winter light

Today, the first of the Days of Longer Light, I carried a stepladder from tree to tree in the snow, and arranged a string of fairy lights between house and workshop.

There have been mixed results in the past with having fairy lights outside. Strings have suddenly stopped working for unknown reasons. One triggered a GFCI and stopped power to the barn. And, bizarrely, some strings of lights have been cut into sections and taken away by a squirrel. What a squirrel wanted with bits of wire and tiny multicolored bulbs I do not know. If it took them to light up it's own nest, I imagine it was very disappointed.

Speaking of which, when I opened the box of lights today I was thrilled to discover that, not only had each individual string been neatly tied, but I had apparently found the strength within myself last Spring to discard all the strings which were not likely to work. I plan to recall this personal success story in future when I dither about whether to keep or discard something that doesn't quite work but could possibly be fixed. Not saying I'll always take the discard route, but I will at least think about how nice it was to plug in each string and have it light up.

Although this is a single string of lights, it swags between trees and crosses my path to the barn in a couple of places. As a result, when night fell, I realized it looks a bit more dramatic than I anticipated. It's colorful and pretty but it's also "a lot" in my quiet landscape.

I told the goats to enjoy it tonight because tomorrow I will probably take it down and do something different - exactly what, I do not know. My barns would look like little gingerbread houses if I outlined them with lights, but I have no intention of getting out an extension ladder for this project. It was quite enough using a stepladder for the trees today.

What's amazing to me is that all these lights were on the tree last year,
and it was perfect. Interesting, isn't it?

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friday frame

Red Oak, Quercus rubra, detail.

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wordless thursday

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cue the snow

At one point yesterday I thought the snow had stopped. I quickly suited up and got outside, planning to attach a new little birdfeeder to a window - the kind of lightweight plastic feeder that sticks to the glass with suction cups.

Quickly discovered that the snow had not stopped; it had become almost-sleet in such tiny particles that even while in it I could hardly see it, but could certainly feel it. Tried attaching the birdfeeder anyway - it slid downward on one side, but stuck in a crooked sort of way - and then went out to the barns to distribute hay.

While I was going back and forth with water buckets to the barn and the South paddock, the almost-sleet suddenly became Hollywood-style snow: giant flakes falling slowly and thickly from a white sky. I hadn't brought a camera, so please take a moment to envision a snow scene from your favorite holiday-theme movie. There. Like that.

By the time I went back inside, my footprints had already filled with new snow, and it was still snowing at dusk. I suspect we may end up with a bit more than the 2 to 3 inches originally predicted. As long as we don't lose power, and therefore water, I'm happy. There's plenty of hay and stovewood in the roundtop, cases of food for Piper and Moxie and Della in the kitchen, and everything I "need" to do for the next few days can be done online or over the phone, touch wood. I'm a lucky woman.

And I have plans for coming through this Winter in good form:

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not a very late morning

We have had two glorious days of No Snow and No Rain.

Also No Sun, but one cannot have everything.

 I got a lot done on both days, which was very satisfying indeed.

There's nothing like a reprieve in the middle of tough weather, to make a person get out there and move til you can't move any further, and be very grateful for the opportunity to do so.

 And now, we've got this happening, as predicted:

Happily, I was able to take delivery of 50 bales of very nice-looking hay yesterday, in the ONE DAY between the ground being too soft for the big truck to turn at the top of the driveway and this new snow which would have prevented the truck from getting up the driveway in the first place.

Huzzah!

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Very late last night I went out with a flashlight and did an extra round of chores, thinking I just might be able to have a lazy, slow start to a snowy day today.

Piper likes a late morning herself, so she was fine with it.

However, Moxie and Della made it very clear that a late start to the day

is the nuttiest idea they have ever heard.

Oh well. It was worth a try :)

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          P.S.

In Daily Markmaking news, the pomegranate continues to inspire.

I finally cut into it, and last night painted a bit of the interior view:

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