Blue Smoke Rising

With daytime temperatures above forty degrees F, a walk in the garden was a must today.  We were not the only creatures on the move as tracks in the soft snow were everywhere.  I walked into the stone square to check on the condition of favored plants.  What I saw just sucked the joy from this great day.  Common street words in unique combinations loudly echoed from the ridges.  It took several minutes for the blue smoke to clear before I could snap this photo!

Deer footprints in the snow here and this completely pruned Pinxter bush are a disaster.  At this time of year newly formed but tightly closed buds are found at the end of each branch.  Flowers will open first quickly followed by leaves.  One untouched bud can be seen in the lower right side of the picture.  We do not know how this plant will respond to the trimming.  If new growth appears where branches leave the main stem, the plant should be presentable in another year.  This type of new growth might also provide an opportunity to take soft wood cuttings.

The area inside of the stone walls is not usually visited by deer.  We are home for a mature female deer that has proven to be an excellent mother.  She usually gives birth to twins and they remain close by her.  It is common to see last year's twins mixed in with the new ones.  During hunting season this family group stays close by our home and gardens.  More and more they are eating garden plants.  Daylily buds were discovered to be an epicurean treat last season.  Now we will need to cage the daylilys if we expect to see flowers.  Recently we saw a deer feeding on the clove currant bush right in front of the house.  At this rate we may change the name of this place from Stone Wall Gardens to Fence Wire Inn.

On May 28, 2016, the shrub in the above picture looked like this.  It looks to me like all of the growth, both flowers and leaves, springs from the ends of the branches.  There is little doubt that this plant took a serious hit today.  I now have wire cages placed to make it difficult for the deer to reach these plants.  The good news is that the larger nearby companion plant was not yet touched by the deer.  For that plant the wire defenses were placed in time.

Winter Record

My frequent trips to Syracuse take me past this small waterfall.  What it lacks in size is offset by its convenient roadside location.  No scrambling over icy stream beds is necessary to reach this special place.  It is located near a curve in the road and remained unnoticed for far too long.  Reluctant to park partially in the road, many great photo ops were missed.  Finally I decided to act like most people and simply park it.

This photo, taken on December 31,2016, shows little ice in response to a partial thaw and warmer weather.  The light snowfall is new.  Had I been willing to stop on my trip one week earlier, an ice bridge at the top of the first fall would have been pictured.

One week later on January 07, 2017, the waterfall shows the impact of returning frigid temperatures.  Stream flow under the ice continues but at a reduced rate.  This stream is so insignificant that it does not appear on the road map.  If permission to explore here is given, I will walk upstream in search of the source of this stream.  A spring will likely prove to be the initial above ground appearance of this water flow.

Two weeks later on January 21, 2017, much of the stream ice and nearby snow are gone in response to warmer temperatures.  Once again I missed a picture of the upper ice bridge.  This unnamed waterfall on its unnamed stream is nearly midway on the trip from my home to the hospital.  It provides a few moments of soul soothing natural stillness.  When there is no snow on the ground, I intend to pocket a couple of shale pebbles that were loosened from this shingled slope.  If I carry one with me always, placing it in my hand will allow me to mentally return to this special place.

By February 05, 2017,  more typical Arctic air has once again covered the moving water with ice.  Less obvious is the fact that the sun remains above the treeline on my return trip now.  Long shadows show that the sun is about to set.  Increasing day length at this time of year allows a  round trip to be completed in day light.

Rain and warm temperatures are forecast later this week.  A special trip to the water fall is under consideration if the amount of rain is large.  When this stream is bank full and roaring it is a sight to behold.