The First Coating of Snow

We've had snow flurries and some blustery weather the last few weeks, but not enough to really stick.  We got about an inch of snow yesterday.  I know a lot of people don't like to see the first real snow, but it makes me happy.

The creek is running well.  The water is too warm to start freezing yet . . .

The lichens on the rock wall by the ramp to the hay mow seem just fine in the cold . . .

The old barn sleeps peacefully . . .

The garden beds are also asleep.  We planted garlic bulbs in late October and were surprised they already sprouted!  We had warmer-than-normal weather in early November.  I'm sure the garlic will be fine next spring.

The temperatures are expected to rise over 50 degF the next few days.  I like to see the snow.  It helps set the mood for the holidays . . .

Flooding

We weathered the remnants of Hurricane Irene.  The creek came up a little, but there was no flooding.  The ground is now soaked, and our grass hasn't been mowed in weeks.

We decided to do some remodeling this weekend.  It was hot and muggy.  I painted the master bedroom and living room ceiling and ripped out the old carpeting in the master bedroom.  We picked up some new laminate flooring which I'll install in a few weeks.  By Sunday evening we were tired.  We went out to dinner.  On the way home the temperature started to drop.  A few rain showers came through.  Mists swirled around the mountains.

We painted the master bedroom on Monday.  It had rained all night and all through the day.  By Tuesday the rain eased up.  I got a little yard work in (turned the compost piles, weeded, trimmed brush), and we hauled the old carpet to the dump.

The remnants of tropical storm Lee came in late Tuesday evening.  It has dumped inches of rain.  The creek overflowed its bank and flooded the eastern part of the yard.  The house is okay, but we expect to have a little water in the garage and the barn.  Luckily we have most of our stuff on pallets and only shovels and garden tools in the first level of the barn.  At most we got an inch of water in a few places.

The water level is already dropping, but we still expect a few more inches of rain overnight.  Looks like we will have more cleanup to do next weekend.  A few of our neighbors have many inches of water in their basements.  Given the fact we have a stone foundation and a dirt floor in our basement, we'll have to run the dehumidifier to keep the dampness down.

We are lucky.  This is minor flooding.  I think about the people affected by Katrina, or the recent flooding caused by Irene.  Nature is dispassionate.

Catching Up!

It's been a while since I posted anything. Fall has been a busy time.  We went to Gettysburg last weekend.  We enjoy visiting the battlefields and taking in the history.

We escaped the heavy rains.  There was localized flooding.  The river was up quite a bit.  The creek finally had water in it.  The heavy rains knocked a lot of the leaves from the trees.

Yesterday, I raked the yard, filled the compost bins, and mowed the yard.  Most of the leaves are off the trees in our yard.  I expect all the leaves will be down in a few more weeks.

We had our first hard frost this morning.  It has hit the knotweed pretty hard.

Frost on the Deck Chairs

The day is beautiful.  Sunny, light winds, temperatures around 70 degF.  Enjoy!

Creek in Fall

Autumn Leaves on Spook Hill

Rainy Day Chores

We finally got a good rain.  It started sometime after midnight and has been going steady.  I expect we will get over 1 inch.  This is good. It has been dry this month and the plants and rivers could use it.  Our creek was nearly dry (just a few puddles), but it is now flowing again.

Dry Creek

Wet Creek

We picked up our corn yesterday.  We get it from a local farm-stand.  It was picked around 8:00 in the morning, and by 3:00 we had it all shucked, wrapped, and in the freezer.  We put way 160 ears!  This will keep us in corn-on-the-cob for most of the coming year.

Our plum (roma) tomatoes have been coming in.  We peeled and froze 4 1/2 dozen this morning.  We have a few more dozen we picked yesterday, and will certainly pick many dozen more in the coming weeks.  We use frozen tomatoes in our spaghetti sauce, chili, soups, etc.  We put about 8 tomatoes into quart size freezer bags after we peel them.  Each bag is roughly equivalent to a 10 - 12 ounce can (no salt, preservatives, and better flavor).

I'll be making pesto today.  We blend our basil with grated parmesan cheese and olive oil.  We divide it into small portions and also freeze it.  We can take some pesto out any time and whip up some pasta, etc. in a snap.

I spent a few ours in the workshop catching up on a few projects.  I had picked up a few hand drills at auctions that needed some cleaning up.  Most needing some lubrication, while one needed its handle glued.  I also worked on the puffin decoy.  Most of the sanding is now done.  I've glued the bill in, and filled some of the big cracks with wood putty.  The decoy will get one more finish sanding and then I'll paint it.

Twins

It's been hot and dry the past several weeks.  Just a month ago we were in Alaska gazing upon snow-capped mountains.  Now, its is nearly 90 degF.  We have not had much rain.  Though the weather is good for tomatoes, the grass is slowly drying out and turning brown.  Once we get a good soaking rain it will recover.  It always does.

The dry-spell means the creek is down.  There is but a slow, trickle of warm water over algae-covered rocks.  But it is water, and where there is water, there is life.

Last night, we walked to the creek and watched the little fish schooling around.  How they make it through the dry spells, the winter freezes, and the high, cold spring torrents I'll never know.

Today, I was looking out from our library and saw two deer by the creek.  We don't see many deer on our property in the summer.  When we do, it has been when it is hot.  They were young fawns, still in there spotted coats, exploring the knotweed by the creek.

I called the wife and we ventured out to see them.  I bid her to keep watching them while  grabbed the camera.  We got a few photos, then they darted behind the barn.  I went to one side of the barn, creeping around to take a few photos.  I saw them in the creek.  I was ready to take another photo.  My wife went had went to the other side of the barn. She got closer to the deer, but then startled them.  I missed my chance for more photos.

I ventured down to the creek tonight as the sun was setting.  It was cool, lush and peaceful near the trickle of water.  Where there is water, there is life. . .

Project Updates

I had recently posted about stabilizing the bank at the creek. It was a lot of work moving stone and building up the embankment. I still have some more work to do. I'll wait for another warm weekend to work in the creek.

I also put a coat of stain on the gate leg table. I'll probably need to take some steel wool to the top to get it real smooth and finish it.

Gotta make room for new projects . . .

Busy Day

We continue to have a very warm Spring. It was over 80 degF today. I spent a lot of time working in the yard. I changed out the clothesline (the old line was getting pretty worn). I then finished removing the fencing which was about the barn. It looks a little bare now, but the post were rotting out as well as the rails. It didn't take much time to take it all down.

I raked out the hosta garden. I did some touch-up painting around the barn, and also raked out some of the other flower beds. I built up a rock foundation around the well head to put an older pump head over the well head. It looks a lot better than a modern well head.

We have had some erosion on the creek. I spent a few hours stacking rock on the back to limit the erosion. While working on the bank, I found a horseshoe. I need identify it (if you know what type of shoe it is, let me know).

It was nice to be outside, but after several hours of working outside I was getting tired. I walked over to the creek to sit on the bench I put there last year. I startled a pair of mallard ducks. They flew just a few yards down stream, but stayed around a while.

We'll be grilling outside tonite. Enjoy the warm weather!

Progress

Spring is soon to come, and the outside projects are starting!

We found a contractor to put a new roof on the barn. They started this week due to the unusually warm March weather (it was nearly 50 degF - amazing we had 18 inches a snow just 2 week ago!). They got the purlins on the main roof barn, and are nearly finished on the east side of the main barn. They will then work on the single-story section over the gym. With the new roof, the barn work will be finished (for now)!

The well drillers are busy around the neighborhood. A number of our neighbors have followed our lead and getting wells drilled.

With the warm weather, the melting snow has brought the creeks and rivers up. Our creek is running high, but there is no worry about flooding.

Another Cold Day

It was unseasonably cold this morning. We have about 4 inches of snow on the ground. It was around 14 degF last night. We got about 1/2 inch of new snow. Though it wasn't much, I decided to plow it so the sun would hit the driveway and dry it out. I don't want any icy patches.

Speaking of ice, the recent cold spell has started the creek freezing. I like to walk down to the creek in the winter and listen to the water. The chickadees will usually be about, curiously watching me as I watch them.

I rowed 20K meters this morning. As you might know, I row indoors on a Concept2 rower. I try to row1 million meters in a year. I hit my million meter mark on December 5th. I'm working towards rowing 200K meters between Thanksgiving and Xmas (its part of a yearly challenge the Concept2 company hosts). Right now, I am at 120K meters. Barring any last minute travel, I should be able to finish this by the 21st of December.

I made good progress on the merganser decoy. I started the rough sanding and fitting the head to the body. I was going to mortise it in, but it is easier to just nail it in. I'm pretty happy with it so far. The body needs to dry quite a bit more. I've decided to bring it inside and keep it near the stove. Hopefully, it will dry in a few weeks. Then I can finish the shaping / sanding and then tackle the paint job.