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!

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!

Neither Snow, Nor Sleet, Nor Rain, Nor Dark Of Night...

We all know how the  saying goes and today had it all!  When I awoke this morning it was dark, but as I sat and stared out the window, I could see that there was snow out there.  When there was light enough for a picture I opened the window just enough to take one.  Well yes, I took two just in case, but then I closed the window. We like to keep that heat inside!  I love watching the first snow fall on the garden, but we were scheduled to go out today.  I was not quite prepared for the change.  By the time we got together our coats, hats, gloves, located the snow brush to clean off the car and started out we were just a bit behind schedule.  Winter driving is one of Ed's special skills.  He's a actual native of upstate New York and he drives like one!  He has many years of experience, but the first snow that sticks on the road is always a little adjustment. There was enough slush on the road to make things interesting.   We arrived at our destination in fine shape and I didn't even white knuckle it once.

By the time we headed for home, the sleet was over and the rains had begun.   The slush that had been on the roads in the morning was gone.  We drove home in the rain. This afternoon's picture was taken through the window.  It was raining too hard to open the window.  You can see the water running down the glass.  Now it is 6:30 PM and it is dark again. Today gave us an October sneak preview of things to come.  Ready or not... here it comes!

Spring For Almost A Day

Today was a day to remember.  It all started last night with frigid cold and the kind of very fine snow that falls when the temperature is below zero.  Through the night the snow changed to sleet which froze immediately since the ground was so cold.   Everything was covered with ice and then came the rain.  For a time there was an ice coating on everything, but it was thickest  where the snow had been compressed before  things warmed up.  The heavy rain melted the top surface of the ice.  The driveway was shiny with black ice for much of the day.  We decided that driving or walking on it would be stupid.  Although we have our moments, we did the smart thing and stayed inside.
In the late afternoon the rain stopped.  There were still some puddles here and there around the garden.  Under normal conditions the water would drain away quickly, but  the ice underneath slows that down.   I decided to chance a walk down to get the mail.  Most of the ice was gone. The ice remaining was extremely slick , but easy to avoid.  This large puddle remained in front of the perennial bed down by the road.  I might have lingered taking more pictures, but the rain started up again.  I had to double time it back up the hill to keep the camera and myself from getting drenched.

It was  spring  for a very short time.  By five the temperature began to drop and once again there was snow in the air. On this day the changes were too fast for me.  I hope when Spring returns again it stays longer!

Unusual Sights in the Stone Wall Garden

This is not a place where mushrooms and fungi usually flourish. Normally it's too dry and well drained. The bright orange  texture of this unknown fungus really got my attention.

I thought for sure by this time the nasturtiums would have turned to slime. They  look and taste fantastic right now. Perhaps the slime will come on the weekend. Today it is warm and we are expecting, what else but rain.

Early this morning Canada geese flew low over the high meadow. They are working on their formations. This afternoon a dark phase marsh hawk flew by my living room window low enough so that I could clearly see its distinctive white rump patch . The cinnamon colored bird was either a female or an immature.  Most of the time we only get to see the underside of these birds.

We planted filberts in 1998. Finally this year, it has quite a few of these . Now  rain and lightning has started up. There's nothing unusual about that, but three moon flowers are opening in the rain. The big white flowers can be seen from inside the house even on this dark rainy night.

Snow On The Go

This morning while it was still dark, the world outside our bedroom window was white. Once it became light out,the temperature rose and the snow very quickly disappeared leaving us with yet another rainy day. In the spring we would call this a sap snow, now it's a reminder of the days soon to come when the garden will be covered with that white blanket. But the grass is back to green, the Emperor of China Chrysanthemums are still blooming and the snow is gone for now. Perhaps tomorrow the sun will peek through the clouds, and some pleasant time can be spent outside. It could happen!

Rain On The Garden

Today we had rain for the entire day. It has been weeks since our last rainfall during the day. What little that has fallen came during the nights. The advantage to that is garden work is possible following the rain.

The drops collected by this garlic leaf point out both an advantage and a disadvantage to garlic leaf design. If the leaf was slightly more vertical, the collected water would have been directed to the root mass under the stem. That is a plus. More of the rainfall is placed where the plant can use it. As the plant matures the seal where the leaf joins the stem loosens. This part of New York State usually receives abundant thunder storms during July. Garlic is undertaking its drying down process just as massive amounts of rainfall strike the plants. The seal between the leaf and the stem weakens and moisture enters the stem of the plant. Mold flourishes under these conditions.

Last season half of the garlic crop endured a July thunder storm during harvest. Water actually ran out of inverted plants. A tan stain marked all of these bulbs. Some were usable, some rotted. The only solution that I can see is to buy portable hoop tunnel to cover the garlic as harvest time approaches. The more reasonable solution is to continue planting more that we need. Still that roof over my garlic does have its appeal.

Our Scented Garden and Peas

Yesterday was a hot summer day. It’s been dry here, and the plants were beginning to look as wilted as I felt . Ed spent a little time in the garden in the morning hilling the potatoes and doing some weeding, but it soon became too hot to be fun.

Last evening we ventured out to look at the garden , get some air , and take advantage of the evening scented plants. Ed walked by the compost pile to check the bird feeder and heard a blood curdling shriek from me. Now it could be anything that causes this. It’s an involuntary thing with me caused by the unexpected, a mouse, a snake, anything. In this case it was a skunk on top of the compost pile just about shoulder height where Ed was walking. I guess I scared the skunk. He looked at me and then sort of hunkered down to make himself small. That gave Ed a chance to get out of there. Needless to say we retreated back inside house , feeling like it was our lucky day. That was not the scent we were after! We watched the skunk saunter off after we were safely behind the glass of the bedroom window.

This morning it was pea picking, shelling and freezing day. We opened the cage, picked the peas and put the vines in the compost. I like shelling peas. It takes me back to my childhood. Processing food from the garden is a very satisfying experience. Best of all after a cloudy morning , we are getting some real rain. The plants are looking greener and happier by the minute.