~
Monday, December 31, 2007 8:00 a.m.
28 degrees, breezy, overcast, snowing
Four inches of snow arrived overnight, and is still
lightly falling.
Thank goodness ! The outlook for excellent cross-country
and
downhill skiing has improved 100% with just this small
amount, and
perhaps my friends who prefer snowshoes will finally be
able to join our
adventures in the woods. We are expecting a couple of
days of good old-
fashioned winter, right on schedule. Six deer just
crossed the road and dis-
appeared into the neighbor’s driveway. He used to
feed them, but he has
been gone for a couple of years. I think they just got
used to traveling through
his yard on their way to the watering hole, which is a
seep in a low spot behind
his cabin that is open for much of the winter. The runoff
from our springbox is
easily accessed as well, and we often see deer there
drinking and nipping the
ends off of apple branches. We checked out Horsey Creek
yesterday, and
it is running strong and clear with its signature giant
snow cornices along the
west bank, formed by wind and frozen into place by rain.
It takes a lot of
snow to totally bury the creeks that run down the deep
gorges of Tug Hill.
We had to ski upstream at Mill Creek to flatter terrain
to find a good place
to cross, but by next month there will hopefully be snow
bridges all along the
stream, opening up many more miles of available trails.
Three ravens have
just appeared down by the deer crossing, cleaning up
after them no doubt.
Get outdoors on this last day of 2007; a good resolution
would be to
enjoy mother Nature’s blessings every single day,
not just when the
weather is fine, but even during the challenging stuff.
Today it will
be easy to find some wonderful sights in my neighborhood.
I wonder if I can catch up with the ravens?
Have a great day, and see you next year !
Daisy
~
Sunday, December 30, 2007 8:00 a.m.
28 degrees, calm, partly sunny
A large flock of pine grosbeaks sits in the
blackbirds’
once-favorite tree; since I haven’t seen a single
starling
up here this winter, maybe the grosbeaks have assumed
the job of adding life to the morning view for now. They
are
beautiful to look at with the rosy-hued males and pretty
striped
wings of the females, but their songs are puny compared
to those
of the blackbirds. I miss my daily greeting that included
lovely songs,
ear-splitting shrieks, clicks, whistles, and the
occasional barking dog
or mewling cat, all from the throats of the multi-talented
starlings. I
hear ravens several times a week; they don’t hang
out in the yard,
but they manage to find me when I hike or ski through the
woods.
Sometimes they swoop low over my head, mumbling advice
and
purring a seductive invitation to follow them. More often
they
remain concealed in the forest and call back and forth
from
two or three locations, playing hide-and-seek it would
seem.
Chickadees always have a cheerful greeting whenever they
appear in sight; there are a half dozen right now sharing
the
big maple tree with the grosbeaks. Our three ornamental
evergreens are heavy with cones this winter, and I think
when the grosbeaks have stripped them bare they will
probably move on. (The birds, not the trees...)
Have a fine day,
Daisy
~
Saturday, December 29, 2007 9:30 a.m.
32 degrees, windy, mostly cloudy
An hour ago it was 40 degrees and sunny; a stiff west
wind is bringing in
a change for the frostier, and I am glad I took my
outdoor exercise early in
the day. We could feel the chill moving in, and when the
dog’s ears started
blowing backwards and he looked up at me with that okay,
can we go home
now ? stare, I realized that we had reached our
turnaround point a bit early. By
the time we entered the yard the slush had started to
glaze over and the air was
decidedly nippy, wind-driven and wintry. We had rain
overnight, which will com-
pact the base layer of snow that we have received so far
this season. I reckon this
cold wind is bringing snow in its wake, and skiing will
once again turn from tricky
to excellent. It has been hard to plan any outings with
this cat-and-mouse game
Jack Frost has been playing, ice one day and powder the
next. Yesterday we
blazed a trail through the woods north of here to join up
with the state-owned
Mill Creek Trail, which originates at Carpenter Road
across from Timberview
Lodge. Conditions were perfect, with long quiet downhill
runs through four
inches of crystalline powder, and good traction for the
uphill climbs. We
found a good creek crossing and stopped several times on
the trail to gaze
down from atop a bluff at the open water below bubbling
slowly downstream
to eventually join the Black River. Only one person had
been on the Mill creek
Trail before us, but that was enough to give the three of
us clear sailing with little
effort. As we skied, we kept a lookout for old yellow
birch trees that were shed-
ding their bark, and gathered some to bring back to throw
into the fire; it releases
a sweet perfume into the smoke, better than any incense.
I like to toss a shred into
the firebox before heading off on a hike or ski jaunt;
the scent of smoldering birch
spices up the journey’s outset. And now a word from
a local snowmobiling friend:
Be very aware that dozens of deer have been struck by
sleds on the Tug Hill trails
and fatally maimed, many not killed outright, but dying
slowly as a result of their
injuries. It is a bigger problem than usual this season
because of the ice in the
woodlands; trails are easier for deer to travel on, and
if sleds are moving at
excessive speed the deer cannot outrun them. A deer will
always move
along the easiest path, which means they will probably
not leap out of
the way of an oncoming sled, but will continue down the
trail. Please
be careful on your snowmobile, especially at night, and
don’t run
faster than your headlights will allow. Common sense.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Friday, December 28, 2007 8:00 a.m.
30 degrees, calm, mostly cloudy
We received six inches of wet snow yesterday, with no
rain at
all up here on top of Tug Hill but some drizzle late in
the day in
Boonville. We have a ski outing planned for this
afternoon, and
if the conditions are too sticky I think we could build
snowmen
instead. Rain in the forecast has been replaced by sunny
skies
and snow over the weekend; there should be plenty of time
and perfect snow for winter sports activities this season.
And now, something appropriate for the week following
the winter solstice; I couldn’t have said it better
myself !
Daisy
Winter (from the Daily
Om)
In fall, the earth begins the process of releasing
all the things she has
been holding onto throughout spring and summer, and by
midwinter she
has let everything go. She sits clean and undecorated in
her simplicity, free
of the frenzy of life that defines her in the warmer
seasons. There is a quiet
humility about the earth in the winter months, as animals
and people retreat
inside to escape the wet and sometimes freezing cold that
takes hold. Inside
our homes we create abundance and warmth in response to
being effectively
kicked indoors by the dark and cold that permeate the
outdoors.
We burn fires in fireplaces and make heavy, hot foods to
keep our bodies
warm and insulated. We may find ourselves sleeping longer
hours and yearning
for downtime, just like the animals deep inside their
caves and warrens taking a
winter-long nap. Even if we live in a warmer climate, the
longer nights and shorter
days have the same effect on our cycles. If we surrender
to this time as nature in-
tended, we allow ourselves to slow down, sleep more, and
lower the volumes
on our busy minds. At the same time, we crave company in
our dwellings, and
the insulated warmth of the hearth tends to bring people
together, creating
more warmth and fostering connections that last through
the coming year.
We laugh, eat, and talk, sleep, or catch up on reading,
while outside
our windows the earth grows dark earlier and stays cold
longer, accept-
ing as always of the process of change and her place
within it. We might
remember to learn from her as she so gracefully
surrenders to the emptiness
that precedes all form, the peace that precedes activity,
the darkness that
precedes the light. For everything she gives and teaches,
we might offer
a blessing, extending a goodly portion of the gratitude
of this season
her way, holding her in our hearts and thanking her for
our very lives.
~
~
Thursday, December 27, 2007 8:00 a.m.
31 degrees, breezy, mostly cloudy
The sky is clear to the east but big clouds have pushed
into
the area from the west, bringing an increase in humidity
and the
liklihood of wet snow. Yesterday was a beauty of a day,
with sun
the prevailing feature and temperatures on the mild side.
We skied
up the Smith Road, taking to the woods whenever
snowmobiles drew
near, finally figuring out that we might as well stay off
the trail altogether.
We headed through some crusty meadows that caused such a
racket
that we couldn’t carry on a conversation until we
halted; ice was every-
where in the open spaces. The forest was a little quieter,
as the sun hadn’t
penetrated the canopy enough to melt the snow which then
would freeze
solid after dark. We explored the new logging trails that
had been made
last summer; they were broad and litter-free. Kudos to
the men who did
such a great job leaving a minimal footprint after the
harvest. We could have
have skied for miles on these new trails, but the sun was
only a hand above the
horizon so we reluctantly headed back home. We skied out
of the woods and
into a vivid violet sunset, all shades of pink, purple
and milky blue spread out
before the lowering sun. The last meadow we crossed had
no trace of our
previous tracks; not even the pole holes were left. The
sun had melted the
surface into one big sheet of glare ice, and we were
zipping along sideways
before we realized our error. Fortunately that final hill
isn’t too steep, and
no one succumbed to the perils of sudden gravity syndrome.
If we get
even an inch of new snow on top of the ice, skiing will
be perfect later.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, December 26, 2007 7:30 a.m.
26 degrees, calm, overcast
The trees still sport their icy glaze, looking a bit drab
under
the cloud cover of this grey winter morning. I just heard
on the
news that today is the sixth most crowded shopping day of
the year;
in that case, I think I will postpone my trip to the city
until things quiet
down a bit. The weather will be perfect for another ski
outing, perhaps
covering the same ground as yesterday now that a good
trail has been
laid down. We skied to the state trails from our road,
through some
old-growth mixed deciduous forest as well as recently
cleared soft-
wood acreage. The fine snow that fell Monday and
yesterday barely
covered the layer of ice that made for a very noisy trek.
A quarter inch
of brittle crust snapped and crackled underfoot with
every glide, grabbing
our bindings every third stroke, making for a real
balance challenge. We
found a couple of places to cross Mill Creek, barely
glazed with ice and
requiring a true leap of faith, both coming and going.
Only one skier had
been on the official Mill Creek Trail, and their grooves
had glazed over
and were difficult to stay in; better to make new ruts of
our own. The
return trip was easier, nice and fast as long as we
followed our inbound
route. There were plenty of animal tracks to hold my
interest, including
a set of coyote prints that led right to its den (and out
again, I might add,
or I wouldn’t have been so bold as to peer inside.) A
blown-down spruce
tree left a perfect cave underneath the rootball, and it
looked like a cozy dry
spot for the occupant, who must have been out to lunch.
Porcupine tracks
made deep ruts around the newer growth aspen groves, and
we could see
that many trees had been stripped of their bark, a
porkie’s idea of comfort
food. Many tiny trails showed the path of smaller rodents
as they dashed
from tree to tree, and of course the forest was
crisscrossed with deer
trails, both old and new. Now I can see that the sun is
going to make
an appearance, with the clouds beginning to shift to
reveal a few
patches of true blue sky. It should be a fine day to
explore !
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, December 25, 2007 8:30 a.m.
25 degrees, breezy, overcast
A thin layer of ice coats every little feature of
the landscape,
as well as frosting the windows on the west side of the
house
into an opaque shield. We are warm and cozy indoors in
contrast
to the frigid icy scene outside, content on this
Christmas morn to sip
our fortified coffee and think about holidays of the past,
and look for-
ward to the ones yet to come. Somehow, in direct conflict
with every-
thing Madison Avenue would have us believe, this lazy
morning
shared with my husband and several furry critters, this
peace
and quiet and beautiful view, is perfection of the
highest sort.
Merry Christmas !
Daisy
~
Monday, December 24, 2007 8:45 a.m.
26 degrees, overcast, windy, snowing
The past twenty-four hours have seen some of the best and
worst Old Man Winter has to offer here on Tug Hill.
Yesterday’s
morning hours were mild and pleasant, mostly cloudy and
breezy with
a hint of springtime in the air, warm enough to take a
good long walk as
long as we stayed on the plowed roads. The snow in the
meadows was
firm underneath with a soft top layer, perfect for cross-country
skiing,
but just as I finished lunch and headed to the barn to
fetch my skis, it
started to rain. I don’t mind skiing in the rain; in
fact, some of the best
I have ever done has been on rainy days. Waterlogged snow
is so zippy
that one flies across the flats, and downhill runs take
on a life of their own
as gravity conspires with all that water to facilitate
hydroplaning rather than
true snowy gliding. However, as the wind picked up and
the rain arrived in
sheets instead of friendly droplets, I bagged the whole
outing and amused
myself indoors instead. Soon the yard was awash with
running water, a
veritable flood atop treacherous hardpacked snow that was
morphing
into ice. At bedtime, the temperature had dropped about
twenty degrees
and light snow was falling, obscuring the ice and bare
pavement, a hopeful
portent for a white Christmas. I awoke at three in the
morning, moonstruck
by a silvery full-moon glow coming in the window to bathe
my dreams, with
big pale clouds skittering across the sky to frame the
beautiful celestial body.
The light was so bright that shadows were cast from trees
as if it were day-
time. I gazed out the window for a long time, and saw
four deer crossing
the meadow down by the trees, the neighbor’s black
cat on the prowl,
and one coyote (or feral dog, hard to tell) trotting
along in the hoof-
prints left by the deer earlier. Dawn was rosy, and soon
overrun
by snow clouds, which are now delivering some of the best
Lake Ontario has to offer. The wind is fierce, steady
from
the west at fifteen mph with gusts as high as thirty-five.
When the wind dies down, skiing should be awesome !
Have a fine day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, December 23, 2007 8:15 a.m.
37 degrees, breezy, overcast
Things are pretty quiet outdoors for the moment,
so it is a good time to take a walk with the dog. As
he gets older, his paws have become more sensitive to
cold snow, so if we stay on the plowed part of the road
we should be able to take quite a long stroll before the
weather
changes. Rain is on the way, followed by wind and snow, a
wintry
mix that should leave behind some excellent ski surfaces,
for both alpine
and nordic fans. yesterday we went to the picturesque
village of Boonville
to pick up a few last minute items. It was warm and sunny,
and odd to be
listening to festive music of the season while walking
hatless with coats un-
buttoned. Shops were busy, a good sign for a town that
still lacks a Wal-Mart.
(Stop reading right now if you don’t feel like
enduring my two cents on that subject).
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Sadly, Millie’s Great American grocery store
in Lyons Falls finally
succumbed to the shift in local patronage to the nearby
Lowville Wal-Mart
and closed it’s doors last week. There is something
wrong with a population
that prefers to buy cheap plastic crap from China and
factory-farmed food
to the hand-cut meats and New York produce and eggs found
in our smal-
ler neighborhood markets. Great American;
sometimes the name should
say it all. I will miss Millie and Pete’s fine
little store, where we shopped
ever since it was known as the Victory Market back in the
seventies. Sadly,
now the giant corporate ubermarket seems to be the winner,
no victory for
the little guy. According to this link
Lowe’s has it’s eye on the old Ames
plaza in Lowville as well, putting all of our local
hardware stores and lum-
beryards in jeopardy as well. You see, as much as I love
the natural world
and all of the Creator’s wonderful blessings, I am
pretty sure that Wal-Mart
and other such gianormous corporate creations are a curse,
not a blessing.
How do you like me now ?
Daisy
~
Saturday, December 22, 2007 7:00 a.m.
28 degrees, calm, mostly cloudy
Winter arrived about 1:15 EST last night, but I slept
through it.
There was no fanfare, no big announcement, not even a
discernable
shift in the planet’s path around the sun. However,
this will be the
shortest day of the year, and tomorrow will see us
heading back
towards the light, even though the fiercest days of
winter are still to
come. Our holiday lights are a remnant of pagan festival
days, when
candles were lit on the shortest day to help the sun
remember its job
description. Combine the old solstice rituals (well,
except for the part
about human sacrifice) of indoor lights and the
Saturnalia custom of
bringing in holly, ivy, and evergreens, and you have the
makings of a
modern Christmas tree. So celebrate the solstice however
you see fit;
I enjoy thinking about our seed order for the coming
growing season,
perusing the colorful catalogs and dreaming of sun-ripened
fresh toma-
toes. I will also scatter a few basil seeds in a pot of
rich dirt so I
can enjoy the herb's pungent flavor as the
vernal equinox arrives.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
~
Friday, December 21, 2007 9:00 a.m.
26 degrees, breezy, partly cloudy
Is there anything more beautiful than moonlight on snow ?
Is there anything as cheery as a warm fire on a cold
morning ?
How delicious is that first steaming cup of aromatic
coffee ?
Is not the sight of winter birds feeding on last
autumn’s rose
hips an affirmation of the great wheel of life ? Do we
still think
a rhetorical question is a good way to begin an essay ?
Will you be having a great day ?
Daisy
~
Thursday, December 20, 2007 8:30 a.m.
29 degrees, calm, overcast flurries
Two inches of clean white snow overlay the road sand and
bits of
debris that the wind had distributed over the view
earlier this week.
Most of the deciduous trees are bare except for pockets
of powder
nestled in the forks and crannies, and evergreens wear
gracefully draped
mantles of white like holiday greeting card illustrations.
There is either fog
or low-lying clouds obscuring the valley and mountains
beyond, but here
atop Gomer Hill all is black and white and forest green.
The rosy glow
of pine grosbeaks hasn’t been around yet to break up
the monotony;
the soft brown hue of a single mourning dove will have to
serve
as the accent color for now. Temperatures will hover just
under freezing today, and wind will not be a problem;
get out and enjoy the day !
Daisy
~
Wednesday, December 19, 2007 8:15 a.m.
25 degrees. breezy, mostly cloudy
As we approach the shortest day of the year, we pay
particular
attention to the coming and going of the sun; the path it
traces is
so predictable and yet still startling in its diversity.
Rising at dawn
in December means we have overslept by at least an hour;
doing so
in June will give us a couple extra hours to do the
endless outdoor chores
of early summer. The little bit of cloudless sky to the
east is filled with light,
spilling over the puffy edges and bathing the meadows
with a peachy glow.
Denser dark clouds are drifting in from the west, and it
seems likely that
we may soon see some more snow. A pair of woodpeckers has
been
milling our aspen tree since before sunrise, and a large
flock of pine
grosbeaks appeared along with the sun. We haven’t
seen any ravens
at all since a week ago when they were the dominant avian
species in
our neighborhood; perhaps they have returned to the
forest, where they
are less conspicuous. It is best to keep a low profile,
as they (along with
their cousins, the crows) are often the objects of target
practice. Same
goes for the coyotes; it is beyond me how anyone can
wantonly kill
such intelligent beings, in the name of sport. Hunt for
food, or not
at all. There are many ways to enjoy the great outdoors
that don’t
involve running down one of Mother Nature’s pups
with a pack of
quads or snowmobiles and then shooting the cornered
exhausted
animal; put that way, not very sportsmanlike, is it ?
Let’s all be a
little more aware of the chain of life, and not add
unnecessary links.
Have a fine day,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, December 18, 2007 8:00 a.m.
15 degrees, calm, overcast, flurries
It is a peaceful winter morning here on Gomer Hill.
There is a noticeable lack of wind, and fine snowflakes
drift towards the ground so slowly as to be almost motion-
less, suspended in the chill December air. High winds
over the
weekend sculpted weird icicles that cling tenaciously to
the eaves,
some spiraled like a unicorn’s horn, others bent
away from the house
at an odd angle, as if trying to flee from the anchoring
tin. Once again
we have shoveled off the rooftops, and because the wind
was so fierce
from the south, we also had to remove quite a bit of snow
from the cellar,
where it was rammed through the tiny space between the
door and the
concrete bottom step. Our bin of red cabbages, kept close
to the door
because that is the coldest spot in the basement, was
full of snow. The
cabbages were not harmed; it takes more than a little
indoor blizzard
to kill those hearty veggies. In fact, the few that
remain in the garden
have resisted all efforts of the deer who have gnawed on
the frozen
globes in vain; they are so smooth and dense that the
deer just can’t
wrap their teeth around them to get a good start. If we
have a thaw,
critters will be able to make short work of the cabbages,
once they
dig through the snow to find them. That is the only thing
left in the
garden now; winter carrots have been pawed from the
ground,
broccoli and brussels sprout stalks have been nibbled to
nubs,
and the sunflower heads that still remain atop tall
stalks are
filled with hulls where once were seeds. It is hard to
believe
that just three short months ago we were knee-deep in the
harvest season,scrambling to gather in all that dang good
stuff.
Have a dang good day,
Daisy
~
Monday, December 17, 2007 9:00 a.m.
10 degrees, windy, partly sunny, snowing ?
It is difficult to tell what exactly is happening
outdoors;
it is either snowing a little and blowing a lot, or just
plain
blowing a lot and shifting the snow to new locations at a
high rate of speed. There are beautiful ripples and
drifts on
the surface of the deep snow in the meadows, and when the
sun hits them there are all sorts of fantastic shadows
cast here
and there. Looking at the snowfields after a good storm
is a little
like gazing at the clouds on a fine summer day; look,
there’s a sheep,
there’s a doggie, there’s Da Vinci’s Last
Supper... Yesterday’s storm
started with an icy mix, and finally settled down into
pure snow after lunch.
The wind wasn’t too bad, and it was a picture-perfect
day to bring the holiday
balsam tree in from the shed where it had been thawing
out. Now the house is
fragrant with the sweet forest aroma that tells me it is
almost time for the short
winter days to begin their way back from darkness into
light. Solstice this year
arrives at 1:08 a.m. December 22, making the 23rd the
first full day of winter.
What a fine coincidence; that is also the date of the
full moon! Today is the
first day of Saturnalia, a pagan festival that
lasts a week and includes
decking the halls with holly and greens, the basis for
many of our mo-
dern Christmas traditions. During this period, servants
and masters
often traded roles for a day, and all slaves were allowed
to wear
the hat of a free man and be treated with respect. Hey,
here’s
a thought, respect sounds like a year-round plan to me.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, December 16, 2007 7:30 a.m.
17 degrees, breezy, overcast, snow/sleet/grauple
We are currently experiencing a weather phenomenon
known as a nor’easter. The wind blows from the
southeast
instead of the northwest (for a change) and even though
it is
very cold outside, warmer air aloft has formed little ice
pellets
that mix with the snow, creating that lovely surface
known as
sugar snow. Since each flake is mingled with it’s
twin grauple
pellet, they slide over each other like tiny ball
bearings, and
it is so cold that they don’t have a chance to stick
together.
When properly dressed, a downhill skier can enjoy a near-
perfect glissade down the slope when it is inches deep in
sugar snow. Cross-country skiing should be great as well;
just remember to wear lots of layers and a moisture
barrier
shell. Many businesses and events have been closed
or cancelled today due to dicey road conditions;
call first before heading out.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Saturday, December 15, 2007 5:30 a.m.
0 degrees, calm, no stars
We arose extra early, hoping to see a few leftover
meteors from the
Geminid show, but there is not even a plain old star
shining through
the clouds. It was a quiet night, but very cold; the
temperature fell
from 34 to zero in the blink of an eye. We spent
yesterday north
of here in Watertown, home of the Crystal Diner, best
food in
that neck of the woods. Since the joint was featured on
NCPR
a couple of weeks ago, they have had more business than
ever.
Somehow, the over-crowding at lunchtime and harried
waitresses
did nothing to take away from the old-fashioned ambience
that per-
meates the place, not to mention the excellent clam
chowder. We
ran into all kinds of weather as we traveled the fifty
miles of highway
north and hence back home again. At one point I thought
that I should
give Mother Nature fifty bucks for the excellent natural
dermabrasion
that ensued as I made way from Hannaford to the car, icy
grauple wind-
driven at forty miles per hour directly into my face.
Today I am head-
ed the other direction, to the fine town of Amsterdam, a
day of
fun with friends that hopefully will find me on the road
back
home before the nor’easter that is headed our way.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Friday, December 14, 2007 6:30 a.m.
28 degrees, breezy, cloudy
Snow started to fall at lunchtime yesterday and continued
at
a steady rate until after dinner. We picked up about five
inches
of beautiful fluffy powder, easy to shovel and sitting
pretty on top
of treacherous ice. It is very easy to go from vertical
to horizontal
in the blink of an eye, never knowing what hit you until
you roll your
head to one side and see the long shiny skidmarks left by
boots as they
accelerated out of control. The roads were nicely plowed
by the town
and state crews, who often work ‘round the clock to
assureour safety.
Thanks ! Nearly every vehicle I saw heading north on
route 12D last
evening was pulling a snowmobile trailer; it’s that
time of year I guess.
The sky was too cloudy to view the Geminid meteor shower
last night,
but I suppose it went on as planned anyway; I hope the
beautiful sight
was enjoyed by many if not by me. I still have the
memories of being
sprawled on the grass in mid-August to see the bright
shooting stars
of the Perseid event, as well as that frosty night
in November
to catch just a few clusters of bright fireworks coming
from the Leonid display. Two out of three ain’t bad.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Thursday, December 13, 2007 7:30 a.m.
10 degrees, calm, mostly cloudy
Yesterday’s stiff breeze and temperature above
freezing blew
the festive frosting from the trees and melted rooftop
snow into
giant icicles. We spent much of the day clearing the ice
and snow
from the tin of both house and barns, getting ready for
more snow
which is headed our way later today. Last night was cold,
clear, and
starry with a thin sliver of moon setting behind the
forest trees just after
dinner. If there is any clear sky tonight, get out during
the wee hours
before dawn to view the annual Geminid meteor shower;
this year’s is
expected to be a good one, as the debris from asteroid
3200 Phaethon
is extra dusty this year. I saw a couple of bright
shooting stars last night
as I waited on the porch for the dog to make his rounds,
a good preview
of tonight’s main event. For more information about
this, go to click here.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, December 12, 2007 7:45 a.m.
28 degrees, breezy, overcast
The trees and shrubs of Gomer Hill are all coated with an
inch
of fine snow, clinging completely, glued there by the
rain that was
mixed in. Hard rain commenced mid-afternoon, and by the
time I
left work to come home there was a watery glaze on my car,
easy
enough to scrape off. The main roads had been recently
salted and
sanded, so travel was good, until I got to Turin. After I
turned onto
West Main Street the road was shiny with black ice. I
crept along,
and watched a car far ahead skid out of control and
overshoot their
driveway by fifty feet or so. Even my trusty all-wheel-drive
car with
its beefy winter tires is no match for black ice. What a
slow trip through
town; I could have walked faster. Fortunately, the West
Road and Gomer
Hill Road were both freshly sanded. As much of a pain as
winter rain is, it is
essential for building a good base for all winter sports.
The snow that is out
there now is wet and sticky, not the best for skiing, but
any future snow we
get will overlay this crusty goo and make for perfect
conditions. The only
birds in view this morning are pine grosbeaks, fat birds
about the size of
a robin and very beautiful. The male sports a rosy glow
all over his body,
and the female is dove grey with a splash of gold towards
her tail. Both
genders have strong seed-cracking bills and neat white
bars on their
dark grey wings, all in all a handsome species. There are
a dozen
or so birds roaming about the plowed yard; I can’t
imagine what
they are pecking at. Pine grosbeaks will readily come to
a bird-
feeder filled with sunflower seeds, and their cousins the
evening
grosbeaks are a common sight in town. There is as yet no
sign of
the ravens this morning; perhaps they were just passing
through.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 8:00 a.m.
28 degrees, calm, cloudy, misty rain/snow
Enough fine rain has fallen during the night so that
there are
festive icicles hanging from the tips of snow-covered
backyard
spruce tree boughs, a nice decorative accent for the
upcoming
holidays. Deciduous trees lack similar adornment, but the
house
and barn eaves also sport neat rows of icy spears,
shorter than those
on the trees but just as pretty. A dozen ravens showed up
this morning;
ten are on the road pecking at something, probably deer
droppings. Two
more of the large shaggy black birds sit as sentinels in
the trees on either
side of the road. I saw a flock of mourning doves on my
way to work
yesterday, perched on the power lines down by
Talcottville. A gigantic
number of starlings was spotted just a bit farther south,
swooping in uni-
son from the ridgeline of a big barn to an elm tree
across the road. I have
always noticed birds, no matter what the season; as a
young girl, we fed
cardinals, nuthatches, and chickadees in a suburban
midwestern neighbor-
hood, and chased the neighbor’s cat from the
birdbath. Here in the vast
Tug Hill Lesser Wilderness Region, we no longer feed
birds from little
wooden windowboxes, and our three all cats drink from the
birdbath,
too full of mice and voles to bother the birds. There is
a wealth of natural
forage material planted all over our property, along with
beechnuts, bugs
in dead trees, and wild dried fruits that abound in the
surrounding area. We
never know what kinds of birds will grace us with their
presence during the
long winter months, but there is almost always something
flying, perching,
or strutting around to hold our interest. This mass of
ravens is a new
development, one which bears watching, as they are quite
territorial
and may keep smaller birds from drawing too close. I
guess I’ll go
tell them they are very welcome to stick around, as long
as they
play nice. Good advice for all creatures, I would
reckon.
Have a great day, and play nice !
Daisy
~
Monday, December 10, 2007 9:00 a.m.
25 degrees, calm, cloudy
A dusting of new snow has freshened the morning view. It
is
easy to see which tracks and footprints have been made
since night
fell. The deer have been back into the side garden, where
they dug up
every single carrot that we had left in the ground to
overwinter, and they
are slowly gnawing through several large frozen cabbages
that escaped
harvest. The black cat who had been lurking about the
barn has not been
here for a few days; the only small tracks in the yard
belong to our little dog.
My favorite tracks to see are the ones I laid down
yesterday afternoon with
my skinny skis, heading across the meadow and into the
forest. I had a lovely
afternoon exploring all the nooks and crannies of our
neighborhood, swooping
down slippery slopes and scrambling back to the top, a
grand workout in the
great outdoors. The sun appeared for a few all-too-brief
intervals, illuminating
the trees which were plastered with bright white snow
along the entire length
of their west-facing trunks, highlighting the stark
simplicity with crisp radiance.
Deer have already worn ruts right down to the ground on
their well-traveled
routes, although the beds are located elsewhere for now.
As I exited the
woods I heard a great commotion overhead, a series of
loud growling
honks like a great blue heron makes from time to time.
There was no
heron in sight, but high overhead three ravens stroked
their way from
west to east, one making that guttural cry as they flew.
I crossed the
road and circled the garden, and the call was repeated,
this time from
more than one bird. Eighteen more ravens flew out of the
forest to the
west, a loose mob of heavy birds playing tag; if it
weren’t December, I
would have assumed they were mating on the wing. I would
never have
noticed them if it were not for the constant raucous
ruckus they made as
they soared. I have never seen that many ravens in one
place before; they
do not, as a rule, migrate, but will often roost together
during the winter
months. We have a large group of crows that often hangs
around all
year, and crows will not easily share their territory
with ravens. Per-
haps what I heard yesterday was the battle cry of the
larger birds
challenging the locals; on the other hand, it could have
been merely
a heads up just passing through, no worries mate. I
wonder if
I will see them again. For sure, they were hard to ignore
yesterday.
Have a fine day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, December 9, 2007 9:00 a.m.
15 degrees, calm, mostly cloudy, flurries
Temperatures dipped into the teens last night, and it
looks
like we might barely slide into the twenties during the
day. A
few sporadic snowflakes mosey slowly down to join the
crusty
base that formed yesterday morning. Cross country skiing
is zippy;
although there is not much snow, it was compacted by a
little rain and
wet snow, and the meadows are pretty easy to navigate.
The forest still
contains some hidden wet patches leftover from November
rains, and the
ice isn’t yet thick enough to head into my favorite
balsam swamplands. Deer
have been al over the Hill, and have left some clear
impressions to indicate
where wet spots lurk beneath the snow. So for now, I will
be happy to set
some tracks into the open fields and old pastures that
abound on Gomer
Hill. Snow Ridge opened yesterday for alpine skiers and
snowboarders,
and they report that conditions are very good, although
the whole area
is not yet available for use. Get out and enjoy this
beautiful day,
even if it is just to toss a few snowballs with your dog.
Have fun,
Daisy
~
Saturday, December 8, 2007 7:45 a.m.
29 degrees, breezy, overcast, drizzle
Fine raindrops are scattered here and there, quickly
freezing
onto the road in spots with scanty salted sand. Our back
step
is definitely crampon-worthy. Traffic is fairly constant
this morning,
mostly trucks with sled trailers headed to their weekend
get-aways.
Yesterday afternoon saw a steady stream of such vehicles
heading up
the Hill, testament to the increasing amount of farmland
that has been sub-
divided into lots for out-of-towners. When we first came
to Gomer Hill in
1976, we could ride a bike or ski around the Mackay Road
block and pass
only a couple of small camper-trailers and one big old
barn. Now there are
dozens of structures: prefabs, log cabins, some custom
designed camps that
are more spacious and luxurious than many full-time
residences in the county.
Scads more lots are ready and waiting for future
buildings. What is surprising
is that, in spite of the increasing human population in
our neighborhood, the
wildlife numbers seem to be growing as well. The four
deer I saw yesterday
are back, in almost the exact same spot by the road. I
can see through the
binoculars that there is not an antler among them, and by
their size I guess
there are two does and two of last summer’s
young’uns. A flock of crows
is perched in the trees around the deer, perhaps waiting
to see if any nu-
trient-rich droppings will be on the menu this morning.
Blue jays, juncos,
crows and a few late geese have all been through our
patch of grey sky
this morning; where are the starlings ? Do they know
something about
the nature of the winter yet to come that has sent them
fleeing to a more
gentler clime ? I can’t wait to see what unfolds in
the coming months.
Enjoy your day,
Daisy
~
Friday, December 7, 2007 8:00 a.m.
16 degrees, calm, mostly cloudy
A pencil-thin ribbon of orangey dawn lingers at the
horizon,
but for the most part the sky is full of clouds. They sit
in layers,
with bright spots showing through the thinnest of them,
like a sunny
day may be lurking just around the corner. Four deer were
lingering
at the roadside for quite a while, until a truck came
zooming down
the road and three of them dashed into the
neighbor’s driveway.
The fourth pranced around by the ditch for a while,
clearly un-
decided about whether to cross the road into the path of
the
truck to join his friends, or backtrack to safety. At the
last
minute the truck slammed to a skidding halt and the deer
finally moseyed out right in front of it, unharmed for
now.
I have never seen so many deer behave so stupidly as this
year; many friends and acquaintances have totaled their
vehicles
in an unscheduled collision. After watching the scene
play itself out
before my eyes this morning, I can see how it happens in
the wink of
an eye, especially if it is dark out. That deer was
oblivious to the truck’s
presence, and I think would have stepped in front of it
even if the driver
hadn’t managed to stop in time. The best we can do
is reduce our speed
when visibility is poor, and keep a close watch on the
roadsides for un-
predictable critters. That truck driver is lucky the road
had been freshly
plowed and sanded, or he might have skidded into the
meadow.
Let’s be careful out there !
Daisy
~
Thursday, December 6, 2007 8:00 a.m.
10 degrees, calm, mostly cloudy, flurries
The view is mostly grey now, but just after sunrise were
a few
magic moments that got the day off to a beautiful start.
A band
of blue sky was layered in between thick bands of dark
clouds
just above the southeastern horizon, and the sun’s
first golden
beams slanting through the small aperture cast a warm
glow
over the snowscape. Tiny frost motes danced and swirled
in the frigid air, disappearing if I looked directly at
them;
perhaps I only imagined them. I have tried to capture
such twinkling phenomena on film, and it never works.
As soon as the sun disappeared underneath the clouds,
big fat flakes of snow started to drift lazily past the
window,
replacing the mysterious glimmers of wintry radiance with
more
substantial stuff. There is some snow in the forecast
every day for
a week, making my wish for a traditional winter look like
a reality.
Hurray for snow !
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Wednesday, December 5, 2007 8:30 a.m.
14 degrees, calm, flurries
Sometime during the long night fine snow or rime frost
has frozen
onto all of the tiny branches and twigs that make up so
much of our
view. It is very pretty, and until the wind picks up it
will stay put. Tiny
motes of grauple sit atop the feathery snow that fell
most of yesterday;
it seemed as if snow was constantly in the air, yet there
is only about
two inches of new accumulation. A flock of large birds is
pecking salt
and grit from the road, probably blue jays or starlings,
too far to make
out any details. Two deer just moseyed through the birds,
neither paying
attention to the others. There are cat tracks leading
from the road to the
barn, and a black cat has been seen in the neighborhood;
perhaps we
shall have a winter visitor. Since we currently have no
livestock or
hay in storage, I imagine this stray kitty will find the
empty cold
barn to be less than perfect lodging. I’ll leave it
a note with
directions to the neighbor’s horse barn, can’t
hurt...
Have a fine day,
Daisy
~
Tuesday, December 4, 2007 8:30 a.m.
13 degrees, breezy, hazy sunshine, flurries
After a wild and crazy day of snow and wind, our view has
been transformed into a wintry wonderland of frosted
trees and
graceful drifts. An old clothesline still wears its
sheath of ice and
shines like a sterling silver ribbon in the morning sun.
The air is filled
with fine snowflakes, twinkling like glitter scattered
from some celestial
shaker. Our farmstead sits as the focal point in a huge
snowglobe, com-
plete with two bright blue jays perched in a snow-draped
spruce tree.
Look closer, and you will see a downy woodpecker drilling
into one of
our window casings. Look long enough, and see the
homeowner holler-
ing out the window to go find a tree, you stupid-head
! Yesterday’s
drive to work was a little tricky, as there were many
areas where wind-
driven snow created whiteout conditions. There was plenty
of traffic,
and many folks had forgotten to turn on their headlights,
which can
be a fatal decision when the visibility is zero. I was
fortunate to be
able to leave work before dark, and by then there were
actually
patches of blue sky showing between the treacherous
squalls.
Snow Ridge may open for business this weekend; before
heading up, check the ski report at snowridge.com.
Cross Country trails should be excellent as long
as we prepare for a mix of conditions.
Take your ice scraper just in case.
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
~
Monday, December 3, 2007 8:30 a.m.
32 degrees, windy, overcast, snowing
Some rain fell in the middle of the night and froze onto
the trees atop
Gomer Hill. Now strong gusts from the west are randomly
sending motes
of ice into the house with the sound of machine-gun fire,
rat-a-tat-a-tat into
the windows, siding, and tin roof, a fitting backbeat to
the whistling wind. About
three inches of sticky wet new snow is beginning to
freeze into impenetrable boiler-
plate, which is next to impossible to shovel or plow but
will make an excellent base
layer for skiing, both alpine and nordic style. Many
small branches have broken from
trees surrounding the house, and the snow’s surface
is littered with twigs and ice. In-
credibly, a pair of mourning doves is swooping gracefully
among the evergreens behind
the house, emerging from the sheltering boughs
occasionally to circle the yard and dive
deep into the branches once again. I wonder if they have
been blown off course by
this storm ? We seldom see these birds during the winter
months, as most of them
head south for the season. I hope there will be a break
in the weather so they can
bug out. Be careful on the roads, the wind is as much a
problem as the precipitation;
go slow, proceed with caution.
Have a great day,
Daisy
~
Sunday, December 2, 2007 9:30 a.m.
10 degrees, breezy, overcast, flurries
Snow comes and goes on this raw and windy morning.
Right now there are occasional tiny flakes dancing on the
breeze,
but earlier the view was lost in a total whiteout of snow
buffeted every
which way, so thick the photovoltaic sensor in our yard
light caused the
bulb to glow like a second sun. Snowmobiles arrived on
Gomer Hill yesterday,
running at top speed on four inches of snow; these are,
no doubt, the same folks
who will complain a few weeks down the season that the
groomers haven’t been
doing a good job of smoothing out the muddy stretches,
which they, in fact, have
created themselves. Yes, there are responsible riders out
there, but it is the thought-
less outlaws who leave a lasting (and really, really bad)
impression in the memories
of North Country locals. For every rider who has softly
knocked on our door to
report an accident, or stopped me on the road while
skiing or walking to politely
ask directions, there have been a hundred who trespass on
our property at high
speeds, think it is great sport to run down cats, use our
yard as a turn-around,
stop in our meadow to enjoy the view and then leave a
pile of garbage and
empty cans, or zoom past the end of our driveway to
disappear down
our (closed) road. Please check the trail reports before
heading out,
and ride as if your life depended on it; it actually does,
you know.
Enjoy your day,
Daisy
~
Saturday, December 1, 2007 8:00 a.m.
12 degrees, windy, mostly sunny
Welcome to December, the month within which is held the
official start of winter.
Certainly winter is in the air this morning, with icy air
blowing straight down from
the North Pole and wind chills as low as minus twenty
during the gusts. A few snow
squalls zipped through our neighborhood last night
well after the Winter Storm Warning
was lifted, and now there are some pretty good drifts
decorating the meadows. Since deer
hunting season is ongoing through sunset tomorrow, there
haven’t been any snowmobiles
on the Hill so far; there really isn’t enough snow
yet, but that hasn’t stopped them before
from violating the hunting season ban or running on
scanty snow. I am eager to explore
this new landscape on cross-country skis, but common
sense tells me to wait until
Monday when the hunters have all left Tug Hill. Perhaps
if the wind dies down I
can make a few circuits of the back meadow to whet my
appetite for future
forays into the sun-dappled forests and rich green balsam
swamps that
beckon. What do you look forward to this December ?
Have a wonderful day,
Daisy
~
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