Last walk of autumn

Autumn can close out with some wicked temperature swings, with this year being a prime example. We were at 52 degrees at 2:30 p.m. Friday. Saturday's low fell to 16. We had beautifully clear skies early today, then clouds and now a major snow squall. Before the wintry precip, the last walk of autumn took place. This photo, taken about 500 feet north of the house looks down the slope into what seems like a never-ending birch grove. Happy Winter!

Early winter

We've been cold and snowy during the closing part of autumn. December has seen 18 inches of snow, with morning lows below zero on two days. The tractor and snowblower have come in handy, for sure. Here are three recent pictures of our wintry adventure.

Old school forestry

Sometimes you just need to pick up an axe. This old head has a new helve thanks to a neighbor's craftsmanship. He even burned Hardwood Hermitage initials into the lovely hickory, a rock solid wood great for absorbing shock.

Sunny color, cloudy color

Some great pictures of our strange color season are still possible. The first one was taken before a few days of much needed rain. The sun makes the birches and yellow leaves really shine. But even on a cloudy day like this afternoon, the trees look great.

Cousins in the sun

Towering over the understory, a sugar maple (left center) and red maple (top) shared some sun yesterday morning.

The warm, dry fall facilitates nice work in the woods. Thinning of mainly ash and then the cutting to length has made this handy pile of future kindling and bigger wood ready for 18 months under a tarp before boxing up and moving into the garages in the distance. None of this will burn for two years.

Busy inside and out

 Some projects over the last few days:

Crafting

Wood moving

Apple Butter!!!!

Color before rain

Before much needed rain today, an afternoon walk yesterday shows the vibrant nature of the woods, even on a generally cloudy day.