back to the beech

Beech in the morning.

Beech in the afternoon, with an oak rising through.

Beech with the crown of the oak above.

So many leaves have come down in recent days. I'm looking at a changed palette and a different view every day. We've reached the point where, if the sun isn't shining, it looks and feels very much like November out there. But when the sun is shining, I'm convinced there's still plenty of time to transplant raspberries, build more raised beds, and plant tulip and iris bulbs.

~~~~~

a gentle reminder

There was a tiny chance of snow in the forecast last night.

And that's what we got: a tiny snow.

If the air hadn't still been very cold, sunrise would have melted it.

I hastened outside to give the hens a Special Breakfast,

see what Hazel and Bud thought about their First Snow,

and take a few snaps.

 

Because I didn't bother with gloves - or a coat, for that matter -

I soon realized that it was indeed very cold.

Had to thaw the ice in gate latches and break ice in the water buckets.

I took only a very few snaps before heading inside

to hold my fingers under cold water for a minute, then warm water.

Ahhh. That's better.

Then I had a bowl of curry for breakfast.

I'm not saying I feel like this mushroom:

No.

I feel like the mushroom behind that mushroom.

But the sky is becoming a pale blue and it's not raining,

so today is going to be a fine day for doing things.

For doing All The Things.

I hope!

Because this tiny snow is the gentle - if chilly - harbinger of Winter.

And there are just a few things that still need to be done.

~~~~~

beech

There isn't any season of a beech tree's life that isn't beautiful to me,

but leaf-out is always especially fine.

~~~~~

snowy snaps

There have been several dustings and a couple of real snowstorms in the past two weeks, and it was snowing heavily at bedtime last night. I was awoken in the wee hours by the town snowplow: backing up (beep!-beep!-beep!-beep! shrieks the safety back-up warning), then scraping forward thirty feet, and then backing up again (beep!-beep!-beep!-beep!-beep!) on the road right across the bottom of my driveway. Several times. This is a new technique. What could it mean? I'm hopeful that the driver was creating a long spot for the school bus to pull over, and that a side benefit will be easy access to my letterbox.

Piper is very sad when she cannot collect her mail.

At the moment it's still dark outside, so I thought I'd share a few snowy images taken recently. I like to get outside when the sky is light but overcast, to enjoy the softer shades of Winter.

My eyes are extremely light-sensitive (when we did studies of white objects in art class, I had to wear sunglasses in the basement studio), so I really enjoy the feeling of being able to "dive into" colors without squinting.

The clarity of strong lateral light is also irresistible at this time of year:

And the fleeting dazzle!

The day is beginning, and it's time for me to do something about breakfast and opening doors, say Moxie and Della. The sky is a uniform dark grey; we may be in for more snow today. Piper and I will have to investigate the letterbox situation soon.

Here's hoping we all have a "special delivery" today :)

~~~~~

rain

In the past two days, we have had more than eight inches of rainfall. There have been interludes of drizzle, mizzle, and mist, but for the most part it's been hours of relentless rain, all day and all night.

Beech. There isn't a moment when I don't find it beautiful.

A large materials delivery was scheduled to arrive this morning, so I found my raincoat and went out to move my vehicle to clear the way. Just in that few minutes, I got soaked to the skin.

While the driver was making trips back and forth from his big truck to the top of my driveway in a nifty three-wheeled forklift, I held an umbrella over my camera and took a few snaps.

It was in weather like this - waiting for the rain to stop and rushing out to do a bit of gardening whenever possible - that I planted the saved candy roaster squash seeds in the Very Raised Bed. They had a late start - I think it was early July! But the plants did their best, and have been providing late-season food for bees and perfuming the October air with blossoms. I think the 2016 plants cross-pollinated, as these seeds have produced interesting and varied results!

I must harvest soon.

VRB, winding down.

And, when the rain stops and the muddy ground dries,

work can continue on Very Raised Bed II.

It won't be as high as the first,

and my goal is to have this bed ready for Autumn planting.

My Occasional Helper is ready to pitch in.

I am hopeful it can happen.

Weather permitting!

VRB2. A good start.

Tomorrow - Friday - the forecast is Not Raining. The builders will be back, and it's going to be a very busy day. I believe my job will be staying out of their way.

The Saturday forecast is also clear, and I'm hoping to take Piper for a long ramble by the pond that day, before the rain returns on Sunday and Monday.

And that will be my week, over in the blink of an eye!

How about you?

~~~~~

a note from saturday morning

Yesterday was refreshingly sunny.

Bright blue skies!

Fluffy wisps of clouds sailing by!

They were sailing, of course, because it was windy. It was also very cold.

Piper insisted on coming out for the first session of morning chores, but expressed a wish (immediately granted) to return to her cozy bed long before those chores were finished.

 "Okay, I see you have an adequate handle on the chores.

You can take it from here. I'll be in my office."

Meanwhile, at the sliding glass door on the porch, Moxie and Della have front-row seats for Squirrel Theatre. Performances scheduled daily, under the birdfeeders.

Della: "Athletic but incoherent performance."

Moxie: "I liked him much better as Hamlet."

More snow is predicted this weekend. And Monday.

Also: Wednesday and Thursday.

This morning, the sky is dense and grey again.

So...

let's have another look at yesterday's sky, shall we?

Red oak, white pine, American beech.

Quercus rubra, Pinus strobus, Fagus grandifolia.

A dear and familiar skyscape.

Sugar maple and white birch.

Acer saccharum and Betula papyrifera.

When I want a lesson in survival,

I look to trees.

I hope your Saturday is beautiful.

~~~~~

browns

There are so many variations on brown.

I love browns.

Like the browns in winter beech leaves.

Or in this daylily seedpod.

Or in this stalk of Chelone obliqua.
Wild-looking, isn't it?
Worth a close look!

~~~

If you'd like to compare,

here is a post with some pictures of Chelone blooming.

And here is a post with the daylilies blooming.

And here: brand-new beech leaves and other mid-May greenery.

Soon - well, pretty soon - green will be everywhere.

I don't mind waiting.

I love the greens, I do.

But I also love the browns.

~~~~~

saturday snap

~~~~~

wordless wednesday

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fresh greens

Fresh greens, and lots of them!

I've been going out in the early morning, after chores, to photograph the greens.

Don't you love watching the new growth on trees?
The buds and flowers and foliage?

The initial fragility of the leaves and needles that will be relied upon to support the tree never fails to amaze me.

Every year, it amazes me.

Here in New England, there are shapes, colors and textures that appear for only a very short time each year - weeks, or even days.

Would you like to see some?

I winnowed down from about 80 images, because you may have other things to do besides looking at pictures of leaves.
And needles.

But do you have time for just seven?

White Birch (Betula papyrifera)

Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea)

North American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)

White Ash (Fraxinus americana)

 Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)

Black birch (Betula nigra)

 Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

~~~

Ahhhhhh.  Isn't that a breath of cool morning air, after chores?
~~~

Coming soon: 
goat updates (and names to be chosen!)
a handy (yet unlikely) kitchen tip
and a special yarny giveaway!

~~~~~