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 Frosted Stonework

Most of the day Ed has been out clearing snow with his plow.  He did take some time off to take a walk around with the camera.  Looking out the window this morning I could see that Ed's stone walls  were frosted with snow.  Take some freezing rain, some wind and falling snow and the walls take on a very special look.  This stone square was Ed's first wall project here.  Started when we could only dream about living here, it is the centerpiece of the garden.

I chose this stone pile that sits down at the gravel bank because it looks different.  You can tell it is one of Ed's temporary piles by the casual way the stones are laid up.  I bet if I checked the top would be level.  Level is Ed's default stone piling setting.  Anyway, I love the way the snow stuck to the tree and the wire and there is not a footprint in sight!

The arbutus wall must have been sheltered somewhat.  It's snow frosting seems thicker on one end than the other.  I would think it was an optical delusion, but the snow is much heavier on the trees on one end that the other as well.

The stone wall down by the road seems a bit lonely without all the plants, but most of them are right there under the snow.  It's nice for the snow capped wall to be the center of attention for a change.  Ed  cleared around the mailbox, and the plow has been by on the road, but still snow covered it's kind of hard to exactly where that road might be.

With a thicker  covering of  snow the interesting rocks in Ed's new rock garden hide their individual charms.  The only indication that this area is a work in progress is the little pink flag. The grey sky explains why the pictures are almost devoid of color.  Next summer when it is hot and sunny, looking at these cool pictures will be a real treat!  

Trunk Circles And Spring Tails

Winter has been harsh this year but today the temperature may have hit 50 F.  Smooth slick ice formed everywhere overnight.  By afternoon the lane was clear and a walk about was in order.  Not knowing how I would fare walking in the deep wet snow, a short walk to the gravel bank seemed a good choice.  Here the sun is beginning to expose the horizontal surface of the temporary stone pile.  The depth of the accumulated snow is more than we usually see here.  Small stones of visual interest are gathered together on top of the wall.  Repeated cold cycles and melting snow have polished them clean.

A wide variety of small stones have been dropped here by glacial meltwater.  Fossil bearing sandstone formed nearby is found with limestone that came here from the North.  The striped egg was brought to us all the way from the Adirondack Mountains.  A new crack has opened in the stone in the upper right corner of the photo.  A peek at the interior of that stone is needed.  It would have already happened but the crack was not seen until the picture was examined.

These black specks are the first from of insect life that we encounter here at this time of year.  Spring tails is their name.  It refers to the method of their movement not the impending season.  A snap of their posterior hurls them into the air.  Topography and wind control their destination.  A depression formed by a sleeping deer and a West wind have combined to deposit numerous insects in a small space.  We need to learn something of their life cycle.  Where they came from, what they are eating and why now are unknown to us.  Still it is good to see some signs of life after this brutal winter.

Another puzzle is shown here.  Snow has melted around the base of this tree.  At first glance, it seems that the dark colored tree has absorbed heat from the sunlight causing snow melt.  If that were the only factor, then one would expect a greater open area where the tree faces the sun.  The side of the tree that remains in shadow has melted as much snow as the side in bright sunlight.  There must be another factor at work here.

We have failed to have a wild blueberry harvest for the past three consecutive years.  Late frost or early drought have worked together to take the fruit.  These swollen buds are promise of things to come.  If we do have a harvest this year, it could be a big one.  There is always hope.

Our first seed order arrived here in today's mail.  Finding that package in the mail box just made me feel hopeful.  We need to send out another order soon.  I will be putting lettuce seed to soil in less than three weeks.  Of course the seeds will be in pots in the basement and they will be planted way too early but I will do it despite rational reasons to wait for a more appropriate time.