~
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 8:45 a.m.
53 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
What a hundred and eighty degree change in the weather,
and I am not talking
Fahrenheit degrees either. As blustery and cold and snowy
as Sunday was, this
morning is sunny and still and unbelievably spring-like.
Snow is rapidly melting in
the sun, a process that started yesterday with the roofs
and roads clearing up by
noon. I was amazed to leave the hill after lunch and see
that there was virtually no
snow anywhere except on top of Tug Hill. There are swarms
of insects all around the
yard, big slow-moving things with transparent wings and
twiggy bodies. I couldn’t
get one to land on my sleeve for closer inspection, but
they seem harmless enough.
Blue jays and blackbirds are joined by after-the-fact
snowbirds, all sounding off
and flying from tree to tree in a merry gang. Holy cow,
several monarch butterflies
just wandered past the window; I wonder where they spent
the weekend.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
~
Monday, October 30, 2006 7:45 a.m.
40 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
Yikes ! What a storm ! There is surprisingly little snow
for all the hoopla, only about
eight inches total of very wet and heavy stuff. If it had
been true lake effect fluff it would
have piled and shifted more, instead of laying itself
down in a solid slab of waterlogged slush.
The wind gusted in some fearsome house-shuddering bursts,
and ice flung itself from the trees
and power lines into the windows with such force we were
expecting some breakage to occur.
We lost power around noon and it was restored shortly
after midnight. As we sat by the light of
oil lamps and candles next to the wood range and smelled
the wonderful aroma of roast chicken
and various vegetables, we wondered what those with
electric appliances were having for dinner.
One thing for sure, the loss of electricity forced us
into a slower day than planned, one full of reading,
dozing, and listening to great music on NPR from our
small battery operated radio. We were able to
do some basic chores, sorted the last of the onions for
storage, swept up and shoveled snow, but for
the most part it was the kind of lazy Sunday I remembered
from childhood, when Mom and Dad took
care of all the work and we lounged around for the
afternoon reading comic books and playing canasta.
The sun is shining nicely now, and the snow is running
off the roof in little rivers. The road is already clear.
I’ll bet that by tomorrow much of this winter
preview will be just a memory.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, October 29, 2006 8:00 a.m.
30 degrees, very windy, snowing
A snowplow just scraped its way up our road for the first
time this season.
In its wake are several vehicles both coming and going,
even though the road
has quickly become snowcovered once again. It was a very
stormy night, noisy
with ice slamming into the tin roof as it dislodged from
tree branches; sometimes
twigs and branches added their clatter to the din. This
is true lake effect snow, heavy
with moisture gathered from Lake Ontario as clouds passed
over the large warm body
of water on the way to Tug Hill. I must say, I still get
a huge thrill out of the first snowfall.
Even though it means more inconvenience when heading out,
what with the extra garments
and boots and all, it also signals the end of the busy
harvest season, when there aren’t enough
hours in the day to get all of the outdoor jobs done. Now
we can relax a bit and catch up on
the less physical tasks that have been put aside for the
last six months. Trim up the house-
plants, mend a few favorite jackets, sort through the
closets for stuff we no longer need
and haul it to the thrift shop, and maybe even try out a
new cookie recipe.
Could there even be a game of chess or two in the agenda
?
Yay for snow !
Daisy
~
Saturday, October 28, 2006 7:30 a.m.
40 degrees, windy, raining
It is time for sunrise, but I sure can’t see it
anywhere in the grey murk of a view.
There has been a very slow transition from pitch black to
almost light enough to make
out farms in the valley. It rained hard all night, and
the wind sent small twigs and the last
of the leaves crashing onto the tin roof along with vast
amounts of water. This rain will keep
up all day long, with south winds intensifying. Sometime
after supper the rain will change over
to snow, and then we are in for a real change in the
weather. The forecast is dire; since wolf !
has been cried so many times by the media lately (and
not just with regard to the weather either)
guess we will wait and see what actually happens. Our
outdoor jobs are all done, concluding with
flower bed cleanup yesterday. It was a fine day to be
out, surrounded by blue skies and almost-warm
air. Wonderful aromas of bergamot, catnip, and mint rose
as we raked, and now the spring bulbs have
a new layer of compost to serve as background for their
many lovely blooms as the seasons turn again
in six months or so. Doesn’t it seem like only
yesterday we were advancing our clocks ahead an hour
for Daylight Savings Time ? And tonight, we will reverse
that, so soon, so soon... Time flies for sure.
Have a great day,
Daisy
If you are in the area, visit the Alternative Health Fair
at the Lowville Fire Hall from 10-3.
You just might see me there.
~
Friday, October 27, 2006 8:30 a.m.
27 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
The morning view is cloud-free and really frosty here on
Gomer Hill.
A pearly ribbon of white follows the Black River Valley,
and I suspect the
lowland folks are wrapped in fog. The temperature dropped
into the teens
overnight, and the birdbath water is a solid circle of
ice. Time to bring it into
the barn for the winter, to prevent the molded cement
from self-destructing as
it freezes and thaws. It has had few visitors in the past
week anyway; there is
so much freestanding water all over the place that birds
can find a drink just
about anywhere. It is wonderful to see the sun in all its
radiance, and the mind
races with all of the possibilities for outdoor work and
play on such a morning.
This is definitely going to be the most user-friendly
weather for the next few
days, so for pete’s sake get out and enjoy it ! Run,
get your hat and mittens,
hurry...
Daisy
Thursday, October 26, 2006 8:00 a.m.
30 degrees, breezy, overcast
Even though it is still October, there is a definite
November feeling to the morning.
October is all warm colors, red, golden, and orange, and
occasionally many shades of
brown; November is hard and coldly metallic, pewter and
silver and gunmetal grey. All
of those elements are here this morning, from the pale
silvery glimmer of a vast cloudy sky
to the tough brittle bark on denuded maple tree twigs.
Frost dulls the meadow; with no sun
to sparkle and reflect from it, all is lackluster and
vaguely monochromatic. Yesterday contained
enough intense radiance to span two days, especially down
towards Utica where we spent much
of the day. There were flurries, sprinkles, and
downpours; in between we saw rainbows over old
brick buildings and spectacular clouds framing deep blue
skies. Leaves have not yet fled the trees
in that neck of the woods, and there were many beautiful
red maples, tawny aspens, purple beech,
and neon scarlet euonymus bushes lining the busy streets.
We saw scads of crows everywhere
we traveled yesterday, and there are three perched
outside my window right now as I type.
Crows seem to be October’s theme this year, ever-present
and boldly noticeable.
It is always nice to find a bit of the familiar in
unfamiliar surroundings.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, October 25, 2006 8:00 a.m.
34 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
There are many small patches of blue sky with a few
sunbeams here and there
on this chilly morning. There are some beautiful silvery
clouds moving in from the
east, backlit by the sun and too shiny to look at for
very long. The view is clear all
the way to the Adirondack Mountains, which have a black
mass of clouds hanging
low over them, apparently headed our way. I believe this
gorgeous sunshine will be
just a brief respite from the rain and snow of the past
few days. A couple of blue jays
and a dozen starlings greeted me melodiously as I crossed
the yard to dump the ash pan,
a nice surprise. I hope they stick around for the winter;
I always look forward to their
joyful noise as I take the dog out first thing, proof of
life on otherwise still and sere
mornings. A huge flock of crows just did a fly-by;
perhaps this is the same group
that I saw gathered on the slopes at Snow Ridge late
yesterday, hundreds of birds
noisily settling in for the night. I believe we will go
out and stroll a bit before
the clouds close in with their load of fresh flakes or
frozen drizzle.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, October 24, 2006 9:00 a.m.
33 degrees, calm, overcast
There was a tiny bit of sunshine to welcome the day, but
now it has been obliterated
by clouds. A little snow fell overnight, but not enough
to hamper outdoor plans (so far).
A massive fog bank has been rolling up the hill for the
last hour, making very slow progress
and looking like something Hitchcock could have directed.
A small flock of crows is cavorting
at the leading edge; who knows what lurks within the
nebulous murk. Two young bucks have
been battling in the east meadow, starting the rut a bit
early this season. They were charging and
posing, and occasionally pushing heads, their small
spikes barely getting in the way. I can see
how those with larger racks of antlers might become
entangled by such activity, making it a
slow death sentence for both combatants. Now the fog is
here, bumping into the windows
and shrouding the hedges with mysterious vapors. What few
leaves are left have been
spiraling slowly earthwards, their hang-time increased by
the mist and stillness.
A few flurries have joined the leaves, falling straight
down with nary a detour.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
~
Monday, October 23, 2006 8:15 a.m.
38 degrees, windy, drizzle
Last night was blustery and rainy, too wet for open
windows and too loud for easy sleep.
The rain has let up a bit, but the wind still howls
through bare branches and vented eaves.
We dug carrots in the mud and have them spread out in the
cellar to dry a bit so we can
knock the dirt from them later. Some are gigantic, but
because of all the summer rain many
have split lengthwise deep into their core. We will cook
the wounded ones up to use right
away; some I will give to a friend with a juicer. There
were a lot of mutant deformed roots,
some looking like crabs, lobsters, or sometimes a
grotesque mannikin, arms and legs akimbo.
While tasty, they are a little hard to prepare. We will
leave the parsnips in the ground until real
snow threatens, as every frosty night improves their
sweet flavor. The weekend was full of hunters'
trucks and shots ringing out from the forest; it will be
a long time before we can put away our bright
orange vests and hats. We still hike; we are as likely to
get struck by a high-powered rifle slug while
working in the yard as we are while walking or riding a
bike. Even the dog sports a bright orange
ribbon on his collar, although this is more so that we
can find him as he blends into the yellowing
dry weeds than to keep hunters from mistaking him for a
deer. Ha ! A nine-pound deer...
Have a nifty day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, October 22, 2006 9:30 a.m.
35 degrees, calm, overcast
We have one last load of firewood to put under cover
before the rain begins.
A huge flock of crows just circled the house, about forty
birds flying counterclockwise,
raising a heck of a ruckus as they flew. They finally
moved off to the south,
still shouting a greeting, or was it a farewell ? And
now, off to the woodshed.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Saturday, October 21, 2006 9:30 a.m.
31 degrees, breezy, sunny
It is indeed sunny, but the sun is twice as bright today
as it reflects off of three inches
of snow that covers the land. It started to fall
yesterday just after lunch, and continued
until twilight. We were at the southern edge of the
storm, and folks to the north of here
probably actually had to plow the roads and shovel the
walks. The roads are now bare,
but I will have to put on boots to hang up the wash. The
yard is full of juncos, also known
as snow birds, and that seems appropriate. A
pileated woodpecker is digging in a dead
branch of our grandmother maple tree; we had better keep
an eye on that one, as it hangs
directly over the garage. It requires skill and a great
deal of patience to remove big dead
branches from such a large tree, not a chore we are
looking forward to. We still have to dig
carrots and parsnips from the garden. It has been so
rainy that we were waiting for the dirt
to dry out a bit; now we will have to use a snow shovel
as well as a spading fork to get
them out of the ground. After today, there is more snow
in the forecast right through
Wednesday. While it seems unlikely that it will stick
around until April, this has
been such an odd weather year that I now must accept that
anything is possible,
and get right at those root vegs, even if they are
covered with snow and mud.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Friday, October 20, 2006 8:00 a.m.
38 degrees, breezy, raining
The temperature has dropped three degrees since we arose
a couple of hours ago.
This could indicate possible snow flurries later if the
trend continues. We have already
received almost two inches of rain since late yesterday,
a steady downpour that continued
all night long with winds that rattled the eaves as water
sluiced over them. The wind is currently
from the north, a real canadian clipper carrying with it
the scent of iced-over ponds and rimy forests.
Thank goodness we managed to take a good walk earlier
yesterday, a lovely ramble following a trio
of ravens. They kept just a hundred yards ahead of us,
pausing now and then to bark a few guttural
phrases to keep us under their spell. We never quite
caught up with them, but it was fun trying. Per-
haps this winter we will be able to find their nest,
after a fruitless three seasons of searching. We
have scanned the tallest trees and along the cliffs of
nearby gorges to no avail. The nests are
massive structures of twigs, leaves, and roadside litter
and it would seem hard to miss such
a bulky construct. Perhaps after the leaves have all
fallen it may be easier to spot.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Thursday, October 19, 2006 9:00 a.m.
50 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
Wow, I believe the morning is moving from mostly cloudy
into partly sunny.
I had to drop the shade to keep the sun out of my eyes;
this time of year it streams
in the southern windows for most of the morning. Earlier
in the summer it is difficult
to work at the kitchen sink, which is on the east side of
the house, for the same reason.
It is a major miracle how the planet Earth can move about
at such a high rate of speed
and we only realize the changes in position over time, as
perceived by our relation in
space to the sun and moon. The sun stays put, the Earth
and moon are doing a crazy
dance in mid-air, tethered only by the laws of physics
that have to do with gravitational
pull. This is the stuff science fiction is made of,
concepts that we barely can fathom unless
someone weaves a tale of a giant comet messing up our
orbit, or volcanic eruptions causing
a hitch in the planet’s giddyup. For today, I will
merely imagine that things will go according
to planetary plan, and our trip through space will be
enjoyable if uneventful.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, October 18, 2006 8:00 a.m.
48 degrees, breezy, overcast
A large flock of noisy geese just passed over the house,
flying low and heading north.
Time for a new navigator. The beaver pond opposite the
webcam for this site was so
full of geese yesterday that there was no water visible
between all of the bodies resting
on the surface. There were hundreds of them grazing in
the surrounding meadow as well.
It is a good thing that we finished our outdoor work
before the rain moved in; it poured all
day, driven by harsh winds and temperatures that never
got out of the forties. We will soon
have to bring in our big woodstove, the one that heats
most of the house all winter long. The
Kalamazoo kitchen range has been doing a good job warming
two rooms, but at night we
must bundle up in fleecy throws to watch television in
the living room. Our sheds are filled
with firewood, and there is plenty of hardwood kindling
in the barn stacked all along one
wall; we are ready for winter’s icy thrall. Things
are winding down in the gardens as
well, with only carrots, beets, parsnips and brussels
sprouts left to gather in.
Clouds are thinning and it may turn into a pretty nice
day here on Gomer Hill.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, October 17, 2006 9:30 a.m.
45 degrees, breezy, light rain
Rain falls softly all over the area. It moved in very
slowly, eventually filling every last
spot of blue sky with grey streaky clouds that slowly
release their cargo. We scurried
around earlier picking up leaf piles before they became
too heavy with moisture, and spread
the litter all over our gardens to be tilled into the
ground next spring. Several large maple trees
in the yard provide shelter for all kinds of birds, shade
the house on hot summer days, and lend
their bare branches to the wind on sub-arctic winter
nights, more eerily tuneful than any cello strings
ever bowed. It is in autumn that we pay the price for
such awesome guardians, but even the work of
raking and hauling pays off by enriching the garden soil.
Yesterday we shelled out scarlet runner beans,
opening the long dry pods to release the lovely fat beans
inside. This year we had many solid colored
beans, some black and shiny as coal and others deep
purple. Usually this variety is uniformly mottled
purple and pink; we should have expected some mutation in
even this reliable crop, after the strange
weather-related events of the summer. Some of the beans
are extra large as well, double the normal
size. I boiled up a pot of them last night to be slow-baked
today with onions, molasses and bacon.
These giant beans take your regular pot of baked beans to
a new level of gastronomic delight;
every bean holds the secrets of summer, the fruition of
autumn, and the promises of spring
within its beautiful outer covering, and the flavor
reflects that complexity of blessings.Hooray
for the humble bean, the little nubbin full of life’s
lessons if we but reflect on it for a bit.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
~
Monday, October 16, 2006 8:00 a.m.
35 degrees. calm, mostly sunny
Three ravens are looking in the window at me on this
frosty fall morn.
Crows abound in the hedgerow, but the ravens are
uncharacteristically close,
all three sitting in one tree and staring at the house.
Perhaps, after a summer of
chasing after them and trying to find their nest, they
have at last found me instead.
And now they have taken flight, back into the forest away
from what passes for
civilization here on Tug Hill. Today looks like the best
day of the week, sunny
and cool and definitely autumnal. Dress in layers if you
venture out for a walk,
it will be hard to tell what the comfort zone is until
you actually go out. I hung
some laundry out earlier and thought my fingers would
drop right off, frozen to
the core and brittle as icicles. Best put some
gloves in your pocket, just in case.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, October 15, 2006 9:00 a.m.
40 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
We had our first little taste of winter yesterday, big
fat snowflakes flying around all afternoon
and into the evening. When you reach a certain age, it
seems like there are few new experiences
to be had, barring the obvious like skydiving or swimming
with sharks. I must say, yesterday is the
first time in my life I ever picked beans in a snowstorm,
wearing winter gloves and watching out for
rainbows (snowbows?) in the deep blue sky. It was a true
lake effect event, with half the sky black
as smoke as the front moved in, slowly closing in on all
that blue. Sun shone through the flakes and
gave each one a sparkle and shimmer, as if a gazillion
sequins had been unloosed from above. Mean-
while the beans sit in baskets by the wood stove, their
cargo of foot-long scarlet runner pods waiting
to be opened one by one to reveal big purply-pink seeds
within. We picked them in haste in case
the snow kept up, so we would have some indoor work to
occupy us during the storm. We are
still under a lake effect warning until suppertime, so
look for anything to happen if you live in
the southern portion of Lewis County, especially on Tug
Hill. Yippee ! I love snow !
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Saturday, October 14, 2006 8:00 a.m.
41 degrees, breezy, partly sunny
We have had some pretty nice sunrises this fall, and I
think what makes them so
beautiful is that the bright rays slant over all the land
and paint the otherwise rather
drab lackluster brown a lovely warm orange and red, the
traditional colors of autumn
foliage. Even our pumpkins failed to turn orange this
year. We thought we might spray
paint them in festive colors like giant easter eggs, but
that plan was thwarted when we
went to pick them yesterday; deer had munched their way
through the tough rind to de-
vour the seeds inside. There is a scarcity of pumpkins
this year all around, and what there
is available costs as much as a good steak. In years
past, we filled a cart with pumpkins and
squash and parked it in the yard, for sale to leaf-peeping
tourists, hunters and neighbors who
passed by. We still have folks stop and ask where the
pumpkins are, but we are out of that
business. It was a good way for the kids to make money
when they were young, an easy
introduction into the world of work. You do a job, you
make some cash, pretty simple.
Even now, I marvel at the fact that I can trade a box of
tomatoes for some greenbacks.
There are just three boxes left on the porch, picked
before the frost and waiting
to bubble and plop their little orange geysers as they
cook down for canning.
This might be the end of fresh tomatoes, but it is the
beginning of many
batches of lasagna, spaghetti with bambiballs, chili,
hearty soups and
savory stews to warm us all winter long. Can’t you
just taste it ?
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Friday, October 13, 2006 8:00 a.m.
30 degrees, calm, mostly sunny
Any thoughts we may have entertained about saving our
last few remaining tomato plants
disappeared during last night’s low temperature of
nineteen degrees. A measurable amount
of frost coats everything this morning, and the water in
the birdbath looks to be frozen solid.
West of here, Buffalo is trapped under a stalled lake
effect storm that has already delivered as
much as twenty inches of snow. It doesn’t appear to
be headed our way, but you never know.
This time of year, too much heavy wet snow can be very
damaging to trees that still have some
leaves left; two years ago we saw just such an early
storm in our neck of the woods. Geese continue
to scroll across the sky morning, noon, and night, in
such vast numbers I wonder if the southeastern
bay areas will be able to sustain them all throughout the
winter. We received a gift of apples from a
friend yesterday, so today the house will be warmed by
the fragrant aroma of apple crisp, rich with
honey and spice. There is cider to purify as well; gone
are the days of sipping it straight from the
press, as even one molecule of e. coli can pretty
much ruin anyone’s weekend. Standard pasteur-
ization temperature is 170 degrees for cider. Any hotter
and it develops a cooked taste; any
cooler and bacteria will not be killed. It is a sticky
job, but the results are definitely worth it.
Have a sweet day,
Daisy
~
Thursday, October 12, 2006 9:00 a.m.
48 degrees, windy, sprinkles
It was a noisy night indeed, not from the usual wildlife,
but from hard pounding rain
and freight train winds. On nights like that I am a
hundred times more grateful for a tight
roof over my head and a warm dry place to dream. This is
the time of year that our heart
should go out to homeless folks all over the world, and
yes, we have them even here in beautiful
bucolic Lewis County. Rural communities are not exempt
from the social and financial ills of the
larger society. Pay attention to the food bank drives,
coats-for-kids programs, and other charity
events that occur at this time of year; most directly
benefit those less fortunate than you and I.
Every time you eat a hot tasty meal, have a hot bath, or
snuggle down under your cozy bed-
covers, sing a little song of praise to whatever higher
power you want; just don’t forget how
blessed you are. Thanksgiving is a year-round event, not
just one day of gratitude. Start right
now, at your computer (lucky to have one) with your
morning snack (tasty!) or your afternoon tea.
Savor each sip, every nibble, be mindful of your many
common blessings that are luxuries to many.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, October 11, 2006 8:30 a.m.
52 degrees, windy, sprinkles
Light rain started to fall just before dawn, sporadic now
but wind-driven.
Because the foliage is waterlogged, leaves fly with great
speed when they break
free from their twigs; I watched several travel pretty
far before finally landing in the
meadow. I believe most of the leaves on Gomer Hill will
come down in this stiff wind,
and we will have sped through autumn’s best days
with darned little leaf-peeping. Of
course, we could always drive a hundred miles south and
see what the scene is down that
way; perhaps a little field trip along route twenty is in
order for the weekend. The forsythia
is finally changing over to lovely deep red and maroon
with some lingering gold and green,
all of fall’s lovely colors in one convenient hedge.
A few sprigs in a tall vase as background
for buttery yellow goldenrod spikes is just the ticket to
brighten up our entryway. Button
up if you venture out today, their have been some mighty
winds gusting about.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, October 10, 2006 8:30 a.m.
45 degrees, calm, partly sunny
It is a decidedly chilly morning, mostly cloudy and a
little dampish. The air is very still, and
leaves twirl slowly down to the ground instead of dancing
merrily across the meadow like they
did yesterday. We spent some time in the yard sorting and
trimming onions for storage during the
afternoon, and were nearly driven mad by ladybugs. They
buzzed in our ears, the lit and bit like
some demon-possessed swarm of killer bees. I gave up
after ten minutes of torment; perhaps the
cooler weather will have sent the little beasts under
cover for today. We have been trying to do
some work on the roof, and wasps have joined the ladybugs
as a force to be reckoned with.
Monarch butterflies are starting to thin out, but there
are still many who will follow us for a bit
as we walk, perhaps attracted to the bright orange of our
vests. It is bowhunting season in our
district, and it pays to let the camouflaged hunters see
us as we approach. There are a lot of
treestands in our neck of the woods, and a fair amount of
blinds on the ground as well. Black
powder week starts this weekend, and the boom of
those firearms is just part of the soundtrack
of autumn, as much so as the geese honings and
starling chatter as they pass over on the way south.
Heads up as you hike, and
have a great day,
Daisy
~
Monday, October 9, 2006 8:00 a.m.
55 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
Leaves are flying past the window in droves, landing on
the lawn to turn crispy;
our evening strolls around the yard are now nearly noisy
enough from leaf-rustle to
drown out the geese overhead. I have never seen so many
flocks pass through in such
a short time. There must be a mighty freeze-up in the
north to drive the geese south all at
once like that. Ladybugs are all over the place as well,
with thousands of them trying to get in
through eastward-facing windows yesterday and many of
them succeeding. Wasps are ever-
present, and although not aggressive this time of year it
is disconcerting to have a half dozen of
them join us for breakfast on the sunporch. It seems like
everything is seeking shelter at once;
it won’t be long before the cats start doing their
job in the cellar, keeping mice out of the potato
bins. We are certain to pick up an extra cat or two
during the next month as well, visitors just
passing through, hanging out in the barn for a few nights.
Since we got rid of all of our hay
the barns aren’t cozy enough for long-term use, but
still occasionally serve as a stopover
for many critters. Enjoy the next few days and batten
down the hatches; if we pay
attention to the geese, ladybugs, and wasps, the message
is pretty clear.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, October 8, 2006 8:00 a.m.
45 degrees, calm, sunny
A flutter of small birds has set the remaining few aspen
leaves all spinning,
but otherwise nothing stirs on this still and shiny morn.
The sun has had a chance
to warm things up nicely, unencumbered by chilly Canadian
winds, for the moment
at least. I heard rumors of snow flurries by the end of
the week; this is not unheard of
in our neck of the woods, but please, could we have just
a little more autumn before winter
moves in for good ? We drove through the Mohawk Valley
yesterday to do a little leaf-peeping,
and found only a few really breathtaking trees. It seems
to be a year of browns and dull golds,
with few of the neon reds and oranges that we have come
to expect in the North Country. The
hard rain and stiff winds that ushered in October ripped
much of the foliage from branches and
twigs before it even had a chance to think about changing
color. Sumac shrubs and woodbine
vines have provided most of the reds this season; they
have been the show-stoppers against
an otherwise somewhat drab backdrop. Moonrise was the
star attraction yesterday, with an
enormous waning nearly-full moon slowly appearing just
after sunset; the sky was still several
shades of pink with deep purple haze closing in, and the
moon was pumpkin-orange. We
have a couple of days to finish up the bulk of outdoor
work, then rain and snow will give us
a much-appreciated short break. Time to bring firewood
into the shed, while it still sits
nice and dry in its long neat rows snugged up against the
edge of the west meadow.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Saturday, October 7, 2006 8:00 a.m.
42 degrees, calm, sunny
Anything that Thursday night’s light frost didn’t
touch was surely knocked out by
last night’s thick layer of white and low
temperature of 27. There is even a skimcoat
of ice in the birdbath, topped by a single red maple leaf.
Geese and coyotes were both
on the move last night, competing above and below for
some crazy full-moon singing
contest. Geese got the award for loudest, and coyotes
were definitely the most melodic.
The moon itself was at its absolute best, rising just
after a very colorful sunset. Look for
it again tonight, even if you have to drive somewhere to
see it I promise a show better
than anything on television. Do a little howling your
ownself, it’s good for you.
Have a great day and a lunatic night,
Daisy
~
Friday, October 6, 2006 8:30 a.m.
42 degrees, light breeze, partly cloudy
Frost coated every surface early this morning, and is
just beginning to melt away
in the sun. This is pretty early for frost on Gomer Hill,
but it comes as a huge relief
for me this year. We can finally finish up the chores
that have awaited the sweet deep
freeze, dig the carrots and parsnips that will begin the
process of changing starch to sugar
within the long taproots and intensify their unique
flavors. Brussels sprouts are also better
when they have been frosted, and we have a bumper crop of
those stinky little green balls
this year as well. There is still a lot of broccoli to
put in the freezer, and that will keep on
growing until the deer find it and munch it down to nubs.
After a few weeks the shell beans
will be dry enough to pick; pulling the husks apart to
reveal the treasures hidden within is
one of my favorite autumn activities. This is a work day
for me, and it will be hard to spend
this perfect day indoors. At least my workplace has
windows and wonderful customers,
and the drive to and fro is pleasant. Luckily, the
weekend weather is going to be splendid
as well. Tonight’s full moon will plunge us deeper
into the freezer, so if you have any
tender plants that need to be brought indoors, get on it.
Enjoy your day, no matter how you spend it,
Daisy
~
Thursday, October 5, 2006 8:30 a.m.
39 degrees, breezy, mostly sunny
This is an archetypical autumn morning, deep blue skies,
sunshine bouncing around
on dull brownish leaves spicing them into the pumpkin-y
hues we hoped for. Two peach-
colored gladiolas have sprung up from an old flower bed
and stand strikingly alone in front
of green asparagus fronds, a still life arranged by
accident. This is one of those dazzling mornings
that defines the month of October, with sensory overload
from all directions at once: sweet yellow
birch smoke, grapes and apples achieving a final fragrant
pungency, forests full of rank and skunky
mushrooms; geese and crows laying down the backbeat with
starlings and sparrows carrying the melody;
soft grass, crispy leaves, poky cornstalks under mud-caked
sneaker soles; warm apple crisp and icy cold
raspberry wine, sweet crunchy carrots and warm cherry
tomatoes; green grass, purple asters, buttery
goldenrod, orange/yellow/red/sienna/golden/chartreuse/aubergine
leaves, blue of sky and birds and eyes !
It is simply all just too much in a wonderful I’m
stuffed and can’t have even one more bite kind
of way.
Enjoy these golden days and frosty nights, drink it all
in until you are near to bursting !
Have an awesome day,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, October 4, 2006 9:30 a.m.
58 degrees, breezy, fog
There is light fog here on Gomer Hill, but the valley is
totally obscured underneath
thicker mist. A stiff breeze from the south is mild, but
has tangled all of the stuff on the
clothesline into a ropy mess. Everything has been rinsed
a dozen times and may just have
barely enough time to dry out before the next round of
showers moves in later today. It
is a nice morning for a walk, old sneakers and wicking
socks required for the squishy
back road surfaces. Geese above, mud below, yep, it’s
autumn in the North Country.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, October 3, 2006 9:30 a.m.
58 degrees, windy, partly sunny
It is obvious that change is in the air, as leaves twist
themselves upside down
in a rogue breeze from the south. It is hoped the laundry
will blow dry in the wind
before the storm that follows brings the rain along for a
ride. Foliage is changing quickly
here on Tug Hill, with swamp maples almost bare of their
bright crimson leaves and other
varieties turning dull orange and golden brown. There are
few reds in this neighborhood
anyway; peeks of bright ruby woodbine clinging to tree
trunks and slithering among roadside
shrubbery may be the hit of this season. Even our
forsythia, normally the crown jewel at the
edge of our garden, is merely a dull maroon this year. We
had a duet of blue jays swoop
through the area earlier, balancing on the weather stick,
one on top and one clinging to
the bottom, swinging each other to and fro as if on a
vertical seesaw. Recess !
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Monday, October 2, 2006 6:30 a.m.
54 degrees, breezy, partly cloudy
It is the start of a long and busy day of easing dozens
of chickens from their short
happy life in our coop to their resting place in the deep
freeze. While the water boils,
I would like to share a poem with you that reflects my
point of view to a tee.
Have a great day,
Daisy
"Messenger" by Mary Oliver from Thirst.
My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird—
equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.
Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,
which is mostly standing still and learning to be
astonished.
The phoebe, the delphinium.
The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.
Which is mostly rejoicing, since all the ingredients are
here,
which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart
and these body-clothes,
a mouth with which to give shouts of joy
to the moth and the wren, to the
sleepy dug-up clam,
telling them all, over and over, how it is
that we live forever.
~
Sunday, October 1, 2006 7:00 a.m.
48 degrees, windy, raining
It’s raining, it’s pouring, the little dog is
snoring next to the kitchen range. It
seems like an excellent idea to snuggle up beside a heat
source for a little while
and watch the raindrops chase each other down the
windowpanes. The kitchen is
warming up nicely, but the floors are still cold and
there is a definite need for socks
on this damp dark morning. Yesterday was a real mix of
weather, from impossibly blue
skies and sultry morning breezes to chill wind and rain
blowing in late in the day. We walked
the meadow paths and picked a bouquet of queen anne’s
lace, goldenrod, yarrow, and sweet
red clover with blossoms the size of golf balls. Rich
lavender New York and deep purple New
England asters are lovely this time of year, but must be
admired in the field where they grow, as
they will fold right up if brought into the house. Tiny
alabaster frost asters remind us that the first
snowfall isn’t too far off, a different kind of
white spreading across the meadow for now. A few
late rugosa roses surprised us, all clustered at
the end of a single branch; one blossom scents the
whole house with its summery beach essence. Darker clouds
are moving swiftly now, revealing
pale patches of sky and bright spots that indicate the
sun has indeed risen for the day.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
~
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