Snow, Ice And Stones

In this part of New York State, a midwinter thaw is common.  It is so common that it has an easily recognized name, the January Thaw.  This is the first winter in my memory to have completely missed that event.  We have been denied the experience of walking our garden paths and inspecting just how our treasured plants are dealing with this period of hidden plant activity.  Our Cardinal Flower plants are now growing  low rosettes of brilliant bright green leaves but we cannot see them this year.

The pictured stone wall was built on a north south line with its exposed side facing west.  Since our eastern horizon is much higher that the western, more daylight warmth is captured on the western side of the wall.  This difference in the amount of sunshine can be described by our habit of walking to the base of the lane to see moon rise.  From that location we see the rising moon nearly one full hour earlier than what can be seen from this garden.  Add to that the observation that our morning skies are usually cloud filled while sunshine sometimes fills our afternoons.  This explains the relative lack of snow on one side of the top of the wall.

This edge of the wall into our basement also has a western exposure.  Since the feeling in my lower legs is growing weaker, I have developed the habit of seeing each step before I take it.  Not only does this help keep me from falling, but sometimes I see interesting stones.  Our bedrock is mostly formed of fine mud washed westward from enormous mountains that are now long gone.  The gray sedimentary wall stones show a general lack of any interesting feature save occasional marine fossils.  When the glaciers formed our river valleys, they brought with them metamorphic stones frequently of a more interesting color.  I simply cannot resist picking them up.  The long thin gray stone might have been a Native American scraper.

Fossils can be seen in the top wall stone.  I have tried to get help identifying the composition and names of these different colored stones.  The occasional chunk of coal was most likely carried here by the New York, Ontario and Western Railroad  that ran a branch line on the opposite side of the Unadilla River.  So far the identity of these colorful stones remains a mystery.

My editor may remove this last paragraph.  I had other timely photos that might fit here but I decided to keep them between my doctor and me.  At nearly seventy-seven, many changes have happened.  One is the purple bruises that frequently mark the backs of my hands.  Until last week I have avoided tearing any of this weakened skin.  That changed when the back of my hand lightly contacted the bottom of a freezer shelf.  A photo sent to my doctor resulted in a same day morning appointment.  His repair work wildly exceeded my expectations  but he said that three weeks would be required before the healing would be complete.  So I sit and wait but one week in everything looks great.

 

Snow Place To Sit In The Garden

There is no place to sit in the garden today.  It is covered in snow.  Most places the snow is not terribly deep, but it is the way the wind smooths everything out so steps down or places to trip are hidden from sight make a garden walk tricky.  I ventured out to get a milkweed pod with seeds for a friend.  It is late and most of the milkweed is down under the snow, but I spied one inside the stone square from my bedroom window.  I had the camera with me and the snow on the old garden chairs caught my attention.

We have had these chairs in the garden for a very long time.  My Dad used to sit in them to enjoy the garden in Unadilla.  I love the way the snow curls over the front of the chair!

Right now the chairs sit facing each other on the stone patio.  The snow is more melted on the South side of  both chairs. Wind and sun make interesting shapes with snow.  A goldenrod seed head decorates the arm of the chair.

I love the textures of the snow, ice and weathered wood.  Except for the pale green of some lichens these pictures almost look like a study in black and white.

It is a grey day and the color outside this morning is in the driveway.  Ed is planted firmly on the bright yellow seat of his green John Deere working on clearing the driveway.  We are expecting some warmer temperatures and rain.  Lots of rain might melt the snow, but just a little will  likely make a hard icy crust when it freezes.  The garden sleeps under it's blanket of white, but Ed makes sure that we are not asleep at the switch!

Marooned

Both yesterday and today saw above freezing temperatures and rain with an overnight low of 30F.  Unfortunately the ground was frozen deeply hard before the earlier storm.  It started with rain that quickly froze just after it contacted the ground.  The resulting ice was smooth, solid and therefore dangerous to cross.  This area near the truck was kept as clear as possible after the recent storm.  The ice is lumpy and wet.  I will not risk another fall by trying to get to the truck.

There are three different surface conditions across this section of the lane.  The grass is partially bare and is safe to carefully walk on.  The nearby section of driveway is coated with porous ice that would likely crack and separate if driven on with the truck.  The center section that was covered with a layer of packed snow is smooth and wet.  A vehicle with chains would slip here.
 

 
Turning downhill after snapping the above photo, shows that the running melt water seems to have filled in the cracks in the track near the edge.  I wonder if I could steer a vehicle if I attempted to drive here. 

The curve preceding the drop to the town road looks passable but the steep slope is covered with water running over the surface of the ice.  We will not try to venture out today.  Some new snow may fall overnight.  Wednesday is forecast to be sunny and above freezing.  So we will wait until conditions improve.  When I was younger and less rational in my thinking, my truck of the moment slid backwards down this hill.  It came to rest with the corner of its tailgate firmly resting against a tree at the base of the slope.  Slowly I learn.  That learning remains unfinished as is shown by my willingness to walk about taking these pictures.  A gait featuring legs bent at the knees while leaning forward seems to be solid when slowly making ones way across the wet ice.  I can only imagine how old and broken one must appear while moving in that position.

Ice Can Be Nice, Photos by Amy

Ed and Amy went for a walk this morning.  The sun was shining, but there was still a chill in the air.  I stayed in the warm house to make lunch and awaited their return.   Sunshine warmed things up quickly.  Tomorrow should be warmer still.  This interesting ice has probably already changed and will be gone soon.  It formed in the area near the base of the bedrock ridge.  Puddles form but there is no outlet for this water.  It simply drains in the gravel rich ground.

 By now these fantastic frozen footprints have certainly softened. Even if it freezes tonight the surface will be different.

Tiny needle sharp ice formations caught Amy's attention!  I can see why!

Here we have the classic ice crunching formation.  I know that this particular formation did not last but mere moments after this picture was taken.  If I had been there I would have crunched it myself!

I could not choose between this frozen ice picture and the next one!

With circles, straight lines, bubbles and bumps this cold image has a lot to say.  I'm thrilled I got to enjoy it before it melted!

We Have It All!

Monday was a beautiful winter day here.  I love to see a rosy colored sunrise.  You don't have to get up early to see this here.  It takes some time before the sun comes up above the distant ridge.  Looking over the garden makes it easy to appreciate the clean cool stillness of new snow.

Tuesday morning the world outside was covered with a coating of ice.  The sun reflected off of every surface. Single blades of grass sticking up in the surface of the lawn glinted with sunlight.  It was pretty, but made stepping out the door an adventure.  The potential for interesting ice pictures was everywhere, but for me venturing out on that kind of slippery surface with the camera at this point is just stupid.  As it was we needed to go out, so Ed sanded the ramp and we both made it  to the car without incident. Roads that were quite awful in the morning were much better for the trip home. Through the day the ice disappeared from many places.  Too bad our driveway was not one of those.

Today warmer temperatures have brought rain.  The ice and snow are disappearing fast.  Green grass and uncovered plants make a walk in the garden seem tempting, but the rain is quite heavy at times and cold!  It is a fine day to start in on the foot deep stack of garden catalogs that have arrived so far.  We will see what tomorrow brings!

Ed's Icy Walk

The storm was two days ago but the ice still coats the trees. Air temperature in the low twenties and broken clouds are leaving the ice just as it formed. The greatest sparkle is seen when looking in the direction of the sun. The eye sees it but not the camera.




The weatherman calls this accumulation nuisance ice. We have all of the beauty but none of the damage. Sadness is just below the surface knowing that so many are without electricity, heat and water for the next several days.





These blackberry briars are just over the fence line. This wild mess is not my responsibility. They will look this good again when covered with blossoms next year.





This far corner of our homestead would make a suitable holiday scene if the bush in the center was replaced with a stone cabin. It is good for an old man to walk his land, to have dreams, and to plant trees.

Today after lunch we were lucky enough to see a Great Blue Heron fly directly over the garden from east to west. He was flying very low, low enough to be seen easily from the living room window. What a surprise! I thought they had all flown south.

Same Picture, Different Day

For now the garden has its snow cover again. We were very lucky. The trees got a light coat of ice before the snow, but not enough to cause trouble. Some people had a lot of ice and loss of power with this storm. I've been around for ice storms when you could hear the sickening sound of breaking trees. I feel for the people in places where that occurred. Having the power go out is the pits even if you have a generator.

From the look of the weather forecast the plants will have to edure the freeze thaw cycle for at least another week. Perhaps the winter solstice will bring a change, perhaps not. Right now, today, it's a beautiful snowy view out every window.