Goodbye winter?

I was out all day in the field. It was a delightfully warm day but overall quite boring. So boring that I won't even bother showing any pics taken today.

But on saturday after the sheep visit, we got hit by a few snow squalls. I experienced for the first time the same smell that comes after the first rain. It must be a combo of wet pavement and all the pollutants being pulled out of the air. It was quite warm so there was no way the snow was going to stick. But it was enough to freak out my elderly neighbors who thought it was a snow storm coming.

This recent squall reminded me of a time a few years back that must have been in late March. Frog and salamander eggs were already out, but it was snowing like there was no tomorrow. We were unprepared so we didn't have winter jackets. It was freezing and practically a white-out, but we had to check for frog and salamander eggs in these ponds. The snow was sticking too. I'd say there was at least an inch on the ground. Then after an hour of this it finally stopped and got real warm. By the time we left, there was no snow left.

I put my snow shovel back in the basement. That's the cue for a blizzard.

Sheep can jump

I was getting back from harvesting some firewood at my parents place. On my way back, I was drove past the bagel eating sheep and saw that three sheep had escaped. The three escapees were in road or right next to it. Two were eating grass in someone's lawn and the third was eating the deliciousness of salt and dirt covered leaves, twigs, and road debris along the road edge. Apparently not the brightest or more discerning of the three. I stopped my car and tried to find the hole in the fence. All I found was a slightly bent over section of fence that they must have jumped or walked over. They must be rams, because there was a bit of competition between two of them and I really don't see how ewes with lambs would jump a fence that the lambs would not be able to. I was debating whether to stop by the house to let the people know about the sheep, but it didn't look like anyone was home. Besides I think their neighbors must be used to this sort of antics and can maybe even herd the sheep back in.
The rest of the herd was hanging out in the corner and baaing a bunch.

Please stand by

We're in the latter half of winter and starting to feel its stir crazy effects in the office. I haven't been out in the field in weeks. Field work is slow so everyone is mostly in the office. Sickness also abounds in the office, but I've successfully avoided it so far. You know it's boring in the office when a simple thing like a uncommon swan sighting becomes the excitement. We all started making random bird and frog calls to see who's is the best and to test our identification skills.

Finally a snow day!

Finally some actual snow has fallen! It's been almost two years. Last year we got a few sleet/freezing rain days and a few inches of snow this year. I have a big project due today, which had to be driven to Trenton...not by me thankfully. I reasoned that I can't lift the numerous boxes of materials nor was either of my vehicles suitable for a long snowy drive. We had prepared as much as we could yesterday and I reluctantly walked out to my snow covered car this morning. There was about three fluffy inches that I had to brush off and then I started off. By the time I hit the real road, I already saw one car driving erratically with its hazards on. Not a good sign even if it was a real wheel drive car. So after passing this scary car, I pulled over and called work. Do they really need me to help finish up the project or can I work for home today? They said I was not really needed so back home I went. Woohoo. So I've been working from home while catching up on my stories. Funny how some soaps just never change. Patch and Kalya are back on Days of our Lives. I guess once you are on a soap, it's next to impossible to really leave.

Mousecapades are over?

It might be premature but I believe my mouse harvesting days may be over. I had removed the traps during my weekend at Vermont and vacuumed the presents up. When I came back there were no new presents. Plus I haven't caught a mouse in a few weeks and it has been cold. Keep your fingers crossed that they guys have moved onto greener condos.

Vermont...climate change edition

So far the past two winters in NJ have resulted in barely any snow. To get to real winter, we have to drive up to VT. Last President's Day weekend we went up to VT right after a record breaking snow storm. We are talking about 4 feet of snow and people shoveling their roofs. It was quite the journey and weekend full of obstacles and stories. This President's Day weekend I came prepared with flashlight, handwarmers, and extra gloves. The drive up went off without a hitch, until we got into VT where it started snowing. There was a light coating on the roads which made driving a little more precarious. We took precautions while driving and were probably about 30 minutes ahead of the other car in our group. They caught up and took the lead on the winding and hilly hour long final stretch. We were about to go through a blind curve over a bridge when the other car was seen dead stopped in the middle of the road. We slammed on our brakes and thought there would be an impact. Lesson one kids - Even if you think there's damage to your vehicle, please pull safely over to the side of the road in a blind curve to avoid another accident. We barely stopped in time. We made it to the house and driveway had been plowed but there was still about an inch of snow. We made it almost to the top when we couldn't go forward because we kept slipping. Regardless, we were happy to have made it and finally get out of the car. The dogs couldn't have agreed anymore.

There was probably about 2 feet of snow on the ground and awesome icicles coming off the roof. The next day we were off the grocery store where I spent a ridiculous amount of money on food and wine. For some reason, I thought that a crazy blizzard would come by and we would be trapped inside the house for the rest of the weekend. It probably didn't help that it was snowing the whole time we were at the grocery store. The parking lot was a sloppy slushy mess and we loaded the trunk and car completely full. Of course, we didn't make it all the way up the driveway because we were so heavy.

Overall the weekend was quiet, full of reading, watching movies, hanging out by the fireplace, playing Wii and with dogs, eating, drinking, resting, and the occasional outside snow play. I finished two books and should have brought another. Speaking of eating, here's another lesson for the kids. When cooking or baking something that's extraordinarily messy, sticky, greasy, etc., it's important to clean the pot/pan ASAP or at least let it soak immediately with soapy water. A large amount of bacon was made one morning and the pot was not cleaned that day. I think it finally made it to soaking a few hours later, but the damage was done. Burnt on bacon grease was almost impossible to remove. I tried later that afternoon with a steel wool, but I couldn't get even a small patch off. Another tried later that day as well with the same result. It was left to the last morning for frantic extreme cleaning with steel wool and abrasive cleaner. It still wasn't 100 percent cleaned and I'm sure we'll hear all about the repursions from this even if the house is even more sparkling clean than when we first arrived. Only one of the three dogs really enjoys snow and water play. The black lab just loves to hang out in the snow and attempt to catch snow in her mouth. Even with 2+ feet of snow, she still manages to wiggle her way through the snow. In the summer, she is completely obsessed with the pond and is still drawn to it in the winter. She would disobey orders and run towards the nearby drainage ditch that goes into the pond. The other dogs were obsessed with the ice/snow melt inside the house. Boots would be licked clean and any wet spots were quickly drunk up.

I had my first snow shoeing adventure. I did pretty good and had only one spill. I really should have brought the ski poles to help me, but no matter. It's still a workout since you sink like 5 inches down in the snow.

The last day we woke to super warm temperatures and most of the icicles were history. It must have been at least 50 degrees, which was insane. Our local road that is mostly sand and gravel became like driving on a wet beach. Thankfully, no one was coming the other way when we were coming down.

Chariots of Cashew

Field work has come to a grinding halt thanks to two large projects that require a lot of office work and have short deadlines....aka the boring zone. So in the meantime, enjoy my latest video attempt. Not heard on this video is the funny hissing noises Cashew makes. Apparently it's just a reflex of air going in and out of their lungs....not an angry noise.