The view from the bedroom window shows a world iced with crystal and shrouded in mist. I love taking photos of this yellow birch in the west field. So mysterious shrouded in fog. I didn't worry about all the perennials buried under three feet of snow all during the frigid month of February, but ice on the weeping cherry is definitely a worry. I wonder how the wisteria feels about all the ice. Probably not happy.
February ended cold, and March began cold. 10 degrees at 7 am on March 2. The fountain juniper is almost completely covered. More snow yesterday, but warmer temperatures - over freezing. Temperatures are staying at freezing or below - but the fountain juniper begins to reveal itself. The only place to find color is at the Smith College Spring Bulb show. More sun, but still freezing temperatures. And yet melting - or subliming - continues. "Sublime verb -…
The February Audubon Newsletter features an amazing art project - painting portraits of all 314 climate threatened or endangered birds on the roll down security gates in the Hamilton Heights area of NYC, where coincidently, John James Audubon once lived. This is the brainstorm of gallery owner Avi Gitler, and artist Tom Sanford. Street art to spread the word about the plight of these birds. The New York Times thought this was a great idea too. The Newsletter…
It is bright and white and barely freezing. The snow has stopped. The plow arrived. One car got out. The snow has fallen and drifted into the Sunken Garden, half burying the Sargent Crabtree. The western wall is over six feet high - also buried. If you look closely you'll see a tiny branch at the right of this photo, hinting of the three hydrangeas now buried - and probably damaged. Sigh. We are really really happy that…
On Thursday the snow stopped long enough for me to make my escape from Heath, onward to Cambridge, MA for a visit with my son and a writer's workshop organized by the Garden Writer's Association. And what did I see when I got to Cambridge, MA? Snow. And ice. And icy icy sidewalks. I should have brought my YakTrax. I think snow is more of a problem in a city, but the trip was more than worth it.…
All was quiet and beautiful after a slight snowfall, but the "Blizzard for the Ages" was predicted. Everyone prepared to hunker down. Supermarkets and libraries were unusually busy as hunkering has many aspects. Pots of water set aside along with firewood and flashlight batteries. A state of emergency was declared for Massachusetts and all non-emergency workers told to stay home. The snow, a fine dry snow, did not begin in Heath until 10 pm on Monday, January 26.…
I suppose my amaryllis mystery began on December 11, 2014 when I rather belatedly bought boxed amaryllis bulbs ready for planting and blooming. I knew they would not bloom in time for Christmas, but glamorous amaryllis flowers are welcome in January and February as well. I potted all three bulbs up as directed. I did notice that the Athene white amaryllis seemed to have been pruned back more severely or more recently than the other two. I kept…
Snowflakes on the car window early this frigid morning. And the photographer's hands. Snowflake Bentley will tell you more about snowflakes and photographing snowflakes. Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin tells the wonderful story about a Vermont boy born in 1865 who loved snowflakes and learned how to photograph them. For more Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.
Where do you keep your books for the reading season that follows the delightful chaos of the holidays? I will show you my bookshelves - or at least portions of the ranks of bookshelves in my house. There are about 44 feet of bookshelves in the Great Room. This section includes nature refernce books, mysteries, essays and cookbooks and books on cooking. This array of cookbooks is next to the dining table that also serves as a worktable.…
The view from the bedroom window on January 1, 2015 is sunny and frigid. 16 degrees this morning. What view from the window will I be enjoying on January 1, 2016? Only time will tell