Wednesday, December 31, 2003,
8:30 a.m.
29 degrees, breezy, overcast
When the wind picked up to a
dull roar at about ten o’clock yesterday morning
and the rain turned into a blinding sheet of white, I
thought we were in for a
classic lake effect dump of much-needed snow. Alas, while
the wind continued
to buffet the Hill, the snow stopped and left us with
only about an inch of new
cover. It wasn’t even really snow, but the little
hard pellets known as graupple.
Even the small amount that covered the roads made for
tricky driving yesterday
afternoon. Cross country skiing should be good today as
long as the wet spots can
be avoided. Downhill skiing is good on the main trails at
Snow Ridge but the expert
runs into the gorge lack enough snow to be safe, and
those trails are off limits.
I have received some e-mails inquiring about the current
snowmobile conditions in
the area. In our immediate neighborhood, there are so
many bare and wet areas
that I can’t imagine the riding is any good. For
current trail reports visit the
following site: www.snowmobileny.com/tug-hill-snowmobile-conditions.html
and this should help plan your upcoming weekends.
Happy New Year !
Daisy
~
Tuesday, December 30, 2003, 9:00 a.m.
34 degrees, breezy,
overcast, raining
Rain started in the wee
hours of the morning, and seems to be slowing
down a bit. The mercury has dropped from 38 to 34 in the
last hour, signaling
that lake effect snow is indeed on the way. Bare spots
and mud are appearing
in the meadows, and cellars in the village are beginning
to fill with water. The
ground is still 100% saturated from the heavy autumn
rains, and recent rainfall
and melting snowpack are too much for the overflowing
water table to handle.
Do your travelling this morning; later on the roads will
be slick with wet snow.
Nice weather for ducks,
Daisy
~
Monday, December 29, 2003, 8:00 a.m.
33 degrees, gentle breeze,
sunny
It is another beautiful
sunny winter morning here on Gomer Hill.
Later today rain is expected to move in for a little
while before turning
to snow tomorrow. The snow cover is getting pretty thin,
and snowmobilers
have been wandering onto private property seeking better
snow to ride on.
I know a lot of sledders visit this page to see how the
riding is on Tug Hill,
so I will tell you how it is on this end. Not good. If
you are forced off the
trails by lack of snow and are riding in someone’s
newly seeded alfalfa field
instead, then you should wait for another couple of
storms before you head
back up here with your sleds. The issue of trespassing
was addressed on our
local radio station this morning, with many landowners in
Highmarket expressing
concern over the damage being done to their hayfields. We
took a walk yesterday,
and noticed the dirt road near our property has been torn
up by sleds this past
weekend, like someone has been over it with a disc harrow
several times. Now,
if it rains hard tonight, the road will wash out and it
is our tax dollars that
will have to pay for its repair, not out-of-state
visitors. So please, enjoy
the winter sports that our area offers, but throw
snowshoes, skis, and indoor
games in the trailer along with your sleds, just in case
the trails are bare.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, December 28, 2003, 7:30 a.m.
26 degrees, calm, mostly
sunny
The sun has breached the
horizon but not the low clouds that hug the
earth’s curve. The only clouds in the sky are long
beautiful salmon-hued stripes
in the southeastern sky. The bright orange sun is visible
through a tiny slit in the
clouds, but there is quite a way to go before it will
burst up above it all. The
Adirondack Mountains are perfect inky silhouettes against
the warm glow. Now a
few sunbeams have escaped to slant across the snow in the
meadow, painting the
landscape pink with slate blue shadows. Beautiful !
Yesterday we skied through
several large meadows and saw lots of animal tracks.
Among the snowshoe hare
prints we found one perfect heart-shaped imprint, an
early Valentine from an
unsuspecting bunny. There were lots of tiny rodent
tracks, some emerging directly
from holes in the snow, and many originating in the trees
surrounding the fields.
We saw canine tracks both large and small, but no other
sign or scat. There were
no bird tracks, which is unusual in this haven for grouse
and turkeys. It was a fine
sunny day with our skis singing across the crusty snow,
easily gripping on the uphill
climbs,and zipping down hills with just enough speed.
Today promises to be another
perfect day to play in the snow. Leave your chores for
tomorrow’s rainy spell;
go on, what are you waiting for ?
Go out and play !
Daisy
~
Saturday, December 27, 2003, 8:15 a.m.
24 degrees, calm, sunny
It was a joy to watch the
sun rise slowly from behind a low layer of black clouds.
Early morning rays came in the window and bounced off the
facets of several
mini-disco balls hanging on our yule tree, creating a
dazzling display of light on
walls, ceilings, and floors. This has gone unnoticed
until now because this is the
first sunny morning we have had since we decorated the
tree. A few jet contrails
stabbed the sky with silver slivers, neon-bright metallic
spears of radiance against
a deep blue background. Contrails played a key role in
last night’s sunset as well,
fanning out into spectacular fluffy orange swooshes and
streaks, crossing and
converging in the deep purple twilight. A fingernail moon
and one lone star
punctuated the manmade clouds, until the sun finally
dropped behind the trees
to the west. Stars came out one by one, then suddenly the
celestial dome was
filled with points of light. Mars is still a red jewel in
our night sky, mysterious
as ever in light of Beagle II’s silence. I would
rather read H.G. Wells or Edgar
Rice Burroughs and go along with their fantastic images
of the red planet and its
occupants than pay heed to a scientific probe’s
results concerning life on Mars.
Scientific proof will never replace imagination, not in
my world anyway.
What do you imagine Mars to be ?
Imagine that !
Daisy
~
Friday, December 26, 2003, 8:15 a.m.
25 degrees, overcast, very
windy, flurries
There were a few moments of
heavy snow yesterday afternoon and evening,
but the wind blew it all down into the valley. Our best
guess is that about
three inches of new snow fell on top of the frozen rain-sculpted
base. We
took a walk on one of the back roads yesterday morning,
while the sun was
shining and the day was still and fine. After lunch, as
we skied along the
same path, we noticed that our footprints had become
clearly embossed with
ice crystals. Even the little pawprints of our dog were
captured in icy relief.
We traveled several miles on our skinny skis, with the
wind in our faces for the
first half of the trip. It wasn’t too cold, and the
exertion of pushing our skis
through the inch or so of new snow kept us warm. Our
destination was a small
pool that bubbled and gurgled up through the snow,
lending its cheerful babble
to the soundtrack that already included bluejays,
chickadees, and a crow.
As we began the return trip, it snowed very hard for a
little while, big Christmas
flakes, plump and perfectly hexagonal. They were also wet
and sticky, and made
the journey home very slow. It was like trying to slide
our skis through oatmeal.
We didn’t mind too much; the grimy landscape was
enhanced by the new clean
white coverlet. We returned home just before dark. Night
fell with little warning
yesterday, as the clouds of snow hid the setting sun from
our view. We are secure
in the knowledge that each day is now a little longer
than the one before, as we
ride the year through harsh wintry days to the promise of
another beautiful spring.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Thursday, December 25, 2003, 7:30 a.m.
30 degrees, breezy, mostly
cloudy
The sunrise was glorious
this morning, leaving a lingering glow
at the edges of large masses of clouds. A patch of blue
is directly overhead,
but the rest of the sky is cloud-filled. A miniscule
amount of snow fell overnight,
not really even enough to call a dusting.
There is still good cover on Tug Hill,
enough to make for an exciting day of cross country
skiing, where it will certainly
be extra zippy on the downhills. Today will be a go-anywhere
trip, through the
woods to the beaver dams that dot the hill like a string
of pearls.
Snow is in the forecast for later in the day and all
through the night.
Take care if you are traveling, and Merry Christmas to
all !
Daisy
~
Wednesday, December 24, 2003, 8:30 a.m.
40 degrees, foggy, raining
Cold, damp, rainy, foggy...
not the ideal Yuletide scene, is it ? Later today
this juicy weather is supposed to change over to snow,
possibly large amounts
of the white stuff. If you have some last minute items to
pick up, it would be
wise to do it in the early part of the day, while the
roads are still user-friendly.
When the mercury starts to fall later, everything will
turn into one big ice rink.
Roads will be sanded and salted, but be very careful in
parking lots and driveways.
That jolly old elf will have to put studded shoes on the
reindeer tonight,
and runner chains on his sled. Light a candle to lead the
way,
and don’t forget to put out some milk and cookies,
with a carrot for Rudolph.
Cheers !
Daisy
~
Tuesday, December 23, 2003, 9:00 a.m.
33 degrees, breezy, overcast
The sun is lost behind cloud
cover, but it is a very pleasant morning nonetheless.
When I stepped outside I was greeted by five blackbirds
and one crow,
all hanging out in the same tree making one heck of a
commotion. The
starlings were mostly clicking and clacking with an
occasional melodic riff,
and the crow delivered a few well-spaced caws in between
verses. I think this
might be the same lone crow that has hung around close to
the house since last
spring. It was gone for a few weeks in late fall, and I
assumed it had joined a flock
and moved on. But apparently it is back, hopefully for
the long haul. Two hairy
woodpeckers flew from tree to tree earlier this morning.
We need to make some
seed balls to hang on the back clothesline. I have a
small bird feeder outside of
the kitchen window, but so far the seeds have either
blown out of it or been covered
with snow. The only way to go in this harsh environment
is with onion bag scraps full
of lard and mixed seeds, all pressed together in one
tasty lump. Woodpeckers,
nuthatches, blackbirds, and blue jays will appear out of
nowhere to peck away at a
big old greasy seedball. It looks like a nice morning to
take a walk before the rain starts.
Have a fine day,
Daisy
~
Monday, December 22, 2003, 8:30 a.m.
28 degrees, breezy, mostly
cloudy
The sun pokes through the
clouds every so often, but not enough to call it
a partly sunny morning.
The temperature has been creeping up since dawn, and
is expected to be in the thirties today. That will cause
snow to melt and compact
into a slightly denser mass, making it easier for off-piste
cross country skiing.
It was fairly easy gliding yesterday in the meadows,
where gusts and gales had
packed snow into a solid surface, full of windblown
ripples similar to those caused
by the motion of the tide in seaside sand. When we
entered the woods, areas
protected from the wind were still fluffy powder, and it
was hard to break trail.
Snow was plastered to the western side of trees, creating
an interesting effect of
dark versus light. Our forest trails have been cluttered
with blowdowns and it is
beyond the job of pruning shears to clear them up. Next
thaw, we will have to
head over there with a chain saw to clear the way for
future ski trips. Until then,
there are still plenty of logging roads and State-owned
trails
to keep us kicking and gliding until April.
Get out and enjoy the day !
Daisy
~
Sunday, December 21, 2003, 8:30 a.m.
15 degrees, windy, overcast,
snowing
The temperature has risen
ten degrees since we went to bed.
It was an awesome clear cold night, with countless stars
hanging like
the largest holiday yard display in the entire universe.
The wind didn’t
start until just before dawn, and is driving flurries
sideways at a furious pace.
One calendar says that today is the first day of winter,
and another informs us
that tomorrow is the solstice. In a way, both are
correct, it just depends where
you are. If you live in the Pacific Standard Time Zone,
the exact time of the winter
solstice is 11:04 (PST) on December 21st.
That means if you are living on Gomer Hill,
it will be three hours later, or 2:04 (EST) on December
22nd.
Wherever you happen
to live, welcome the return of light in a way that is
meaningful to you. In days of old,
the festival of Yule was celebrated for a period of seven
days surrounding the event of
winter solstice. All humanity was considered to be equal
during this time, and slaves
partied hearty with their masters; feasting, dancing, and
general wild rumpus ensued.
Raise a glass of mead, roast a couple of turkey legs and
a mutton joint, and light
a candle to lead the way for the Sun God to draw his
chariot closer to Earth.
Celebrate !
Daisy
~
Saturday, December 20, 2003, 8:30 a.m.
13 degrees, calm, overcast
Fine feathers of frost cover
every little twig and stem. I must hurry
into the woods before a breeze comes along and disrupts
the magic.
It looks like the sun might make an appearance at some
point this morning;
there are bright thin spots in the cloud cover.
Snowmobiles are out in full
force this weekend, and I
would like to share a few words of caution. Make
sure you stay on the trails; I have seen several meadows
in our area surrounded
on all sides with high-tension wire fence. They are
nearly invisible as I walk
by them, and absolutely would disappear from sight at the
speed today’s
snowmobiles travel. There are no orange caution ribbons
hanging from the wires,
and the only way to avoid possible decapitation is to
stay on the trails. Ride safe,
respect boundaries. And now, off to break a little trail
myself... with snowshoes.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Friday, December 19, 2003, 8:15 a.m.
20 degrees, breezy, mostly
cloudy
Although it snowed really
hard yesterday, we only picked up another
four inches of snow. I don’t know where it all went;
the air was thick
with flakes for hours, yet a paltry four inches was the
final result...
a regular filibuster of snow, all bluster with little
substance. By nightfall,
a gentle flurry fell now and then from a star-filled sky.
This morning’s
sunrise was beautiful, enhanced by the fresh blanket of
sparkling flakes.
Even now, there is a faint melony tinge to the eastern
sky.
It looks like perfect weather for anything, indoors or
out.
Not too cold, not too windy...
just do it !
Daisy
~
Thursday, December 18, 2003, 8:15 a.m.
20 degrees, windy, snowing
It is snowing so hard that
the hedgerows are lost from view.
We didn’t get more than four inches yesterday; it
seems likely we will
add to that amount this morning, perhaps double or triple
it. All was calm
when we went to bed, and around midnight the wind picked
up in fits and starts,
finally settling into a steady howl that made sleep
difficult. Many schools south
of here are closed for the day. If it were up to me, ours
would be cancelled as
well. Of course, it often happens that it is clear in the
valley while snowing and
blowing on Tug Hill; that is often the nature of a lake
effect storm. Moisture
that is picked up over Lake Erie and Lake Ontario hits
the edge of the plateau
and is released as snow, dropping its entire load before
the now stormless front
moseys east. I can see a faint silvery ball of light
above these furious swirls,
which can mean just about anything at this point in a
storm.
Weather pundits predict six to ten inches of snow will
accumulate today,
making all who love winter sports extremely happy.
Go outside and play,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, December 17, 2003, 9:00 a.m.
33 degrees, breezy, foggy,
drizzle
As breathtaking as yesterday’s
sunrise was, this morning’s seemed dull
and drab. However, without the neutral palette of greys
and duns as a
baseline for comparison, would we appreciate brilliant
hues as much ?
If every morning were a festival of color and light,
would it seem so
special after hundreds of them all in a row? A quiet,
unassuming morning
like this with its many shades of grey has its own charm:
Ansel Adams
versus Van Gogh. A vista without color forces us to add
our own bright
touches, either real or imagined. With little to actually
look at except
shadowy forms emerging from the fog, one’s mind can
wander and recall
the riotous sunflowers that recently nodded at the garden’s
edge, or the
flashes of yellow as goldfinches swooped in the bright
summer air.
Dull days are for daydreams, and the dreamers who
surrender to them.
Let your mind wander,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, December 16, 2003, 7:00 a.m.
10 degrees, calm, some
clouds
The sun hasn’t come up
yet, and the sky looks like one of the first
watercolor wash assignments done in an introductory
painting class.
You know the one, where you wet the paper, then allow
various warm
colors to run and bleed into each other. This particular
portrait comes
complete with black silhouettes of leafless trees in the
foreground, and
picturesque wisps of smoke wafting up from a farmhouse
chimney.
Sunday’s storm left a beautiful blanket of snow on
the land,
which is now highlighted here and there with trippy pools
of orange,
reflecting the foreglow of dawn. We are drawing near to
the shortest
day of the year; for today, it seems like the sun will
never come up.
The colors on the horizon are just getting better and
better...
What a gorgeous morning !
Daisy
~
Monday, December 15, 2003, 8:00 a.m.
14 degrees, breezy,
overcast, snowing
As far as we can tell, about
nineteen inches of snow has fallen since
yesterday afternoon. The wind pushed it around quite a
bit, making
accurate measurement difficult. It is still snowing
steadily, medium-sized
flakes moseying here and there. Last night we turned on
the backyard light
and watched huge amounts of snow swirling and dancing in
the breeze, more
entertaining than anything on television (The
Simpsons excluded, of course).
The town plow came up early this morning, and now begins
the task of clearing
the yard. Keep your pets indoors while you run the
plowtruck and snowblower;
look out for all your little buddies this time of year.
Take your time with the
snow shovel. If you are not used to such physically
challenging work,
take a lot of stretch breaks and don’t overexert.
If you are gasping for breath, slow down.
Work (and play) safe,
Daisy
~
Sunday, December 14, 2003, 8:30 a.m.
13 degrees, gentle breeze,
overcast
It is a dull morning made
more lively by the music of the resident
blackbirds. I wish there were a good way to record the
sounds they are
making. When I try to describe their happy sounds, my
efforts fall flat.
Here is a quote from Audubon’s Eastern Land Birds:
"Starlings are noisy at
all seasons, and the song is a jumble of squeaks,
rattles, wheezes, loud whistles,
and imitations (often excellent) of other birds." It
is the skillful imitation that
is most surprising. I could have sworn I heard the rich
mellow warble of a northern
oriole late yesterday, but it was one of my little flock
singing its heart out. It is
legal to shoot starlings (as well as english sparrows)
because they are not indigenous
to North America, having hitched rides on cargo ships
during colonial times. They
have been designated pestilential by
some government mucky-muck. I think starlings
should be given permanent greencards because they bring
springtime music to dull
wintry mornings. Hmmm, maybe a letter to Hilary is in
order... Meanwhile,
the forecast is for snow later today, possibly heavy at
times. That would be nice;
after all, Bing didn’t sing "I’m dreaming
of a frozen mud-covered Christmas", did he ?
Fill your day with song,
Daisy
~
Saturday, December 13, 2003, 8:00 a.m.
8 degrees, slightly breezy,
partly sunny
There are few things as
beautiful as sunrise on a cold winter morning.
A layer of clouds echoed the fiery colors of the sun as
it finally appeared
after an hour of pre-dawn glow. Maybe this one seemed
especially pretty
because I was at work indoors for the past three mornings.
Fluorescent
lighting is a poor substitute for natural sunlight. My
odd work hours rob me
of many sunrises and sunsets, so the ones I do get to see
are extra special.
The sun is shining in full force now. Although large
masses of clouds will
shield us from its silvery beams now and then, it seems
like a fine day for
a walk in the frosty air. Don’t let the chill keep
you inside today;
dress for winter, and step lively !
Enjoy your day,
Daisy
~
Friday, December 12, 2003, 6:45 a.m.
18 degrees, windy, partly
cloudy
The eastern horizon is
covered with black clouds.
A pre-dawn blush is escaping from behind them into the
dirty blue sky.
On the other side of the house, the moon is faint behind
a thin veil.
More dark clouds are heading into the clear sky from the
west, moving
lickety-split. Yesterday we had plenty of rain, and most
of our snowcover
has disappeared. Flat meadows hold big muddy puddles, and
small streams
are overflowing as they rush to the Black River. Snow is
expected today,
but it looks like it will affect areas south of here,
unless the wind shifts.
It is very windy, so button up your overcoat.
Take good care of yourself,
Daisy
~
Thursday, December 11, 2003, 6:30 a.m.
35 degrees, breezy, raining
It has been raining softly
all night. Just a short while ago the wind picked
up and the rain is falling hard. It is utterly dark
outside, save for the lights
in the village below. Late yesterday afternoon, we walked
on one of the low
maintenance Tug Hill roads. Snowmobiles and four wheel
drive trucks had
been over it since the last storm, so the snow was hard-packed
and slippery.
The day was sunny and breezy as we started out, but the
air turned cold
and damp as the sun disappeared behind clouds that
scurried in from the west.
We saw lots of deer tracks and little pawprints that I
soon realized were the
tracks our dog had made on Tuesday’s walk. It cracks
me up to see him
apparently hot on the trail of his own self. (Perhaps a
mouse or other critter
had passed nearby his path; I should give him a little
credit for being a smart
little sniffer.) It didn’t feel warm enough to rain,
but just after dinner the first
icy needles of rain stabbed into the snowpack. We are in
for a juicy day, and all
this snow might go into the creeks and cause some cellar
flooding for flatlanders.
No fear, the snow will be back as quick as you can say sump
pump.
Keep your sunny side up,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, December 10, 2003, 6:30 a.m.
28 degrees, breezy, really
dark...
I have an early call today,
so by the time the sun rises I will be at work.
I can’t see any stars, and the waning moon is hidden
as well. Last night
it was beautiful, just coming off of full and surrounded
by a bright rainbow.
Yesterday we went out and cut our yule tree, a nice
little frasier fir.
Actually, it was the top of a much bigger frasier fir,
which fell with a
satisfying whoosh.
We went to the other side of Tug Hill to an overgrown
old tree farm where we have cut our trees for years. The
snow was deeper
over there, just enough to make it a little tough walking
around, but not so
bad that we felt snowshoes were needed. The plantation
was crisscrossed
with hundreds of varying hare tracks, most of them fresh.
The steady trail
of a coyote could also be seen, following some of the
rabbit tracks.
Chickadees were noisy as they went about their business
of munching cones
and other seeds. We looked at a lot of trees until we
found one that
seemed perfect at the time. Now, leaning up against the
woodpile to
drip-dry in the barn, it seems a little on the Charlie
Brown side...
Good grief !
Daisy
~
Tuesday, December 9, 2003, 8:30 a.m.
19 degrees, calm, mostly
cloudy
Last night’s full moon
was a beautiful sight, surrounded by clouds
and lending soft illumination to the snowy fields below.
It would have been
easy to become moonstruck on such a night, except it was
too cold to stay
outside under the beams for too long. Sunrise this
morning was unusual.
There was a thick dark band of clouds reaching almost to
the horizon,
and the sun became trapped between the mountains and the
purple gloom
as it worked its way skyward. The thin strip of unsullied
sky was brilliant
orange, and there is still a pale warm glow in the
southeastern sky behind
the thinning clouds. We are in for a wet day tomorrow,
so get your fill of outdoor frolicking today.
Play safe,
Daisy
~
Monday, December 8, 2003, 8:30 a.m.
15 degrees, breezy, mostly
sunny
There were flurries falling
all day yesterday, but it didn’t amount to much.
The total snowfall from both storms was just under five
inches. A friend who
lives just outside of Boston reports two feet fell in
their suburban neighborhood,
and another friend in New Hampshire is buried under more
than three feet of
wind-driven snow. A nor’easter brings moisture in
from the ocean in much the
same way lake effect draws substance from the Great Lakes.
When a nor’easter
comes inland so far as to affect us, damage can be
severe, because the wind
is coming from the east. Our trees and buildings have
steeled themselves to
withstand the mighty west wind. Bark grows thicker on the
west side, and
large trees have molded themselves into wedge shapes to
help deflect the wind.
Check out the trees in your neighborhood and notice the
growth patterns. Houses
in the north country have been built with many windows on
the south and east
sides to take advantage of winter sunlight. This can be a
point of failure on
older homes; the nor’easter finds tiny cracks in the
glazing and whistles into
the house with loud rattles and wails. We are lucky that
just the edge of
that storm found its way to Tug Hill this time. Today
will be a wonderful
day to get out and explore tracks and other signs of life
after the storm.
Have fun,
Daisy
~
Sunday, December 7, 2003, 8:30 a.m.
10 degrees, breezy, mostly
cloudy, flurries
I never saw today’s
sunrise; the flannel quilts held me deeply ensnared,
and we don’t set an alarm on Sundays. The sun is
lurking right outside my window,
a silver gleam coming and going from behind fleeting
amorphous clouds. We usually
think of the sun as exuding warm yellow light; remember
your first Crayola picture
of a yellow circle with sticklike sunbeams radiating from
its bright buttery face ?
Winter sun can appear cold and metallic: steel, pewter,
aluminum, silver, and
chrome, all shiny and colorless. I haven’t been
outdoors yet today, but the hard
light along with the stiff breeze is not all that
inviting. We heard a huge flock of
geese passing overhead last night, honking loudly in the
moonlight. We looked for
them, but they must have been flying very high. Two blue
jays are passing through,
but the blackbirds have gone elsewhere for the morning.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Saturday, December 6, 2003, 7:45 a.m.
11 degrees, calm, overcast
Many places to the south and
east of here are experiencing quite a snowfall.
We, for once, are supposed to get just the backside of
the storm, if any at
all. Snow Ridge has been making snow for a couple of
days, but there still is
not enough coverage for the ski area to open. There is
definitely not enough
depth for snowmobiling, but there have been several noisy
locals tearing up
the dirt roads and fields anyway. A few tentative flakes
are moseying around
outside the window, floating in the windless morning air.
Now they are falling
faster, their paths crossing , following the faint air
currents that escaping
heat from the house provides. The forecast is for one to
three inches, but
we will just have to see what happens. In just five
minutes it has gone from
clear to very snowy, and it looks like there is more
where this is coming from.
(There almost always is...) What a classic scenario for
the annual cutting
of the yule tree. Guess we’ll sharpen up the saw and
get out our pac boots.
Hurray for winter !
Daisy
~
Friday, December 5, 2003, 7:30 a.m.
2 degrees, calm, mostly
sunny
There are just enough
stratus clouds near the southeast horizon to lend
beautiful colors to this morning’s sunrise. Bright
streaks of peach and melon
sunbeams are blended with darker mauve strips of cloud in
beautiful contrast.
At times the sun is filtered through thin dark clouds,
casting purple shadows
on the snow. Then the clouds pass, and all is sparkling
white once again. The
sky directly above is robin’s egg blue with one fat
strip of mackerel clouds,
indicating that more snow will probably arrive within
thirty six hours.
It is a gorgeous December morning,
and anything could happen today.
Do something fun,
Daisy
~
Thursday, December 4, 2003, 7:30 a.m.
22 degrees, breezy,
overcast, light snow
It was snowing at bedtime
last night, and it is snowing lightly now,
but there is only about an inch of new snow on the ground.
The flakes
are very small and are gliding down so slowly that you
can pick out one
tiny flake and track its progress as it eventually
succumbs to gravity’s pull.
The sky is a monotone Rolls Royce grey, or possibly
Delorian silver.
For sure, Edsels were never made in this subtle hue.
Half a dozen blackbirds sit in the big maple tree, mostly
silent this morning,
hunkered down into little fluffy birdballs in a row on
the same branch. We
didn’t see any geese yesterday, so they must have
finally all bugged out for
the winter. Yesterday’s cold temperature sent a few
mosquitoes into the house
seeking refuge; they found long lasting peace at the end
of my fly swatter.
Don’t let anything bug you today,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, December 3, 2003, 8:00 a.m.
2 degrees, calm, sunny
The sun shines brightly over
Tug Hill this morning.
The valley has thin clouds hanging low, and the
Adirondack Mountains
are not visible from here. Just after the lake effect
storm warning was
lifted yesterday, we picked up another three inches of
snow in a short period
of time. The snow-covered meadows are crisscrossed with
tracks; I haven’t
been out to examine them, but they look like deer tracks
from here. Smaller
tracks of a cat circle the house. Ours spend the nights
indoors, so it was
probably one of the feral cats that sometimes shelters in
the barn on cold
nights. Yesterday we were surprised by large numbers of
geese flying south
all day long. The flocks were huge and disorganized, big
masses of birds
flying in a helter skelter mass instead of a perfect vee
formation. Some large
body of water north of here must have finally frozen
solid for this number of
waterfowl to be on the move so late in the year. Maybe
they were from the
far north and thought they had flown far enough south,
then were driven even
farther by recent frigid temps. They didn’t look
very comfy, buffeted by the
wind and flying high in the cold air. Today will be sunny
but cold,
so dress in warm layers before you go out to play.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, December 2, 2003, 8:15 a.m.
9 degrees, windy, partly
sunny
It is hard to tell how much
snow we got in yesterday’s storm:
not the twelve inches that was predicted. Judging from
what the
snowplow kicked up, I’d say we got two or three
inches max, but it
has arranged itself into piles and drifts that range from
zero to three feet.
The storm warning has been lifted for our area. It is
finally cold enough to
do a little cross country skiing without getting bogged
down in slush, but the
cold temperature and zippy wind make it a little less
than inviting this morning.
The windows on the summer porch are all iced over with
intricate patterns that
bathe the room in soft magical light. There are big
cumulus clouds moving quickly,
pushed by the north wind. There is a low bank of clouds
hanging over the Black
River Valley, and it looks like it might be snowing
southeast of here.
After a little more snow falls today,
we will have a few sunny days to explore the winterscape
that is ever changing.
Have a happy day,
Daisy
~
Monday, December 1, 2003, 8:45
a.m.
30 degrees, very windy,
partly sunny
Yikes ! How did December get
here so fast ?
It seems like only yesterday we were sorting through
mountains
of tomatoes and peppers, and now we are enjoying them as
piquante
salsa on our omlettes. Last night was wild outdoors, very
windy with pellets
of graupple bombarding the house. Little piles of tiny
snowballs are all over
the place this morning, offering traction on an otherwise
icy surface. The hubub
of the long weekend is over, family and friends are on
their way back home.
Lake effect snow is moving our way for later today; are
your snow tires on ?
Don’t forget to put spare hats, mittens, and dry
socks in your car, along with
a blanket or sleeping bag and a couple of granola bars.
You never know...
Daisy
~
~
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