on you guys, there’s plenty of yummy stuff in
the meadow for you, not
to mention beechnuts and apples dropping from trees in
the hedgerows.
Wowza, there must be thirty turkeys out there !
Gotta go,
Daisy
~
Monday, August 29, 2005 7:30 a.m.
62 degrees. calm, foggy
Fog rolled in during the night and covered the Hill like
a soft quilt. I noticed that there
were no stars twinkling in the sky last night; perhaps
the fog was already lurking overhead.
Crickets were louder than ever, and one single firefly
swooped back and forth across the
neighbor’s meadow; I wonder if it was left behind
after all of its buddies headed south. During
daylight I have noticed a lot of butterflies, some new
species I haven’t seen before. Most are
small and move in flocks, rising up from tall goldenrod
as I pass by. If I draw closer to look
for identifying marks, off they go in a flurry of wings,
yellow with a black edge is all I see but
there are other colors dotting the wings as well. Of
course, there are also throngs of monarchs
filling the air, perching occasionally on the giant
milkweeds that strew the roadsides to sip a
bit of nectar before continuing on to points south. For
more information about the monarch
butterfly and its unbelievably complex life cycle, check
out this link.
And now, on to the pickle vat !
Have a sweet day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, August 28, 2005 7:30 a.m.
62 degrees, breezy, overcast, sprinkles
It is a misty morning on Tug Hill, low clouds similar to
ocean fog, and the cry of crows has
replaced the screech of seagulls as my early wake-up call.
We had a week of perfect weather
by the sea, but there will never be a sight as lovely to
me as the view across the Black River Valley
to the Adirondack Mountains beyond. There must have been
some great growing days in our absence,
and there is much to harvest from the gardens. We took
enough fresh veggies with us so that we could
enjoy salads and tasty sides with our fresh seafood;
probably not too many folks haul zucchini five hun-
dred miles, nature’s most perfect vacation food,
easy to transport and versatile. Is it a veggie? Is it a
cake?
Perhaps a little of both, with possibilities for unusual
salads and sandwiches as well... We arrived home
too late to have much of a look around, but a short walk
in the twilight refreshed us after a long drive.
Crickets sang their late summer song as gentle rain began
to fall, and the sweet Tug Hill air
reminded us once again how fortunate we are to live in
such a beautiful spot. Home
is never sweeter than when viewed from the end of a
return journey.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
8-27-05
Daisy's View as seen by Sweet P
A large flock of turkeys has been visiting the lower
garden every morning around 6:00 am.
Even on the ground, they move as one, each with it's own
space, but part of the flock just
the same. Yesterday, on our walk around the hill, there
were hundreds of butterflies of every
color and size. I was pleasantly surprised by a Clearwing
Hummingbird Moth who was busy
sipping on purple Alfalfa flowers. These adorable
moths look like miniature Hummingbirds
and also hover from one sweet treat to the next. Upon
first seeing one, I didn't know what
to think....a bird ? a moth ? a strange evolutionary
mix-up ? This website really helped to
clear any confusion on my part and is a great
resource for anyone interested in identification.
ENJOY THE BUZZ ABOUT TODAY !
~Sweet P~
~
8.25.05
“Cultivate poverty like garden herb, like sage.
Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether
clothes or friends.
Turn the old; return to them. Things do not change; we
change.
Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts.
God will see that you do not want society.”
Henry David Thoreau
~
8/24/05
Today, there is a brisk chill in the air, but the sun is
nice and warm. Up here on the hill
it feels like that "brisk chill" is freezing my
feet off ! From my 'view' a line cuts the sky
in
half today ( of course it's only the clothes line
:). I will walk the dog, pick apples and find
something else to do that's work so that I will have
three excuses to take a nap.
That is all for today (and please don't hold it against
me for the shortness).
I. M. Joker
~
Bits and Pieces of Happiness
8/23/05
The chirp of crickets fills the air this morning. As the
sun comes up, it hides behind the trees and
turns their leaves spring green. The ground glitters from
last night's dew and yesterday's surprise
rain. The air is brisk, but the sun is warm. Today should
be the perfect day for outdoor activities
(especially the not-as-fun garden work. ;) Turkeys have
been everywhere the last couple of
days just wandering about in the fields, crossing the
road and moving to their next feeding
grounds. Wherever you are, I hope you enjoy this
beautiful day as much as possible.
~Eevee~
~
Monday, August 22, 2005
As the sun plays peek-a-boo behind a few thick clouds,
the illuminated fog lying in the
valley paints silver-linings on the purple Adirondack
Mountains. These majestic sentinels
of the North look full of promise and wonder on this late
summer morning. The Humming-
birds take no notice as they are busy checking the
Hollyhocks and Black-eyed Susans for
the nectar of life. A common pleasure for the Chickadees
is a bit of "self cleaning" in the
strong sunshine. I plan to follow the birds' lead
this morning and do a bit of both !
Do something for you today.
~Sweet P~
~
~
Sunday, August 21, 2005
"Whoso would be a man,
must be a nonconformist.
He who would gather mortal palms must not be hindered by
the name of goodness,
but must explore if it be goodness.
Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own
mind."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson~
Trust your purest thoughts, live by them.
They will carry you through the times of darkness,
when all seems wrong with the world. ~P
~
Bits and Pieces of Happiness
Saturday, August 20, 2005
This morning is a chilly 59 degrees F outdoors, as
the clouds shield out the sunlight
that usually heats the earth. There is a breeze blowing
through the woods and trees,
it feels refreshing. The rain last night left everything
damp and the air smells of sweet
flowers and earth. These cooler days are almost a
relief from the heat that was here
a couple of weeks ago. Today is a perfect day
to take a walk or jog; with your dog,
a friend, or alone. Just going outdoors and enjoying
nature is rejuvenating.
Enjoy this wonderful day,
~Eevee~
~
Friday, August 19, 2005 6:00 a.m.
57 degrees, breezy, a few clouds
Last night’s sunset was understated and very
ordinary, few colors and plenty of clouds. The moonrise,
which occurred just before sunset, was spectacular enough
for both heavenly bodies. It’s appearance was
delayed for a bit by a layer of clouds hovering above the
horizon, but when it showed up it was huge and
the color of a ripe peach. Ninety-eight percent of it was
illuminated, and it appeared full and round. To-
night I can watch the full moon rise over the ocean, as
my view for the next week will be from the
porch of a small cottage on the coast of Maine. Stay
tuned to this page for guest musings from
Eeevee and her crew, who will be keeping our critters
company while we are gone.
Have a wonderful week,
Daisy
~
Thursday, August 18, 2005 8:00 a.m.
61 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
A silvery stream of fog snakes through the valley,
hovering directly above the Black River,
a misty echo of the still water below. A fresh breeze
from the east stirs the leaves around and
keeps the hedgerow in constant motion, leaves turning in
an unfamiliar direction and showing
their pale undersides from time to time. Many blackbirds
are moving around the meadows in
counterpoint to crows and families of smaller birds
eating their fill of insects and seeds. Seven
bluebirds perched briefly on the line outside my window,
and as soon as they flew off four hum-
mingbirds took their spots. As many birds as there are,
it is surprisingly quiet outside this morn-
ing. Even the usually boisterous crows are holding their
tongues for a change. Maybe they are
all too busy packing away the calories to chatter, a
little freaked out by the change in the wea-
ther, cooler temps signaling the need for a little more
body fat. Meanwhile, make sure you are
outside for the nearly simultaneous sunset/moonrise
tonight, just before 8:00 EST. The moon
will be nearly full, so close as to appear perfectly
round, and it could be quite a show
as it catches the last few rays of the setting sun.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, August 17, 2005 7:30 a.m.
66 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
It is a wonderful cool morning with warm sunlight and a
fresh breeze,
a perfect start to a late summer day. Our moon is nearing
fullness and on last night’s
walk we needed no flashlight to show us the paths. We
cast long shadows as the bulging
moon lowered into the west, making scarecrow-arms and
lurching like monsters to scare
ourselves, just a little. Even though the sky was alight
with moonglow, stars flashed a greeting
across the entire expanse of sky, and two shooting stars
kept us looking up for most of the walk.
Even though the most intense meteor showers of the
Perseid were obscured by clouds last week,
we can still enjoy the occasional stragglers for some
time afterwards. The next two nights will be
clear as a bell; get out and away from city lights to see
what’s up (literally) in the night sky.
Have a great day (and night),
Daisy
~
Tuesday, August 16, 2005 7:30 a.m.
62 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
It’s a nice change to wake up smothered in flannel,
cozy and warm in spite of being
surrounded by cool breezes that have been wafting between
open windows. It is warm
on the porch in the sun, but when it hides behind a big
drift of cloud goose bumps begin to
appear. There will, no doubt, be many more steamy hot
days and nights, but this cool morn-
ing, the occasional spot of bright red or orange that
flutters in the treeline, and the way birds
are gathering in huge flocks points the way towards an
eventual autumn. Busy as we are this
time of year, it is important to take some time every day
to completely wallow in the sensations
at hand. Even the clouds of gnats that stick to our
sweaty necks as we dig potatoes should be ab-
sorbed into our memories as part of the total summer
experience. A sudden rainstorm shouldn’t
send us running for cover, rather lift your face to feel
every drop as it washes away the dust that
has settled into our laughlines during the course of the
day’s chores. Save up a little heat and
humidity for a future wintry day filled with galeforce
winds and biting cold snow squalls.
Listen to all the critters as they call back and forth,
and sniff the good green smells
that cover the Hill like invisible fog. Life is short;
don’t waste a single minute of it.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
~
Monday, August 15, 2005 8:00 a.m.
65 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
What a shiny green morning it is ! Yesterday’s
steady rain soaked into the gardens really well for
a much needed shot of moisture, and everything looks as
fresh as tomorrow, gleaming with lingering
droplets. There is much to harvest today, and although
the produce will have a little dirt splashed up on
it, the cucumbers, lettuce and cabbages will still
surpass any that can be found in local supermarkets.
We are almost done digging potatoes, but will now have to
wait a bit for the dirt to dry out or it will be
a messy task indeed. Some onions are ready to pull, and
there will be a few good sunny days to help
them form protective layers of papery yellow skin so they
will keep firm in the cellar for an entire win-
ter. This is the busiest time of year for those of us
that grow our own food. Pickles, sauces, chutneys,
jams and jellies, krauts and preparing fresh-frozen
veggies will keep us busy for the next six weeks.
What a payoff: in the middle of the coldest month of the
year, to sit down to a chicken dinner
where every bit of it was raised with love in our own
back yard !
Have a fine day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, August 14, 2005 9:30 a.m.
63 degrees, calm, overcast, raining
Gentle rain pocks the surface of the birdbath but is
barely felt on the skin this morning.
It is a lazy morning following a restless night of coyote
song, cat fights under the window,
and pounding noisy rainfall. Our own three cats were
safely inside, so the combatants were
undoubtedly feral cats fighting for the right to spend
the wet night in our barn. The coyote was
solitary, beginning his song with a single high-pitched
monotone wail. It sounded more like the
mythical banshee of Celtic lore than a wild dog.
After several minutes of practicing the same
note over and over, it broke into the more familiar
pattern of shrill yipping and yapping that we
frequently hear on Tug Hill. The night started out starry
and breezy, with clouds floating here
and there following a gorgeous sunset. A perfect half
moon started as a bright patch of cloud
low in the sky, then slowly revealed itself, huge and
orange; it took my breath away, I believe
I actually let out a gasp! of appreciation. The
moon will rise at 4:13 this afternoon, and when I
checked the time of its setting the source (www.wunderground.com)
said “no moon set”. Fur-
ther research indicates that “if there is no entry
in the table for the moon set time - this means
that the moon is setting the next day.” At extreme
north or south latitudes the moon may be vi-
sible for 24 hours in the sky, low at the horizon. Are we
far enough north for that to occur ?
Nope. When I checked the stats for another location at
our same latitude in another state,
I find that the moon will set at 12:23. What does this
all mean? I means that we can’t al-
ways believe what we read, no matter how trusted the
source. I guess I will keep track
of the moon tonight and see what exactly is going to
happen to it. Seeing is believing.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
~
Saturday, August 13, 2005 7:30 a.m.
69 degrees, calm, partly sunny
We managed to dig a couple of rows of potatoes before the
rain started yesterday
around noon. They are spread out on tarps in the barn to
dry out a bit before storing
them in the cellar for the winter. There are very few
small potatoes this season; in fact,
some of them are bigger than softballs, looks like two of
them will mash up into a side
dish for several people. The fingerlings are uniformly
the same size, and we can’t wait
to coat them with olive oil and herbs and throw them into
a hot oven to roast, along
with a dozen whole garlic cloves. You can keep your
Atkins diet; anything that says
I can’t eat my daily ration of potatoes has to be a
load of hooey anyway. I will gladly
walk the extra mile or so if that’s what it takes to
keep a healthy body size, just don’t
deny me my spuds! Pasta is nice, and so is rice, but
nuthin’ says lovin’ like spuds
from the oven. Have a wonderful day, and enjoy some
potatoes while you’re at it,
Daisy
~
Friday, August 12, 2005 8:30 a.m.
68 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
I set my clock for 3:00 a.m. and hoped for clear skies; I
was rewarded by a wonderful
stroll on a cool breezy night with lots of coyotes and
owls for company, and the fabulous
Perseid meteor shower happened right on schedule.
Unfortunately, I was not able to see
any of the show through the heavy layer of clouds that
covered the Hill for most of the night.
The sky is still filled with clouds, and after a strong
cup of joe to clear away the cobwebs it
looks like a fine morning to try and tame the garden
weeds. A final crop of lettuce, endive
and spinach can be sown as well. New seedings will likely
be watered in pretty well later
today, judging by the look of the sky. Some of our
potatoes are ready to dig; this is very
early, but the tops are starting to die and the spuds are
huge. We worry that it is too
warm to properly cure them for storage, but what choice
do we have ?
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Thursday, August 11, 2005 8:00 a.m.
70 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
A brief rain shower in the middle of the night heralded
friendlier weather for today.
The wind is from the northwest and adds little humidity
to the heat as a Canadian cold
front pushes through. Our high temperature today will
still be in the eighties, but with this
refreshing breeze it will be very manageable. Thank
goodness the past few nights haven’t
been as hot as predicted; tonight the low may dip into
the fifties. Yesterday we thinned out
our rows of carrots, pulling every other one to allow
those remaining to double in size. We
thinned the lettuce as well; too bad there isn’t
some way to can or freeze greens. We have de-
hydrated some before, and added to winter soups they aren’t
half bad. Thinning is important to
most row crops in order for them to reach maximum yield.
When I sell giant heads of romaine
or buttercrunch lettuce, folks are amazed at the size,
and I often hear “My garden lettuce is al-
ways tall and spindly.” I ask, “Do you thin it?”
The reply is always the same, “Huh?” Mature
lettuces need to be spaced at least eight inches apart,
and a foot is even better. We grow some
giant carrots as well, by making sure that there is least
two inches between them in the row. One
of our favorite winter snacks is big circles of raw
carrot with homemade blue cheese dip. Our
guests have never seen carrots with a three inch diameter
before. Vegetables are a little like the
goldfish our kids used to win at the state fair. In a
small bowl, they are no more than two inches
long and will stay that size forever until you move them
to a larger space. In a 12 gallon tank, they
double in size quickly. Give them to a friend for her koi
pond, and pretty soon they are a foot long
and looking a lot like common carp. Fish, plants,
children... give them plenty of room to grow.
In totally unrelated news, the Perseid meteor shower will
be at its best early tomorrow morning.
To find out more, check out http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/22jul_perseids2005.htm
.
Set your alarm clock for 3:00 a.m. and hope for clear
skies.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, August 10, 2005 8:00 a.m.
69 degrees, breezy, hazy sunshine
It looks like it could be another hot day. We were
pleasantly surprised that last night
was cooler than predicted, and as long as we had the
windows wide open a wonderful
breeze kept the bedrooms comfortable. The west wind will
keep stirring the air all day,
giving us some relief from heat and humidity for sure.
This summer I have resurrected an
old trick I used while living in a much warmer place; a
bandanna that has been wrung out
in cold water and then tied loosely around the neck will
really help keep one cool on these
hot sunny days. As it dries, it can be refreshed with
water from the canteen or water bottle
that should be with you at all times in this kind of
weather. Heat exhaustion, or even worse
heat stroke, is a real danger this time of year. Both are
caused by dehydration. The trick is
to drink water all day long, not just when you become
thirsty. Caffeine and alcoholic bever-
ages, while containing water, also increase the rate that
moisture is lost from the body, so be
aware of your individual hydration requirements. Ice
water actually makes you warmer, as
your body has to exert more to raise the water to body
temperature before it can be ab-
sorbed. My Granny used to give us soup on a hot day; I
think she was on to something.
Have a soup-er day,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, August 9, 2005 8:30 a.m.
68 degrees, breezy, hazy sunshine
Four downy woodpeckers are making their way up the aspen
tree outside the window,
moving in a slow spiral up the trunk as they take a few
pecks now and then. There is a
deep cavity at the top of the tree, and I’m guessing
this is the family that lives there, mom,
dad, and two little guys. Young woodpeckers look almost
exactly like the adults, only half-
sized. They are really cute. I believe a pair of
bluebirds used the same hole to hatch a brood
in May. Tonight, look for a lovely crescent moon to set
in the west just before ten o’clock;
there should be a star next to it, or maybe it is a
planet. Whichever, it is a stunning sight.
Meanwhile, I have to get out and pick the rest of the
corn, and must do so
before the thermometer climbs towards ninety.
Keep your cool,
Daisy
~
Monday, August 8, 2005 7:30 a.m.
69 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
The smell of new-mown second crop hay wafts in the
window, sweet from all of the clover
blossoms and milkweed that have been run through the
crimper. When we walked last night the
aroma was almost too pungent, overpowering us with
memories of summer nights passed wond-
ering if our own second cutting would ever dry enough to
bale the following day. Heavy late summer
dews make it difficult , although now that many farmers
are using the big round balers it can be put
away with more water content than before. The big bales
that are stored outdoors may ferment and
turn the whole bale into haylage, without danger of
burning a barn to the ground as the mass heats up.
I am happy that wild card is missing from our lives, as
we have a friend come take our hay off every
summer. He only cuts one crop in early July, so we have
the pleasure of walking the meadow paths
well into autumn, indeed until the first flurries fly.
Right now there is a crazy carpet of red clover, and
alfalfa is beginning to show its pretty purple, yellow,
cream, and pink blooms as well. I found one clump
of albino red clovers, as white as snow. A stray daisy
appears here and there, but for the most part they
won’t bloom again profusely as they do in June. Wild
turkey droppings abound along one section of path,
close to the hedgerow where they can dash under cover in
a second’s notice. So far they haven’t figured
out that the mown walkways lead straight to a garden full
of tempting young lettuce; a barrier of used cat
litter now borders most of the gardens, deterrent to not
only turkeys but hopefully to raccoons and wood-
chucks as well. Our sweet corn is ready for the freezer,
and so far the coons have left it alone. In fact,
I haven’t seen one raccoon by the side of the road
this year; usually by now I have spotted several
families scurrying along between here and Boonville.
Maybe the rabies cycle has come around again.
Make sure your pets are up to date with their shots, and
tell your youngsters to leave wild critters alone.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, August 7, 2005 8:00 a.m.
68 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
The crows are still at it this morning, the same three
staccato notes over and over,
call-and-response style in the way of old school roots
reggae. Their caw-caw caaaaws
are all over the place, from full volume outside the barn
door to fading into the forest, tele-
graphing news from here to the coast for all we know. For
some reason a robin sings its spring
mating song while perched on a low branch of the big
maple tree. Earlier I noticed two robins
entwined in a way that suggested either coupling or a
fight to the death, a crazy ascending spiral
full of some kind of passion. Goldfinches are once again
in our neck of the woods, not as frantic
as they were before. Perhaps they are herding their young’uns
around, showing them which are
the tastiest seeds to eat. There is a lot going on this
morning, all of it mysterious. When the dew
dries we will head to the beans once again; at least
beans are straightforward and mundane, no
enigma involved in the way they keep on coming. We plant
the seeds, they sprout and blossom,
the beans grow, we pick them and eat or preserve them in
various ways, end of story.
Nothing like the repetitive task of picking long rows of
beans to bring us back to earth,
away from conjecture about the secret lives of birds.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
~
Saturday, August 6, 2005 8:00 a.m.
70 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
Now that the days are getting a little shorter, I
actually am awake to see the sunrise more often
than not. This morning’s was a doozy! There were
just enough clouds above the horizon to pick
up swirling colors that preceded the actual fiery ball
that eventually inched its way into view. The
entire valley was bathed in a rosy glow; I can’t
help but believe that this will be a perfect day with
such an awesome beginning. Clouds of many varieties
linger all across the sky, sparse and feathery
or big and bulky, all are gleaming white in the late
summer sun. The crows are bickering back and
forth across two meadows, sharp barks in groups of three,
two quick and one slow like morse code.
The corn is ready, she told us if we let it alone when
it was little she would share it when it was
ripe. Is this the day? Is this the day? A pileated
woodpecker has been uttering his lunatic cry from
the big tree by the barn, invisible to us but one of the
loudest kids on the block. About fifty turkeys of
all sizes mosey along the east meadow path, heads down
and cleaning up both bugs and dewdrops. A
big flock of blackbirds is working the west field, rising
in unison, traveling only a few inches for all their
flap and flurry before settling in again to search for
food. The air is clear and breathable for a change,
and it seems like this will be an excellent morning to
catch up on garden chores that were put off
during the hot spell. The heat and humidity return
Tuesday, so what are you doing still indoors?
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Friday, August 5, 2005 8:00 a.m.
66 degrees, windy, mostly cloudy
An early morning thunderstorm woke us all, and now the
air is cooler with big clouds pushing
the heat of the week off to sea. Old folks say “storm
before seven, clear by eleven” and it seems
like that will be the case today. Small breaks of blue
are starting to show up and the west wind is
all business. Time to open up all the windows and get rid
of the sticky heat funk that seems to have
coated every surface in the house. Is it possible that
today will be cool enough to take a good hike
while the sun is up? We have been enjoying our late night
strolls, and probably will continue them
even when not necessitated by physical comfort. Last
night the sky was black as ink, stars hiding
behind a curtain of clouds, new moon that would have been
invisible even in a cloud-free sky. I
always carry a small flashlight in case of traffic, but
last night I didn’t have to switch it on at all. I
kept imagining that my eyes would grow accustomed to the
absolute darkness, but even at the end
of the journey I was still relying on the feel of the
road beneath my feet, as the dirt changed to grass
at the shoulder; I hoped that no big stones were lurking
to trip me up. The dog chose to stay indoors,
and I was absolutely alone on the road, only crickets,
fireflies, and my own imagination for company.
I called to the owl, and it did not reply. Coyotes were
silent, and even the neighbor’s horses failed to
stamp and snort as I passed by their meadow. No breeze,
no skeeters, no sign of life except for distant
lights from houses in the valley; I was absolutely alone.
I rather enjoyed it for a while, but was happy
to return to the softly-lit clutter of our kitchen full
of good dinnertime smells and small furry critters.
And now, I believe I will lace up my trail shoes and see
how everything looks by the light of day.
Take a hike,
Daisy
~
Thursday, August 4, 2005 7:00 a.m.
70 degrees, breezy, hazy sunshine
The sun looks like an orange marble behind layers of
atmospheric haze, with a small
amount of ground fog blurring shadows that are already
soft to begin with. These are
truly the dog days of summer, so named because
Sirius (the dog star) rises and sets
with the sun. (For more on this, check out http://wilstar.com/dogdays.htm
). I always
thought the hot sultry days were named after the
countless dogs I know who do little
during the muggy spells but lie in the shade and pant. At
any rate, today will be very hot
and humid, so get your hardest work done during the
relatively cooler hours of the morn-
ing, and take a nice siesta during the heat of the day.
Join your dog in the shade of a big
tree, or hole up for a few hours in the air-conditioned
guest room with a good book.
Don’t let the heat get you down; it will be gone
before we know it.
Have a doggone good day,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, August 3, 2005 8:00 a.m.
70 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
In spite of dire predictions of a night that would be too
hot to sleep, our air was clean and
fresh with a low temperature of about sixty. We opened up
windows all around and a west
wind brought us sweet dreams and restful sleep. We took a
late walk and the air was even a
bit chilly on bare skin. The night was sweet with
red clover and milkweed. Fireflies have been
joined by a chorus of crickets; their wonderful trilling
brings back memories of childhood and
youth: staying up late with a bowl of ice cream on the
screen porch, campouts in the backyard
with neighbor kids, Girl Scout camp, sweet summer kisses
on the front stoop with Mom flash-
ing the porch light... And now I can add late night walks
with the little dog to the memory bank
as well. There is a small chance of a thunderstorm later
today, ushering in one of the hottest days
of the year for tomorrow. Highs nearing a hundred with
humid conditions will be made a little
more bearable by a stiff breeze from the southwest. There
is almost always a wind blowing
across Tug Hill, making even the hottest of days less
oppressive. Of course, that same
feature can make for some pretty interesting winter
weather as well.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, August 2, 2005 8:30 a.m.
70 degrees, dead calm, fog lifting
Scarlet runner bean blossoms pierce the fog with splashes
of bright color, wonderful punctuation
to the all-over grey mist that permeates this morning’s
view. The landscape presents itself in layers,
with the farthest hedgerow faintly outlined against a
gleaming wall of fog, backlit by the sun which
is making a good effort to shine through. The aspen tree
right outside the window is absolutely still,
leaves quaking only when a bird lights on a branch for an
instant. Flashes of blue tell the tale of blue-
birds coming and going as they search for breakfast, at
least one family of them and possibly two. Birds
of all varieties are beginning to flock together, masses
of them swooping and gliding over meadows and
gardens in search of food to sustain them for their
autumn migration. The turkey chicks are nearly as big
as their mommas, and follow the hens single file instead
of rushing about in a motley haphazard cluster.
They are keeping well away from the gardens, but it won’t
be long before they are bold enough to take
bites from the broccoli and lettuce; their tracks will
tell the tale. We harvested beans yesterday and put
twenty-seven big bags of them in the freezer, a chore
that took most of the afternoon. Each bag will last
about four meals. Many of the beans were past their
prime, big and a little tough, so we fed them into
the antique bean frencher, its rotary blades neatly
slicing each bean into long thin strips. There are
still many blossoms on the bean plants, and a whole other
planting of them that will ripen in
September. We like beans. The breeze has kicked in now;
leaves are twirling and the fog
is slowly lifting, revealing a beautiful green day fresh
from yesterday’s storms.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
~
Monday, August 1, 2005 8:30 a.m.
66 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
It is a hazy morning, breezy and cool, with the promise
of a few sprinkles later in the day.
The radar map shows that the worst storms will probably
pass to the north of us, but we may
get some residual leakage from the edge of the system.
There are massive amounts of beans to
pick, so we will get right on it to avoid gathering them
wet. I’ll bet there are at least three spackle
buckets full, and I’m talking the big old five
gallon size, not the four quart patch kit pail. Yesterday
we checked on the wild blackberry situation, and there
are scads of pale pink ones that should be
ripe in a week or two. The few handfuls that are ready
are sweet and heavy with juice. Such mouth-
watering goodness is worth a few scratches; there are
some domestic varieties that are thorn-free,
but they seem to lack the pungent musky flavor of the
wild ones. So far the fruits of Tug Hill have
been abundant and delicious this summer. Elderberry
bushes are loaded with hard green pinhead-
sized fruits. There is plenty else for birds to eat, so
maybe they will leave unripe elderberries alone.
There are also a whole lot of apples in various stages of
readiness. The mac tree in the yard has
several red apples, and while this is not my favorite
variety it makes for a tasty afternoon snack.
Soon there will be enough for sauce. It seems like the
summer is zipping right along; I can
hardly believe July is over and we are galloping down the
home stretch of summer.
Life is short; enjoy every day,
Daisy
~
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