The weather has continued up and down around freezing, and the snow has melted, snowed again, melted again. The cloud has also continued, although there have been a few more sunny breaks than earlier in the fall. Today the temperature has been dropping again, and we’re supposed to get another two to four inches of […]
Snow has arrived! First, last week, one morning we awoke with about an inch of lovely, wet snow coating everything. All the trees were frosted with white and it really looked like a winter wonderland. It warmed up during the day, and it was mostly gone by the end of the day. We have been […]
Last week we finally saw real snow – just snow showers and flurries on and off, Thursday and Friday, and it didn’t stick on the ground. And Saturday morning we awoke to see a dusting of snow on the ground. It all melted in a few hours, but it was nice to see! It did […]
We have had two real frosts in the last week. They did in the morning glories and scarlet runner beans, and the remaining poppies and cosmos. And the black-eyed susans had been pretty well over even before then … or so I thought. It’s another glorious fall day, cool and sunny, and I went out […]
Another blue and gold day … After several weeks of relentlessly rainy weather, the past few days have been glorious, Indian summer weather. The poplars and birches still retain most of their leaves, bright gold against the blue sky. And this afternoon while I was hanging laundry on the line, I heard a multitude of […]
I guess no description of the beauties of a northern autumn is complete without noting that the cluster flies are back. They look like ordinary house flies but behave quite differently. They are not omnivores, like common house files, but carnivores, feeding on worms and caterpillars, and the story is that they were introduced to […]
The season is progressing nicely. We didn’t get the poplars and birches turning at the same time as the maples, but the maples made up for it by turning every colour from yellow through peach, various oranges, and red. We’ve had several cool and rainy days, and the maple leaves are beginning to fall, so […]
I have been remiss in posting but couldn’t let the approach of fall pass without comment. This is a lovely time of year! As usual, the red maples started changing first – I think they respond to the shortening day rather than temperature, because they always begin to turn in late August, no matter how […]
The season continues to be a good two weeks advanced. All the August wildflowers are blooming – goldenrod Joe Pye weed in full bloom. Trefoil continues along with along with several other yellow flowers I haven’t identified yet, a few late daisies and yarrow. And the catttails are in full “bloom” – the characteristic brown […]
Hot, hot, hot, even humid. Yesterday I picked my first quart of berries, all from the rocky areas close to the house. Lots more on the bushes in all colours from waxy white through various pinks to bluish purple to the real, ripe blue. What with jam and muffins and pies and all, I hope to […]