A winter getaway

This winter has been the complete opposite of last winter. It's been unseasonably warm with almost no snow.  We had more snow during the freak October snowstorm as compared to the entire winter so far.  Last week I was even looking for salamanders and turtles...that's how crazy it has been. I can't say I'm complaining as my tires on my car and due to replaced in short order. 

We took our winter Vermont trip early this year and it was a very small group as the parents were up at the house.  Even Vermont had very little snow until the days we drove up and two snow events gave us about a foot of fresh and festive snow.  It was the perfect snow and made everything beautiful and postcard like.  It was the perfect depth to take leisurely walks in the woods and the dogs enjoyed romping about. 

We even had a couple days of bitter cold and we awoke one morning to what appeared to be frozen fog up in the mountaintops. See the pic above.  We did get stir crazy after a couple days and even though it was bitter cold that night I enlisted some to go out and look at the stars and attempt to see the Milky Way.  The Milky wasn't visible but Jupiter was out in all its glory and the stars were beautiful as usual in a cold and clear night.  The dogs settled in each night after hours of romping about.  See if you can pick out the flying pig formation dog in the very top photo.

The sunsets were awesome and I snapped photograph and photograph trying to capture that perfect shot while trying to stay warm.

We even got to see a mild sundog one sunset, which I kept calling a snow dog. It's when it's so cold two bright spots appear on each side of the sun.  Only one was visible as the trees blocked the other one. 

Little bit of everything

For President's day weekend, we headed to Vermont for some much needed R&R. We got lucky and didn't encounter any epic blizzards or crazy driving conditions. So it was relaxation all around. For a day or two, we had very warm conditions that approached 50 degrees. Then moments of cold and snow showers. The dogs certainly seemed to enjoy the snow even though there was plenty back home.
I ate a ton of amazing food this trip that is beyond words and description. I certainly came home weighing more then when I came in. I wish I spent time showshoeing rather than plain walking in the 2 feet of snow. It was a crap shoot every step you took. Sometimes you stayed on the surface and other times you fell through. Nevermind the drifts that were thigh high.

We didn't do any sledding, which was probably for the best. Last winter, I went partially down the ice ramp, caught air and landed on my head. Thankfully I wasn't really hurt although my neck was a bit sore. Others had the same fate as I did.
The best thing of all is seeing the plentiful stars at night. We had full moon or nearly full moon the entire trip so you could see everything without a flashlight. We were eagerly anticipating seeing some northern lights but once again we got skunked.

True winter

This has been one hell of a winter and it's not over. Snowstorm after snowstorm with no thaw or melt in between. My condo's snowbay has been full for weeks and they have become creative on where to put the plowed snow. Parking spots are now taken over by snow or its just dumped in random spots. Right now, we're coming off of a 2 day event. It's been all ice/sleet/freezing rain this round. It's 2 pm and the plows are just getting to my condo.

I've been working from home the past 2 days and I'm READY to get out. I tried to get out yesterday and this morning. Both were failed attempts. I almost made it to work yesterday morning but turned back when I realized that if the roads were that bad in the beginning of the storm, it could only get worse on the evening drive. That and the various accidents I passed or where almost part of. We were driving on the highway and almost everyone was respectful and driving appropriately. I was in the second from the left lane with a car just to the left of me in the far left lane. I was going a smidge faster than the car in the far left lane. Then this white sedan...like a circa 2000 ford taurus...comes flying up in the left lane and I do mean flying. I lightly tap my brakes to avoid having that car come into my lane. Then I notice that it turn into the median. That was weird. I don't recall seeing an emergency vehicle u-turn area. Then I see it do a full 360 in the snowy median and it's now facing the wrong way. Must have lost control. Plus it's now pelleting frozen rain. Then I see another remains of an accident on the other side of the highway and decide to turn around. I'm eagerly anticipating the aftermath of the white car median excursion on the way back. Except I now see that this car someone has escaped the snowy median and is now on the other side of the highway perpendicular and blocking the 2 right lanes. Cops are blocking traffic before the car. I never got a good look at the driver but seriously what is going on. It has to be three things.....drunk, high, and or just totally clueless.

This morning I was one of the few souls on the road. The driveway and parking lot was covered in at least 1 inch of ice. Water was pouring off the roof. My road was a mess and the roads were not the best. Branches were down and traffic lights were out. I decided that if it was that bad by me, it must be much worse up at the office. So I turned back home once again.
So you say, what else has been going on? Well there's been absolutely no field work in January with no field work in the near future with this deep snow. I've been sick and just now am getting healthy. I've bought a new camera...a digital dslr. It'll be my new project to learn on how to work it. I've taken up sewing and have made almost 2 skirts. I just took down my Christmas tree last weekend and found some sort of weird white fibrous fungus all over the bottom branches....the cause of my illness?? Since I was sick, I didn't use my fireplace for a couple weeks. I store my firewood on the deck in plastic bins. I opened a bin this weekend and found 2 mice living in it. It was a lucy episode trying to get them out. Let's just say one almost climbed on my leg.

Hibernation mode

Winter hibernation mode has continued. Field work has been slim to none with nothing of interest to report on. In addition, it feels like every week there's a mini winter storm event. The bf and I have ventured to Great Swamp a bunch of times in past month. Rough-legged (that's pronounced legg-ed for you non bird nerds). We've also seen at a great distance some other interesting but I only really enjoy rare birds at a close proximity.

This weekend I attempted to have a stay-cation where I didn't do anything. During vacuuming, I randomly pulled my back. So I'm tending to a sore back. Then I noticed a large puddle underneath the kitchen sick. Turns out the sprayer is leaking and dripping down below. Dad was summoned and he bought a new sprayer which turned out to be cracked and also leaking. Old leaky was put back on and now lives lying in the sink to avoid creating a new puddle below the sink. I can't say that lying underneath the sink did any good things to my back. But I guess that's how it goes.

Aside from the bad weekend events, spring was still trying to get a head start. It broke 50 degrees on sunday and the windows were open and jackets were optional. Given my back situation and attempts at relaxation, I started and finished the daily coyote book. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Mixed bag

Work has ramped up after the holidays. I've even managed to do some field work in between the winter weather. Winter field work isn't as bad as summer field work. It just takes a lot more preparation and clothing. Moving around and writing takes significantly longer. The good news is that the multiple layers of clothing makes any thorns a non-issue.

Here's some scenes of my latest outdoor adventures. Not pictured is the large amount of feral cats at this site. The cats seemed to relatively happy considering the situation and the cold temps. The site was next to a senior center so I'm sure they are getting their bellies full from the blue hairs living in it.

After the latest snow, I ventured out to check out turtle mecca. It suprised me that it still smelled like a swamp. Gotta love that swamp gas. Santa gave me a kick ass mammal tracks book and I'd like to learn how to track critters. Unfort I couldn't make out any real details on these tracks. Better luck next time.

If this is winter, I'd hate to see summer

Some of you wonder what I do during the winter. I do spend some time outside, but typically snow/ice cover and frozen ground makes it close to impossible to do work. Not this winter! This week has been crazy hot...and I do mean crazy. I've been trying to make the most of this weather by spending as much time outside as possible.

Even though it's nice and warm outside, there's still the winter challenge of vegetation identification. There's no leaves on the trees and shrubs. The herbs and grasses sometimes require some sort of CSI technology to identify them. Then there's the secret skunk cabbage. Skunk cabbage is a very wet plant so it's important to find it. Here's what it looks like in late winter...if you are lucky you can spot one.

Here's what it looks like in the summer. Big difference!

During my monday outing, I was getting frustated because of the secret skunk cabbage, being super overdressed for the warmth, and having to check the soils like a maniac before being able to hang one wetland boundary flag. So I needed some comic relief and here I am on top of a tree that I thought was like nature's chaise lounge. It was a tree that had a second life. It had fallen over, but it still was able to bend towards the sun and survive into a mature tree. Not soon after my comic relief I lost my sweater in the wetlands. Of course the sweater was a nice forest green and blended in well with the mossy ground. I eventually found it all sprawled out on the ground not that far from the chaise lounge.