Winter adventure in the woods

We finally have enough snow for skiing in the woods. Callie and headed up Punkintown Rd. and off down a snowmobile trail. The hemlocks were stooped over the trail so thickly in one place, that even the snowmobiler gave up. I followed the tracks of an intrepid snowshoer, then blazed off on my own, breaking trail for Callie Lou. On our return trip, Callie's sprints settled into short dashes, and then jogs to keep up with me on the down hills. She's learning cross-country ski etiquette--not to stand on my skis, and if she wants to be out front, she needs to keep going! We had a blast, and she was pleasantly pooped. I can hear her snoring by the fire now.

Skiing with Callie Lou

Winter Laundry

It's always get a chuckle hanging laundry on winter days. First, I need to don my snowshoes (so I don't ruin my pristine ski trails through the back yard under the clothesline). Then I need to haul the basket up on my sledge so it doesn't fill with snow. And finally, after hanging in the weak sun for 7 hours, the dungarees are still stiff as boards. I take the clothespins off, and holding them by the legs, fold them in half, and then again, jamming them into submission. The last step for winter laundry is draping everything around the fire and enjoying the smell of sunshine inside!

The Skiing Life

A few days ago, my brother Jon sent me an update on Northeast Slopes and suggested we get together for some skiing there. I've stopped by twice en route home from Mad River Glen, and carved some telemark turns. With the snow falling all day and night, my mind of course, turns to skiing.

Here we are at Northeast Slopes, circa 1965ish, Jon, myself, and David, ready for another day of skiing. I don't think Jonathan was skiing yet, but he sure is entranced with those ski poles--skier in the making, especially if Grampa had anything to do with it!

As the snow whips around the house, I'm reminiscing of past ski trips with my siblings. I'm overdue for another adventure with them! Jon, my free-heel brother has ventured off-piste with me, and no doubt, is sitting in his house too, itching to get out on his skis. Remember our trips on the Skyline Trail? Yahooooo!

Hey guys--love you! Think snow!

Happy 2010!

I hope this new year brings better things to everyone. After last year's lousy garden weather, family ailments, and unexpected expenses, I need a year of breathing easier. So here's my New Year's Wish/Resolution 10 Step Program:

1. Get at least 2 pieces published.
2. Finish painting/papering the kitchen (and if lucky, put in a new floor).
3. Repair and paint the garage so it matches the house.
4. Plant a more productive garden and stay on top of the crops.
5. Yes, the same one everyone vows--lose some weight!
6. Bike to work A LOT MORE--see how many miles I can reach.
7. Practice the guitar.
8. If money permits--go on a vacation!
9. Reduce energy costs by sealing house better and adding insulation.
10. Write more.

I'm sitting at my new computer desk, once again redecorating as I try to maximize space in our little home. It looks nice, but doesn't have the drawer capacity of my old one. This will force me to deal with the junk I've got piled up everywhere and follow through on the paperwork.

Nature's amazing colors

What an amazing sunset! Sometimes I am just awed by nature's color palette. At moments like this, I wonder if anyone else out there is thinking the same thing I am as they gaze at the skyline. I stopped splitting up the evening's wood, ran inside for the camera, snapped and stared.

Hairy beets!

I dug the beets out from under the snow-flattened row cover (should have taken it down a month ago), and was surprised to find so many. Most of them are not well-developed with hairy rootlets everywhere, but that won't stop me from cookin' them up tonight! Yumm!

Winter Carrot Harvest

I dug up the last of the carrots today. We had been harvesting them as we needed, but with the recent snowfall, and more due later this week, I figured it was time to dig them up. Between hungry mice, and a vegetable-loving Rottweiler (she some of last winter's crop) with her nose in the snow, we decided to pull them all. I weighed in 6 pounds worth! Take that and add it to all we've eaten, it was well over 12 pounds as near as I can tell. Definitely a crop worth having! Note Callie the hungry dog at the edge of the picture, eyeballing the harvest in my hands!

Snow at last!

Our first snow of the season started yesterday afternoon, but by 10 p.m. the ground was blanketed in white. Even the roads had accumulated enough to send the plow trucks out. We woke up this morning to a very Christmas-like scene. The heavy snow stuck to everything--four inches of the stuff! I've thought about getting out the xc skis, but with no solid base, I'm afraid I'll bottom out in muck. Heck, it was 65 degrees a few days ago! I don't think the ground in frozen enough, but this is a start, the first step towards a winter of fun.
The house looks lovely with its new colors, I just wish I'd completed the garage as well. Thankfully, I cleaned out the gutters Friday evening, just in time. But we still need to bury our potted plants in the garden and the balsam in the leaf compost pile. Maybe this year, we will decorate our Charlie Brown tree.
A day like this inspires me to get cooking for Christmas. We've got the fire stoked, warm enough to keep Callie (curled up in my chair) comfy. All I need now is more snow, and caroling in the background.

A mild November with dreams of a cold December...

Last weekend found John and I planting garlic, and starting spinach and kale in the hoop house. With these warm days, we've put off many of the usual October tasks, such as putting the strawberry pots into the ground. Our mini-Christmas tree (a mere seedling received years ago on Earth Day), is now well beyond a Charlie Brown tree, reaching almost 3 feet in height. It will spend another winter, buried in the leaf compost, awaiting a re-potting next spring.

We picked just over 2 pounds of carrots, luscious and frost-sweetened from the two gardens, as well as a couple more cabbage heads, and tasty sprigs of broccoli. The swiss chard continues to brave the sub-freezing temperatures, thawing mid-day so we can pick some for dinner. And the hardy parsley, lush and verdant, provides the freshes herbs possible, from the garden to the pot!

Today is another day of working on the woodpile. I seem to always be cutting, splitting and restacking. Who said it warms you twice? More like four times around here! But I relish these crisp days, woodsmoke in the air, and the smell of freshly split maple and oak in the yard.

Much as I enjoy the continued garden bounty, I'm ready to see a white blanket on the ground. Skiing is just around the corner, as I wait patiently by the woodstove, re-reading my favorite classic on ski-camping and checking up on ebay for a spare pair of dirt-cheap Epoke skis. The skis that circumvented Mt. McKinley are no longer made, but I cherish my pair--as close as you'll come to the all-round perfect cross-country ski.