Sunday, 16 November 2014
Long to-do list today, mostly niggling details. At the end, neither of us could think of more, so that was it, and we hit the road.
Flurries came and went as we motored along. They always make interesting patterns in the headlights.
Saturday, 15 November 2014
Spellbinding sunrise this morning. Clear enough that it was pretty darned cold, all things considered. After considerable prompting, the wood stove triumphed, and it’s been doing well all day, with some assistance from El Sol.
Friday, 14 November 2014
Until mid-afternoon we enjoyed plenty of sunshine, including a bit of melting and some solar gain. The temp on the front porch reached almost 50°F, courtesy of the latter…although we didn’t open it up (brr).
I found gorgeous shadows from the trees, and most enjoyed the snow that is still piled up on the lilac seed-structures. I guess that the snow endured on these fine branches and twigs means the snow was cold and the wind absent.
As I write this, the sun has abandoned us, although the overcast skies have not become snowy.
Thursday, 13 November 2014
We drew upon our driveway cleaning yesterday, and escaped today for a few hours.
And, yes, now that we’re feeling like the snow is ruling our lives, that is a big deal.
I am beginning to get an idea of the crazy-making encoded in “cabin fever.”
On the winter-changes outdoors, the lake is beginning to freeze over. I saw little bergs bobbling along the shore.
Monday, 10 November 2014
We watched the weather transition soon after this. The snow stopped, and the wind kicked up. I don’t know if you can pick out the one red spot near the center of the photo, a lone apple hanging on above the reach of the deer.
Great apple production this year, both many apples and nice apples. No spraying or other bug repellants applied, and yet, far fewer insect invasions in the fruit than I ever remember seeing before.
Inside, the Guru brought in lots of wood and the stove kicked out the heat, very pleasant.
Sunday, 9 November 2014
Good to know the eagle is still watchful along the beach. That’s him/her just left of center, in what’s left of his/her favorite treetop. (Trees sometimes have a rough time on this property.)
The freeze has just struck, and so some of the apples have centers that got frozen. Worse weather is coming within the next day. We have plenty of firewood, groceries, and vodka/gin.
Friday, 7 November 2014
Woke up to a dusting, and a stunning early-dawn sky. Lucky us, the sun emerged, and took all the snow before the day was out, and most of it by mid-morning. By the afternoon, the sky had clouded up, but the morning was stellar.
Thursday, 6 November 2014
Off on the left is half an apple tree; the left trunk took out the other half—better that than a person or a pickup.
I went out and communed with the stump and the twin tree-corpses this afternoon. Huge trunks, now…potential lumber (we hope). And plenty of branch-firewood.
Sometime later, big fluffy flakes came down for a few minutes. Then, the sun came out—the first time since we arrived. It lasted only as long as the snow. Then there was another flutter of snow. Now it’s just grey (and dark), and wet underfoot.
Big news: the fixit-guys finished up, and the cottage is as whole as it could be. Whoopee!
* I think….
Wednesday, 29 October 2014
We had some rain in the morning, then the afternoon was overcast for quite a while, except for a few minutes when the western sky became looming-grey. In a few hours, the sun came out.
Sunday, 26 October 2014
Ehem…via the Prius, on the amazing Cherohala Skyway highway. It’s a late arrival to the road system, draped across high ground with many pull-offs, and a perfect choice for a sunny autumn day. We found slopes and peaks that were mostly denuded, along with plenty of pine/oak/other species forests with nice leaf color.
We thought the rivers had more water than we expected for the season, but maybe our expectations are skewed from the many drought years….
The states we visited were GA, SC, GA, NC, TN, and home in GA. That was more that we planned when we left home…got carried away by the fine views…in a good way.