Red on White

After our latest cold snap, temps have been spring-like for days.  Lots of rain, too, so there isn't much snow on the ground.  If all the rain was snow, however, we'd have six feet of new white stuff.

There's plenty of white on our paper birches, though! Sometimes you'll find one with red hues on the peeling bark.  Below are some pics taken this afternoon.  Really sunny, and our solar panels are happy!

   

21 below!

It might not be a record, however it sure is cold outside!!!  We, however, are nice and toasty inside - the wood stove is roaring as the sun creeps over the hill.  Our firewood supply is still in great shape even though usage has been steady with a fire in the early morning and another in the evening.

We have a beautiful winter wonderland all around us.  Critter tracks (bobcat, raccoon, deer, moose, turkey, porcupine, squirrel, mouse) can be seen crisscrossing the driveway, near the house and down on the trails on the flat terrace just below the house.  Sooner or later we'll see that moose!!!!

Although the tractor was a bit stubborn to start the other day, and has thrown a couple of shear pins (this happens when ice or rocks are pulled into the snow blower), it has performed beautifully clearing the area in front of the garages, the driveway and the part of the road that is not maintained by the Town.  Most likely, our neighbor, who is in his late 60's/early 70's and drives an older model rear-wheel drive car (think older person, 4 door 'boat' or 'tank' like vehicle) appreciates that we have cleared the street from his driveway to the paved part (we have to do that in order to get to the paved part ourselves).

Miss Peaches quickly figured out that even the screened in porch is not a place she wants to go with the cold temps we have here.  She seems very content to sleep on the hearth rug (when we aren't loading wood), or nearby in a chair.

Warmer temps are on tap for later today (high of 18 above zero) and then tomorrow it might even get to 30!!  yahoo!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Our first posted picture of 2014 is another one of our lovely yellow birches.  The transitional bark stages on birches are always neat to see.

This very old red maple has been a stalwart of the woods for a really long time.  Some branches have broken off, but the tree is hanging in there.

Big rocks can be seen throughout the woods.  The snow-covered rock in this picture serves as a lounge chair in warmer weather.

A densely packed part of the forest, with four excellent paper birches visible.