Yesterday we had about 2.5 inches of wet snow. It stuck to everything and made it all look very Christmas-y. Very nice indeed. It won’t be melting either since we are to have below freezing temperatures through the end of this week when it’s predicted we get yet another storm on Saturday. Right now we’ve heard everything from another wintry mix to 3 to 5 inches of snow first, then ice, then rain. Both my neighbors have their Christmas parties planned for Saturday and Sunday, so I hope they still get a good turn-out. All we have to do is make it across the street so I guess at least we’ll show up.

Nearly every night I am awakened by this sound. It penetrates through the closed windows. Very eerie. At first I wondered if it was a bird of some sort, but no, it’s the fox. It makes other odd sounds too. Sometimes it sounds like it’s right under our window, while other times it’s in the distance. The sound really carries in the moist, damp air. I don’t mind having it around but I do think it’s the reason we don’t have any turkeys anymore. I miss the turkeys. I’m not sure if it’s still living under the side deck or not since I haven’t actually seen it in a while, but the dogs check out the hole almost every day.

If you want to see our weather you can always check out our weather cam which is now aimed at the front of the house. (Note: images stop at sunset.) You might even catch a glimpse of me once in a while!

Photo: our front door

Oh my! How did two weeks fly by without a blog post? I’m not quite sure. One reason might be that while scooping dog food out of the can while feeding the dogs last week, the tip of my index finger made contact with the sharp rim of the can and sliced an envelope-like deep cut with a flap. It’s been too sore to type with. You don’t realize how many things you do with the tip of your index finger until you lose the use of it! Things like typing, knitting, swiping my iPad, washing my hair, etc. At least the flap is healed over now and I’m not at risk for catching it and ripping it back open. It’s still tender to the touch and a little numb.

At least that’s a reason for not blogging.

We’re getting into the Christmas spirit finally. On Friday I hung all the lighted garlands in the house around doorways, brought up our little fiber optic snowman and plugged them all in for an instant transformation. Saturday found us at our favorite little locally owned nursery to buy our “old-fashioned-style” fir tree. We also bought a wreath for the door and wreaths for the light posts at the top of our driveway. We spent the rest of Saturday decorating the outside of our front door and porch railings. We decided not to put lights on the trees in front this year because we can never get them off until March, so we settled for a lighted entry. It looks good. 

Yesterday dawned gray and gloomy. We walked the dogs and split some firewood, plus carrying over more firewood from the reserve stash in the yard to underneath the deck. Then we tackled trimming the tree. It’s a very pretty tree, plump and full with not much space for ornaments to hang. 

The weather has been gray a lot. It’s also been cold enough for the ponds and lakes to begin freezing over. Last night we had a “wintry mix” overnight and everything is coated with ice. One unlovely thing about living in the East: the icy stuff that falls from the sky instead of snow. We are supposed to get 2-4 inches of snow tomorrow, so we’ll see. If so, it will be the first one this year.

I think we’re ready for winter, so bring it on!

GOODBYE TO AUTUMN

The leaves are down

upon the ground.

The trees no longer wear

their autumn gowns.

It’s official. Here in New Jersey autumn, with all its spectacular glory, is over. The trees are bare; our neighbors exposed once more. Johnny was switched over to his winter gear on Thursday. We are still waiting for our final leaves to be blown clear of the yard which will probably happen after Thanksgiving since the guy we have do it is running behind. 

This weekend Rick and I did the final wood chores and it’s all now nicely stacked and waiting to be a future cozy fire. We needed a cozy fire yesterday as it only got up to 27 degrees with a chill wind. Brrrr! We had a little skiff of snow the night before, just enough to coat the grass a little.

This particular tree in Long Pond Ironworks was exceptionally spectacular. I stood underneath it for quite some time just taking it all in. Here are a few more photos of its grandeur.

From afar:

From underneath:

Up close and personal:

I know I haven’t blogged much lately. I used to feel compelled to blog, but I don’t anymore. If I don’t have anything interesting to share I don’t blog. Weird, no? I am not stopping blogging, just blogging as the mood strikes me. It’s almost as if the cabin visit this year rewired my whole system. I see things differently now, and I think for the better. 

Thanksgiving is on Thursday and we are looking forward to sharing our feast with friend Carolyn who will be driving down from Rhode Island. After that, before you know it Christmas will be upon us. This year I am going minimalistic on my decorating and I’m going to have just the lighted garlands on the stair banister and around the doorways as I always do and the tree itself. Simple. Pared down. Just like other things in my life.

To end my series of photos of Ms. Magnificent Maple, I thought I’d show you where she lives and whose yard she has graced for a long time now. Do you recognize the house?

I am not really big into Halloween, so these photos are as scary as it gets from me. The photo above looked to me like the tree was kind of evil and it was hunkered down low to the ground to snatch someone up into its long bony fingers … uhm … (those would branches). It seems to scream I’ll get you my pretty! (insert evil laugh).

This window in the old abandoned house also looked rather scary to me. The torn plastic that once covered the window is ripped in the pattern of uneven teeth. The branches in front of it just added to the whole effect. I had the feeling it was beckoning me, no daring me, to come inside. 

Or maybe I just have an over-active imagination!

For the past two years we’ve been without power on Halloween. This year it’s kind of nice to have electricity for the spookiest of nights.

Photos taken at Long Pond Ironworks.

October has not been kind to New Jersey for the past two years, particularly around Halloween. In 2011 we had Snowtober and last year we had Superstorm Sandy. This year is calm and peaceful with no such storms in sight. It’s probably because we now have a generator wired into the house!

The trees are slightly past their peak and looking rusty-colored with burnt oranges and yellows, but somehow they are prettier now than they were. They daytime temperatures are cool enough for a light jacket. We’ve not had any rain in a long time but should get some toward the end of the week.

I’ve been taking walks around Long Pond Ironworks, checking on the progress of the burning bushes. They are making progress but still not at their peak.

I usually have the path to myself. Right now it’s covered in leaves which smell so good and earthy when you step on them. They crinkle and crunch as I scuff my way through them.

It’s an easy walk with things of interest along the way, either in the several bird viewing outlooks or the buildings.

I love the strong shadows at this time of year.

It has different things to offer than Skylands does, and it’s much closer—just down the road from our house. It makes the perfect little quick getaway for me (and my camera).