That "S" Word Happens Again

Yes, we woke up to plenty of that S stuff this morning - 12" to be shoveled.

 The first man out shoveled off the driveway and in front of one garage door. Then he took pity on the backyard birds. He got a second bird feeder out, clamped it to the first one and filled them both with sunflower seed for the little birds. All day we long we have watched the birds flock to the backyard cafe - see the cardinal on the ground under the feeder? He can't get into the feeder but he can feast on the seeds dropped on the ground when the feeder sways around. There's a mound of snow piled on the bird bath to the right of the front big tree trunk - I'm guessing the birds found water okay despite the birdbath being covered in snow.

 Then this science experiment was started to see if the vodka would freeze!

 Vodka cocktails on the deck at 5pm anyone? Check the level of the snow around the chairs.

 But it wasn't all hard work.  These neighborhood children had fun with their snowboard.

No access to the party deck this way either!

Everything got a snowcap. I wish I had written the numbers bigger on my snow measurement stick.

But, I am thankful this was only snow. I really fear ice storms that have the potential to knock out power lines. This is not the time of year to be without power. No heating in the house could result in frozen pipes which then might burst and create a flood. 

And I am thankful we are not facing flood waters like so many in England right now in the area where the Thames has burst it's banks.

And nor are we facing the very high heat that friends in Australia are dealing with - that comes with the potential for bushfire.

So, all in all, maybe the S word is not so bad after all!

It's not the snow...

it's the cold of this winter that is getting to me; the sea-saw of temperatures, the icy roads, the uncertainty of whether we will get hit by the next storm. There has not really been a major snowstorm but the sheer number of days with ice, sleet, snow showers and days when the temperature has not got above freezing is doubtless responsible for many a case of cabin fever this winter.

On Wednesday morning we woke up to see what resulted from the overnight ice storm.

 Colors in winter can still provide good contrast and maybe inspiration for a quilt color scheme.

 See the small icicles on the pagoda? I keep my one azalea bush netted up all year long to protect it from browsing deer. Speaking of which I opened the front door around 9.30pm a couple of nights back and disturbed a small herd of at least six deer right in one of my front garden beds close to the house and driveway. They scattered upon hearing me but doubtless they came back and are there on many nights.

 Alas, it looks as though I will have to be replacing this once glorious rosemary bush in the spring. In 14 years I have always had a rosemary bush in this location - this is only the second one and it was particularly vibrant and well sized.

The English ivy is longing for the more agreeable English weather. This too is a plant I have had for many years - growing confined in a pot right on the black tarmac driveway it puts up with a lot but I am dubious as to whether it will come back to life in the springtime.

This scene made me think, just slightly, of Henry David Thoreau. I call it "two trees diverged in an icy wood".

On Sunday the groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter. Looking on the bright side, gee, only six more weeks and we will be done with it!

My Garden in January

 Not much of anything exciting happens in my garden in January - but when you see the photos you might understand why!

Yes, we have had another snow event.

It began falling around 9am on Tuesday and continued most of the day. I'm surprised the final level was not higher given how long snow fell. But that's okay.

 It was chilly out front.

 Just before I took this photo I saw a small bird fly in to take shelter in that orange birdhouse so I was glad I had not brought it inside for the winter. I'm not sure I will be able to keep it up by the spring time as it is beginning to fall apart. But then again, maybe I am looking at it with a more critical eye than the birds do.

 This morning when I raised the blind this is what I saw. Outside the temperature was about 5F or minus 15C. But the sun was out, the snow plows had worked all night long and the road was clear so things could have been a lot worse. We reached a very warm (not!) high of 15F or minus 9.4C.

 Can you hear that little bunny saying "Enough of the cold stuff. I've had it up to my ears with this weather."

 As the snow was beginning to fall I decided to make myself a snow measuring stick. Finding somewhere to install it that was in the open was not easy. but this looked about as good as it was going to get on short notice. As it was getting dark last night the level was up to 5" but I just took this photo around sundown today and the snow, being very powdery, has settled somewhat. I like the green-man's wide open mouthed look of astonishment at the cold weather.

Since I can't garden outside I'll show you my tiny little inside garden. I'm not really one for pot plants - I don't have good windowsills or other places to put pot plants and with the central heating it does not produce a good environment for most plants. But my mother-in-law, who loves to have african violets in pots in her kitchen window, had given me this about 15 months ago. A friend who was here in the summer told me my plant needed repotting and it had these very long leaf stems because I wasn't giving it enough light.

So I re-potted it into a bigger pot and moved it to my front window. I have to keep alert because this is a west facing window and these plants are not meant to like being in the sun. So once the sun comes in during the day I move it aside out of the sun. But look, it still has the very long leaf stems. I guess that is the way it is going to be. That plant stand it is sitting on is about 9.5" square so that will give you an idea of the size of my plant.

Anyone want to provide me with words of wisdom about this?

I hope you are warm and safe if you are on the same side of the equator as me. And, for my friends in Australia who might be reading this I hope it makes you feel just a little cooler as I understand you are having temperatures of the opposite extreme.

July in Christmas

If you are reading this in the Southern Hemisphere you are likely very well acquainted with the concept of Christmas in July. But to explain it to others - the traditional British/European/American Christmas Dinner is a meal centered around a large piece of freshly roasted meat probably accompanied by hot cooked vegetables gravy and more. Now if the temperature outside is at or above, say 70F/15 C (which it very likely is in the Southern Hemisphere because Christmas occurs at the beginning of summer) then you do not really feel like eating a big heavy hot meal.  But by July, when you are in the midst of winter, then it is fun to have your big hot meal and pretend it is Christmas. Hence Christmas in July.

Here and now, we have just had the solstice and should be experiencing winter weather. But in a turnabout, the past couple or three days have been a very balmy 65 - 70 F and a tee shirt has been required on my walk rather than the coat, hat and gloves of the previous week.

Hence my post title.

Moving right along, it is the season for all sorts of fun experiences and displays. Yesterday we went to see the holiday train layout at a local historic mill site.

 There were a number of excited children there including a cub scout troop. For the time of year it is de rigeur to include something like this LGB Christmas train.

 In the background we can see the full Christmas "special"; two locomotives and seven coaches. On the inner track Percy was busily at work with his three open wagons (we noticed they had put some metal rods in the wagons presumably to stabilize them so they did not derail). There were two Thomas, Annie and Clarabel sets but this one in the foreground did not run at all in the forty minutes or so we were there.

 This locomotive was an unusual one to me - it was a see through F3 diesel. The model train enthusiasts who own this layout were there and I heard the owner of this one mention that he usually runs this one on his back yard (outdoor) layout. It looked in very fine condition.

 I clicked the shutter on this and got three trains in the one shot.

 The F3 was set up pulling coaches in the Baltimore and Ohio livery. Are you noticing the very long necked dinosaur peeking out from under the trestle. They are clearly striving to entertain the children and less concerned with historic accuracy!

 In the rear you can see the full extent of the F3 with two locomotives and four coaches. Percy never tired of hauling his open wagons.

I thought I had taken photographs of the other end of the layout but I guess I did not. In doing a little background reading about this I find that this layout has been here every Christmas season since 1990 and is the most popular exhibit that the Colvin Run Mill has all year long. What a wonderful event provided by a small dedicated group of model train enthusiasts. I do thank them.

By the way, I am not a model train expert so if I have made any mistakes here they are not intentional.

 This was the miller's house. Note the open window; an indication of the unseasonably warmer temperature yesterday.

 The model train layout was located in the barn - the building to the right rear.

The water wheel does work at this mill but they do not have it running all the time.

All in all a great day to be walking about outside in December.

An Icy Wonderland

Following on from the posting of yesterday where I focused on preparing the garden for hibernation I thought I would show you a few scenes in my garden this morning.

I had been awakened soon after 3am by the noise of the snowplow trucks outside on the street. Since the forecast was for freezing rain overnight and not snow I knew this meant they were treating the roads for ice. And that this morning there would be some pretty vignettes.

One I won't be sharing is the magical sight of a cherry tree out front; when I peeked out at 4am it was glistening with ice and softly lit up by a nearby garden lamp post. But no, not a good time for me to be outside with the camera.

 All the trees and bushes are encased in ice.

Some of the seedheads, like this coneflower, were left for winter interest and for browsing birds.

 Proving there is still color even if a casual glance seems like a drab winter scene. There are not very many berries on the hollies but interesting looking long icicles on the leaf tips.

Earlier in the year when I included a photo of this birdhouse I was listing it as a "desirable residence" looking for new tenants. It does not look all that desirable today but if it was windy it would provide shelter for a small bird.

 The pansy plants were late in being planted out and so really have not provided any Fall color. And it is hard to imagine, given this view, that there will be any spring color from them either. Let's wait and see what nature will follow though with.

Nope, this looks entirely too chilly to sit at today even if I am carrying a steaming mug of tea.

 This little fellow seems resigned to his place in life in cold surrounds.

 The crepe myrtle at the end of the deck provides me endless options to photograph throughout all four seasons.

The wind must have been blowing a little in the night as it has created this intriguing circular branch growth - or are the two branches holding hands to get through the icy conditions?

A final look at the crepe myrtle.

For a better look at my photos click on them to make them larger. On my computer a left click does the trick.

Thankfully we still have power here and I have no urgent need to be out and about on the roads. A good day to stay inside and perhaps write some Christmas cards.

Prepping the Garden for Hibernation

Thursday this week was a relatively clear day with a high temperature of 69 F which worked out ideal for spending the day in the garden getting it ready for the winter hibernation period. For a job of this size I call for help from my landscape crew. Between three of us we got the leaves taken care of one (hopefully) last time, perennials cut back, weeding and a little light pruning- and while they were doing that I worked on renovating the herb garden in between joining in with other tasks.

 The leaves just kept on coming this season as did the grass growing in the garden beds.

 This is a gardenia that has been sitting in a pot on the driveway since the spring alas. It is a new type with more winter tolerance than the older varieties but it still needs a carefully selected spot. While this looked like a good location when I had initially tried to plant it there I discovered an irrigation pipe running plumb through the center of the space and so I had to give up. However, with a little ingenuity, my crew got the pipe relocated back further in the bed and then got the plant installed. I'm not sure if it will survive but it now has a greater chance than it did sitting in that pot. It does look a little lonely there right now as everything else around it (astilbes and hostas) had all died back for the season and been cut down.

 This is the area that kept me busy for several hours. Originally it was a great location for my herb garden but over the years the crepe myrtle tree has grown and now there is a lot more shade there. And I made the mistake of putting a mint plant there. Mint is very invasive and it grows quickly; I resolved to give it a good reduction. This meant pulling out all the edging stones and yanking out a mass of roots. Let's see what happens in spring - I'm sure it will be back. The oregano got a good cut back and the big rosemary bush (just out of sight on the right) and the thyme that grows in front of it also got a good trim up. Pots got moved off the driveway to make it tidier for the winter and easier when we have to move snow.

We decided to leave up the New England asters for a little winter interest. They did not do so well this season; another reason not to mess with them this close to winter.

 This area is looking a little bedraggled. Some of the lambs ear (stachys byzantina) succumbed to being overgrown by the white daisies earlier in the season. I had a session with the pruning clippers and the butterfly bush several weeks back so this bed is a little sparse. But it is the one that I look out at every time I sit down at the kitchen table and I'd really like it to look better than this!

 Next morning I took this photo to remind me how lovely and clean and tidy this corner of the back garden looked after all the work the previous day. This is taken from the same spot as the first photo in this post.

 And here is what I could see from that same spot today. Ooh yes, we were just in time with our seasonal tidy up. The high on Thursday was 69F and the high today has been 29F with a light snowfall which is by now turning into freezing rain.

The lambs ears are getting quite chilled no doubt.

But this is what you get in the garden - variety!

The Thanksgiving Carol

The title of this post is based on a comment made by a friend of my son - the friend is a Marine currently based in Okinawa and he was telling about his Thanksgiving Day. Tucked in at the end of his comments was the line "...and I listened to the one Thanksgiving Carol".

Do you know what he means?

We decided to have a quiet Thanksgiving Day at home with just the three of us. Although we regard having turkey for the "feast" as a given we are not averse to trying new recipes and methods.

In an effort not to feel overly stuffed we decided to break up the meal. And we kept it more casual and ate at the kitchen table.

Soon after noon we sat down to Butternut Squash soup followed by a small mandarin and some bread (see it reappear later). Once that was cleared we needed to get serious about the main event of the turkey. Given that we were only three people a 7.7lb turkey breast was waiting in the fridge. Checking the notation on the wrapping revealed that the "estimated cooking time" was 2 1/2 to 3 hours but since there was also one of those nifty little plastic doodads that pop up when the bird is cooked I thought that sliding the turkey into the oven at 1pm should produce a main course around 4 or 4.30pm. But, by golly, when I peeked in the oven only 90 minutes later that tender timer had already popped. H'mm, what to do?

Speed up everything else was the answer. Besides, the turkey could sit a bit; after all there was nowhere else to be! With two people working in the kitchen we got the mashed potato, the stuffing, the gravy, the roast vegetables and the from-scratch green bean casserole prepared. The molded cranberry sauce had been made the night before.

 And, according to schedule we sat down to our main course around 4.15pm.

 You know what followed; yes, lot's of dishes and careful stowing of leftovers of everything. Do you know where this is going?

 By 7pm or so it was time for the dessert course. On offer were: a very fine apple pie (above),

 a new recipe I renamed Thanksgiving bread (I was following a recipe called Cranberry, Orange, Coconut bread but since I also added in pecans that name was becoming way too long),

and a browned butter pecan pie. True to expectation, the pecan pie is very sweet but with a dollop of sour cream to counteract that it was just fine despite the way it oozed all over the plate.

And tonight for dinner? Why we got to do it all over again!

And in case you're still wondering about what the Thanksgiving Carol comment was all about...Have you sat down and really listened to the lyrics for the Arlo Guthrie song "Alice's Restaurant"?

Yep, a Thanksgiving meal that just couldn't be beat.