Roller Coaster

It seems the big news around this old farm has been the weather.  Last weekend we were digging out from a decent snowstorm.  Then warm weather moved in and melted much of the snow (wish I got more snow shoeing in!).   We then had an cold front move in from the arctic.  What a roller coaster ride.

We had an unexpected snow storm roll in yesterday, along with 6 inches of new snow.  This snow was welcome, but not long-lived.  The arctic cold has retreated, and a warm front moved in and brought snow melt and rain.

It was pouring!

The melt water and rain took over the frozen creek.  The ice started to break up.

The creek started to fill up . . .

The ice won't last long!  Ice dams and flash flood warning have been posted, but I don't expect our little creek to be a problem.

The heavy rain stopped for a while.  The creek was flowing fast and furious.

Like the saying goes, "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes!".

Snow and Ice

The winter storm we had the last few days left a beautiful winter day.  I had to rake the snow of the porch roofs, clean up the driveway from all the windblown snow, and shovel paths out to the barn.  We are expecting a significant warm up followed by another deep freeze and wanted to get all the snow out of the way lest it freezes into a solid block of ice!

I decided to get a small snow shoe trek in.  I headed to Jenksville State Forest.  There are a series of trails there that I have biked upon, but never visited in the winter.  The access area was plowed out, and I headed into the 'red' trails (the red are on the east of the area, the blue in the middle, and yellow to the west).

Though we had very strong winds, the trees were still covered in snow.  Absolutely beautiful!

I was out around noon, but the low sun cast long shadows in the snow.

I followed the road into the area for a bit, then headed to the north following a dubious trail sign.  The trail was initially apparent, but there were no markers.  That's okay.  I headed north for a while, then east a bit, and then back south.  I knew I'd hit the access road.

Along the way I came across frozen streams.  The ice crystals were amazing.

I came back on the main trail, and then headed east.  I knew the trail would take me to the ridge line to the east.

The trail was pristine.  I don't know how many people visit this area in the winter.  I was working up quite a sweat breaking trail.

The road crossed several small streams and rivulets.  There was running melt water under the ice, with the exposed areas giving up water vapor which formed the most interesting ice crystals.

The evergreen trees were covered in blankets of snow.

It was interesting how the trees on the north side of the trail were mostly hardwoods.  It was sunny and open-feeling in that wood.

However, the south side of the trail was wooded by spruce and hemlock.  The snow-laden bough were creaking in the wind.  The wood had a dark and angry feel to it.

I came to the ridge line overlooking the valley below.  In the distance were the farms and towns I cycle through in the summer.

I was tired after a morning of exercise and work.  I headed back to the car.  I crossed a little bridge over a frozen stream.  The huge flakes of ice crystal covered the frozen stream.

The snow and ice are ephemeral.  The temperatures will rise well above freezing and will be accompanied by rain.  These treasures will be gone soon . . .

Confusion

I feel sorry for the little Woolly Bears.  The weather has been quite fickle.  The week has been one of constant change.

It started like a typical November (like I always say - "No sun, No snow, No color, November..."). All is still and grey.

Last weekend I finished the yard work.  I raked the last of the leaves, dropped the mower deck off the tractor, put on the plot blades, threw some straggler plants into the compost bins, dragged out the snow shovels, cleaned out the gutters, and put a few more snow guards on the roof (we lost a door hood due to an snow slide - it won't happen this year).  Of course, the weather decided to taunt me - snow and freezing rain while I worked!

My timing was good.  We had cold front move through by mid-week.  A little snow on Tuesday . . .

. . . followed by a few inches on Wednesday . . .

By the weekend it was all melted.  We have had temperatures above 50 degF the last two days!  Those poor Woolly Bears must be confused - I am!

A Relaxing Weekend???

I had a three day weekend, and thought I would be able to putter around the workshop.  The garden beds are asleep, and there isn't much left to do in the yard.  I need to rake out the white garden and the shade garden, drop the mower deck on the tractor, put on the plow blade, and other small tasks.

However, we are now under the threat of Tropical Storm Sandy . . .

I had a few important errands to get done - drag the generator on the porch, fill the gas cans, put in a sump pump (I was going to do it in November), put away any loose items by the creek (in case it floods), etc..  I got them done.

Still, I had time to enjoy the weekend.  I raked some leaves to top off the compost bins.  I noted the tamaracks are changing.

The pots are put away - waiting for next year.

I did find time to work on a few projects in the workshop . . .

I made a tool rest for the 'new' old Niagara bench grinder . . .

Grinder without Tool Rest 

 Grinder with New Tool Rest

I had picked up a simple drop-leaf table a few weeks ago at an auction.  I was looking for a simple table for a fly-tying bench.  The slides for the drop leaves were hard to pull out as the leather handles were missing.  I glued / screwed new leather strips to the slides . . .

The new slides fit fine.  It is easy to pull on the leather straps to get the slides out . . .

 . . . and then you have two leaves for mounting vises.

I also cleaned up an old hand auger.  Sharpened the bit and gave it a fine coat of oil.

I have a few fruit cakes in the oven.  They will need to be dipped in liquor (I use Grand Marnier) and age for at least a month.

Yep, I has been a relaxing weekend!

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.

After The Storm

We weathered hurricane Irene with no problems.   Some family in the mid-Atlantic have had no power for days.  Towns south of us have had terrible flooding.

Outside there has been the sounds of chain saws.  Neighbors have been cutting fallen trees of their roofs.

The Otter is furious.   I have never seen the falls so angry, even during spring floods!

The river is up several feet.  The parking lot at the basin is flooded.

I hope you all are safe!

It Ain't Over Yet!

I was supposed to fly down to Philadelphia for work today.  But Nature decided to do her thing, and my trip was cancelled.

We have blowing snow, with accumulations near 2 feet.  The city plows came by, but got stuck in front of our place.  They had to send a bucket loader over to pull the plow out!

We had to shovel the snow from around our cars.  It had drifted up over the hoods and trunks!

It still looks like it will be several weeks before I can get out and paddle.  The rivers and bays are still ice choked.

Luckily, its warm inside.

Stay Safe!

Brrrrrrrrrr!!!

Don't get me wrong.  I like the winter.  I like being outside, enjoying the snow, skiing, snowshoeing.  Heck, I even bicycle in the winter.

But when it get below 10 degF, it is too cold.

Yesterday at 4:30 PM (6 degF)

Yesterday at 9:30 PM (-2 degF)

Today at 7:30 AM (-18 degF ... YIKES!)

Today at 6:00 PM (-2 degF)

When I got home from work, the wife told me the cold water line in the kitchen had frozen.  The maintenance man was over and had it going after 30 minutes.  We probably need to let the water trickle all night!  Luckily, it will only get to -3 degF tonight!

Please stay warm and safe.  Watch out for those who might need our help.

November

We went back to standard time last Sunday.  The sun appears to rise 1 hour earlier, but it sets 1 hour sooner.  As the days get shorter, I'll be going to work in the dark soon.

When I left for work this morning (about 7:15 AM), the sun was up.  As I made my way to work, I could see that the world seemed to have turned brown.  The leaves were off the trees, the plants were all brown.  The stands of goldenrod stood beaten down - their golden tops withered and tan.

When I left work at 6:00 tonight, it was dark, cold and rainy.  What a depressing feeling.  A long day at work, cold, wet weather, poor visibility for my commute home.  What an unpleasant evening.  It was good to get home and see that my wife put the porch light on for me.

This is one of my least favorite times of year.  We haven't hit the holiday season.  There is no snow to enjoy (yes my southern readers - some of us actually like the snow!).  It is dark when I get home, so I can't get a ride on my bike.  The world is shutting down, getting ready for the coming winter.

Like I always say:

No Sun,

No Snow,

No Color,

November!

What do you think?

Wooly Bear Forecasting

You have heard the rule that you can predict the severity of the winter by looking at the amount of black coloring on the wooly bear caterpillar.  The rule is that the more black, the colder the winter.

Judging by the caterpillar I saw today, it looks like a warm winter.  We did have a warm summer and a rather mild fall.  Last year we had an appreciable snowfall on October 16th.  This year, we have had nothing.

What do you think?  What are your wooly bear caterpillars doing?