Snow Crocuses!

Hey, look everyone!! Snow crocuses!!

Recently, one of my Midnight Garden tipsters [what, you thought only news blogs had tipsters?!] let me know she'd seen some nice yellow crocuses in bloom in front of the Dojo where she trains in Orleans.

So, on a break this afternoon I took a little ride, and although I had to look pretty closely since the overcast day was keeping them closed up tight, I eventually found them and caught these pics to share with all of you--especially those of you in the Great White North, who won't see such delight in your own neighborhoods for possibly months yet!

(Thanks for the head's up, Leslie...)


Temper atures were in the low forties today, as we creep towards the turn of the seasons, but there were ominous clouds on the horizon at Skaket Beach.

In fact, when my day ended around 10:00 p.m., snow showers made the ride home from work a little more interesting. Not much, but a little.

23 Days til Spring!

Snow Falls

A little snow this morning, and more in the forecast for tonight into tomorrow.

27 days until Spring! Meanwhile, here's a little something unrelated to perk up your Friday!!

Snow in the Night

Here in the wee hours of the morning, our weather forecast is calling for an inch of snow, changing to sleet and rain overnight. So far, we've got a couple of inches of the snow so far...though it does sound a little freeze-y with its occasional pattering against the windows.

We'll see what morning's light reveals.

Sunday

Sunday found us splitting our time between sunshine and clouds. The sun would shine bright and golden, if not as warm as yesterday. And then the clouds would roll in and it would get real dark. And it would rain.

And then the sun would come out as it rained, and the rain would stop. And the cycle continued, with rain being replaced with snow flurries. That photo above was taken as snow flurries flew, though none translated to the image.

However, a little while later, there was a slamming gust of wind as it got real dark...and then it began to snow.

It felt like the start of something, but it wasn't the start of a big snowstorm.

As evening deepened, we've seen a few more rounds of snow flurries, full of sound and fury and amounting to very little.

The wind's howling, though. It's churning the wooden chimes in the side yard and jangling the storm bells in the birch tree out front and bringing in some very cold temperatures.

Snows Of Long Lake

(With temperatures here on Cape Cod in the forties over the weekend, all of our snow has fled, save a few dingy and icy piles here and there.

Since the calendar still says its Winter, I'll happily turn over photographic duties for the day to my Mom, who sent along these great photos from Long Lake, NY.

In the Adirondacks, they clearly know from winter.)

The deer came at first for seed from the bird feeders. They came on their own, or in pairs. But now they are returning for the bits of apple they've also been finding out the back door.

And on this day, there were six.

With his forage-pruning of it's lower branches, this little deer seems to be answering the gardener's question about why this Korean lilac only blossoms way up in the air.

Amongst these photos, there are deer seen out windows in every direction. It's sort of funny, if you know the views.

It's pretty clear they've got Mom and Dad surrounded, and I can only hope the supply of apples and birdseed doesn't run out before spring!

For the Birds

Two bird shots for this last day of January, but not that kind of birdshot. Both are taken through our kitchen window, so I apologize for the clarity. What with the cat trying to crowd me out of the window and chasing the birds off, getting any shots of them at all feels like a triumph!

The first features a little sparrow who came around the back of the house to explore the seed I'd spread for the juncoes over the weekend (now revealed again by melting snows).

It was cold here last night, down in the 20s, but 48 was the high temp yesterday afternoon...and as I write this, we've already gotten up to 34 again. Ah, winter...the furnace kicks on (this year with a sound like a cash register, tho perhaps I'm imagining that bit) and I long for spring.

This morning I spotted this little guy out back. He (or perhaps she, owing to the dull color of its markings)seems to be a Northern Parula warbler. There's the barest hint of yellow on its breast, but I've never seen one close up before.

I was pretty sure I spotted one in our Eastham yard a few years back, but it was a treetop sighting from the ground and I could never get a close look.

I do know I heard some pretty singing out there this morning.

We should take a lesson: just 'cause it's cold doesn't mean we shouldn't sing!

A Snow Day

As ultimately forecast, we got about 8 - 10 inches of snow here in Harwich, though with all the blowing and drifting, it's hard to be certain. Luckily, we saw none of the power outages that were predicted at the storm's onset. Some areas around the Cape reported more snow than us, but no matter the totals, schools and work were shut down for many. You can see the details here and here.



Here's the garden, nestled deep in a blanket of white. In the right corner of the image, you can see one of our solar lights was displaced by plowing, but it appears that no harm was done.




We enjoyed a lazy day here, as we were both scheduled to be off, and as it turns out, we were able to get our new, much-shorter driveway plowed by a thoughtful neighbor. Although it was mostly a 'movies and computer games' day, I did also finally bake off some break-and-bake Christmas cookies to enjoy as the evening gathered about us.

Night Tracks

Special Weather Statement

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
350 PM EST SUN JAN 27 2008

MAZ022>024-280000-
BARNSTABLE MA-DUKES MA-NANTUCKET MA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CHATHAM...FALMOUTH...PROVINCETOWN...
VINEYARD HAVEN...NANTUCKET
350 PM EST SUN JAN 27 2008

...STRONG NORTHEAST WINDS AND BANDS OF HEAVY SNOW WILL IMPACT CAPE
COD AND THE ISLANDS THROUGH THIS EVENING...

AT 350 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED BANDS OF
HEAVY SNOW MOVING ONTO CAPE COD AND THE ISLANDS FROM THE ATLANTIC
OCEAN. RADAR INDICATED THESE BANDS WERE WEAKENING AS THEY REACHED THE
CAPE COD CANAL.

EXPECT BANDS OF SNOW TO OCCASIONALLY REDUCE VISIBILITY TO NEAR
ZERO...AND BRING A QUICK INCH OR TWO OF ACCUMULATION THROUGH 7 PM.

IN ADDITION...NORTHEAST WINDS WERE GUSTING AS HIGH AS 45 MPH JUST BEFORE
4 PM...AND WILL INCREASE TO NEAR 55 MPH BY 7 PM ON THE OUTER CAPE AND
NANTUCKET.

THE COMBINATION OF HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS
TRAVEL CONDITIONS THROUGH THIS EVENING ON CAPE COD AND THE ISLANDS.
BE PREPARED FOR POOR VISIBILITY AND SLICK ROADS IF YOU MUST TRAVEL.

CONDITIONS SHOULD BEGIN TO IMPROVE AFTER 9 PM AS THE SNOW LETS UP...
BUT STRONG AND POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WINDS WILL PERSIST.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA ALL HAZARDS WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA FOR
UPDATES. YOU CAN ALSO VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON
HOMEPAGE AT WEATHER.GOV/BOSTON.

Juncos in the Snow

Thought you might enjoy a few seconds video of the juncos in the snow, as seen out our kitchen window. The cat and I were both fascinated by their antics.

I dug out a sheltered spot in the snow beneath the branches of this bush (it looks a little broom-like, but spring will tell that tale) and left a nice pile of seeds to get them through the storm, and will be out to clear a fresh space for some more in the morning.

Sunday Snow

Well, the last few winter storms to devil New England have visited us almost entirely as rain, so perhaps balance is restored to the universe with the knowledge that today, we are getting the snow.

At first, it just seemed like a few flurries. After all, they had only been calling for a possible inch or two of side effect for a storm passing us out over the ocean. But then the storm track shifted and suddenly there were storm warnings. But those weren't even necessary, from the speed with which snow began accumulating.


Outside the kitchen windows, about half a dozen dark-eyed juncos dug and pecked in the snow for the seed I'd thrown out earlier, with a frantic energy that foreshadowed my afternoon visit to the Stop and Shop.

Some birds, like this woodpecker, seemed undetered by the weather.


Although it'd only been snowing about an hour or so, the roads were a bit on the slick side and there were lots of folks out driving. In fact, I got the very last cart available inside the store when I got to the market. Aisles were crowded, all of us seemingly stocking up on the same things.

And then, a cautious ride home later, I was back at home and ready to stay there for the storm's duration.

Frozen

It's no secret that the convergence of moving and the holidays have taken a lot out of me, so I'm glad to have January here when I can just enjoy a bit of downtime and try to catch my breath from December.

I'm still taking photos as I explore our new environment (like this one of the Chatham Town Boat Landing at the end of Quanset Road, looking out over a partially-frozen Pleasant Bay)and will post-date them so they appear on the date they were taken.

But you may find that I go a few days without posting anything, before back tracking to share the photos. After all, January's designed (I think so, anyway) as a time for gardeners to rest...and that's what I'm doing!

Winter Comes Home

Having only recently moved in, the house remains in a bit of disarray, and some unlikely things are in spaces they might not normally be...such as this pair of potted canna lilies, who've begun growing during their last three weeks in my bedroom.

The lily of the valley on the window sill are, of course, fake.


Our snow continued for a little while longer this afternoon, its pristine white offering a nice back ground for the bones of last summer's Queen Anne's lace.



Here's our snowy street as I left for work. Note the glimmer of blue sky behind snowy clouds.


Around the corner from us, some folks have decorated this lovely little pine tree for Christmas, using those deep, rich toned LED light strings.

I think these lights make this tree a quiet beauty, especially now with a coating of snow on the ground, and it's been a welcoming treat for the eyes every night just before getting home.

Perhaps you've noticed I'm a little late posting tonight. With our outdoor current temperature of 16 degrees (Fahrenheit, for you Europeans...), I think you'll agree that tonight was hardly the ideal night for our furnace to give us the Finger.

Fortunately, we noticed the increased chill in the house before it was too late in the evening to want to contact our landlord, who brought an emergency service person over...and although they've both left not long ago, I'm very happy to say the furnace is working once again.

The Ocean Effect

It's 18 degrees out there this morning and I couldn't be less interested in venturing out, though I'll do so shortly.

I have lots of sympathy for this little bird digging through the snow and trying to stay warm. To help him and his brethren along, I tossed some fresh seed out just a little while ago.

With the cold has come a steady stream of ocean effect snow and the promise for more as the day progresses. Fortunately, it is the light, fluffy kind of snow, easily swept and not too hard to keep up with. I just cleaned about an inch of the stuff from the back porch and walk. And here's the good news from the National Weather Service:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A SNOW
ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING.

OCEAN EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS CAPE COD THROUGH
EARLY THIS EVENING. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF A TRACE TO 5 INCHES ARE
POSSIBLE WITH THE HIGHEST TOTALS EXPECTED ACROSS OUTER CAPE COD FROM
HYANNIS EAST TO CHATHAM AND NORTH TO PROVINCETOWN.


SATELLITE...RADAR AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS INDICATE BANDS OF LIGHT TO
MODERATE SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS OUTER CAPE COD FROM HYANNIS TO CHATHAM
AND PROVINCETOWN...WITH LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS AND FLURRIES APPROACHING
THE CAPE COD CANAL.


SNOW WILL VARY IN INTEN SITY GIVEN THE LOCA TION OF INDIVI DUAL SNOW
BANDS. GUSTY NORTH WEST WINDS COMBINED WITH THE FALLING SNOW WILL
TEMPORARILY REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO ONE HALF MILE OR LESS. SNOW WILL
BEGIN TO TAPER TO FLURRIES THIS EVENING AS WINDS SHIFT TO WEST AND
SNOW BANDS SHIFT TO THE EAST OUT INTO THE OCEAN WATERS.

A SNOW ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY
TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND
LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

Snow

Some good old fashioned snow found us as the afternoon faded and by dark, we had almost half an inch. It seemed to take breaks between actually snowing and just blowing, though after a certain point its hard to be sure which is which.

By the time I got home around 10, there was closer to an inch of the stuff on the ground in some places and the temper
ature was falling. In no time, there was another half inch on the back porch.

Here's some non-flash photos of snowflakes whizzing past the outside light.