December in Vermont

Below are excerpts from Ellen’s journal. She has kept her Walden Hill Journal going since we moved from Illinois. We hope you enjoy reading them for a vicarious experience of Vermont.

Dec. 3, 2005 We’re back to winter with a fresh snow cover, 20° temps and heavily gusting winds. All the trees have been blown clear of an originally thick powdering of snow. We took advantage of a clear window in the weather forecast to take an overnight trip to Montreal. On Thursday night we heard the Montreal Symphony including a very inspiring virtuosic performance of the Mozart Flute Concerto. On Friday we visited the Musee des Beaux Arts for a special exhibit of paintings of Provence from 1750 through the early 20th century. That certainly brought a splash of color into an otherwise dreary day. What was predicted as partly cloudy in Montreal translated into rain turning to snow. And a 40% “chance of snow” showers in VT with 1 to 4 inches possible accumulation translated to blizzard conditions over Sheffield Heights on I-91 and a total whiteout on Walden Hill. Fortunately this time we had on our snow tires and made it back to our own driveway. Ah well, winter plans always carry the possibility of dramatic adventures.

Dec. 8, 2005 We’re looking out on a pristine winter scene this morning; fresh snow, bright blue sky, full December sun and crystal clear air. The thermometer shows a very nippy 5 degrees but that goes with the territory. After several gloomy, stormy days, it’s wonderful to see mother nature taking a rest. We’ll let the snow thrower and wood stove do the same. A little bit of shoveling should take care of the wind-blown snow.

Dec. 11, 2005 Lots of performances to keep us hopping this time of year. Between yesterday and today, there are 3 concerts down with four more to go before 2005 comes to a close. Jeff even donned his tails to simulate Victorian garb as we provided some recorder and guitar music for the Athenaeum’s participation in St. Jay’s Victorian Christmas festivities. Our snow cover is just exceeding boot-walking in the woods. We’ll have to get out the snowshoes if we can find a minute or two for a walk through the snow. I did manage a hike through our woods several days ago with just my winter boots and one ski pole but we’ve had more snowfall since then. My outdoor exercise has been limited to shoveling the stairs and keeping the bird feeder filled. Fortunately the suet basket keeps the birds supplied when the seed feeder is empty. A very striking downy woodpecker has joined the chickadees at the suet.

Dec. 13, 2005 I stepped outside this morning to the whining sound of squeaky clean snow, a certain indication that very cold weather has set in. The thermometer was hanging around zero and climbed a bit with the warming sun; but tonight has found the minus side as the stars shimmer and a nearly full moon lights up the night sky. At least we have a few inches of snow to give a blanket of insulation as January weather visits us a month ahead of schedule. I guess Mother Nature doesn’t pay much attention to the calendar. It certainly looks like the winter solstice is approaching however, with night appearing early and abruptly by 4:00.

Dec. 15, 2005 We’re stuck in the midst of an Arctic “high” front that has settled over Vermont, pushing temperatures well below zero. The plus side of this unseasonably frigid weather has been no more snow to contend with and crystal clear, deep blue skies. It’s 7:20 and the sun has just crested Mt. Lafayette, sending a sparkling telltale pinpoint of light before it. Bright orange spreads into a turquoise sky, stretching deep blue shadows across the snow. The sun is approaching its shortest day and southernmost rising point. Fortunately the moon is nearly full and has been a bright beacon in the cold, clear nights. Reflecting off the snow gives the moon extra power to soften the night. We waited until early afternoon for the sun to warm things up a bit and took a walk in the woods. Fortunately the snow is still walkable with just boots and a ski pole. Leftover leaves gave a nice soft cushion under the snow. Water is just beginning to ice over with beautiful intricate patterns of ice crystals forming in the wetlands. Grouse were on the wing, leaving their distinctive trail through the snow. There were also several trails of small canine tracks, possibly fox judging by the size of the impressions and distance between them.

Dec. 17, 2005 A major snowstorm yesterday left an additional foot of snow on the ground and plastered the trees in winter white. The normally beautiful drive down I-91 to Hanover was even more spectacular with the heavily laden trees, enhanced by the slowly emerging sun, sending rays of light through the thinning clouds. We were headed to Dartmouth for their annual Christmas Revels. This year’s theme was centered around the Ukrainian folk tale “The Fool and the Flying Ship”. Russian dancers, Balkan singers and a wonderful mime to play the fool complete with colorful Russian costumes made for a joyous solstice celebration. The ride home through the moonlit Connecticut River Valley was a perfect end to a beautiful and entertaining day.

Dec. 21, 2005 A very cold but sunny start to the Winter Solstice. The thermometer shows 8° below zero as the sun peeks over Mt. Lafayette to begin the shortest day. At 1:35 PM the sun will appear to stand still as the earth shifts towards a renewed longer contact with the sun. The low angle of the sun as it travels across the winter horizon is perfect for flooding our SE facing windows with solar warmth but doesn’t do much to warm the outside air. Meanwhile the rising sun is spreading its orange glow across a bright, clear blue, frigid winter sky. Sparkling fresh snow greets the day.

Dec. 22, 2005 We greeted the winter solstice at Essex Cinema watching the latest Harry Potter movie. It was definitely worth the trip. The scenery along the way wasn’t bad either. Mist rising from the Winooski River had frozen onto the feathery-branched, stream-side willows, decorating them in a frosting of lace. Being backlit by the low angled sun, gave them a delicate magical quality. Then of course there’s always Camel’s Hump which has its winter coat firmly attached. There too, the disappearing sun was spotlighting the distinctive mountain peak against an dark gray sky. Today we’re enjoying full morning sun and anticipating a festive holiday on the green in Danville tonight and another concert with Pumpkin Hill Singers.

Dec. 24, 2005 Jeff got his morning exercise clearing the glacier that had cascaded off the roof. I helped to chop it up into bite-size pieces for the snow blower to chew and spit out. It was several days worth of snow that had collected up there, the latest being wet and heavy. I continued my aerobic workout opening up our snowshoe trail. Unfortunately I hadn’t packed it down earlier while the snow was soft and fluffy, so I was breaking trail through deep, heavy, slushy snow. Snowshoe hare had been out and about as was some low-to-the-ground animal that left a trough about 6 inches wide with small tracks within. Whatever it was, it made quite an extensive journey through the woods. A flock of red polls was visiting the bird feeder earlier today and a hairy woodpecker had discovered the hanging suet. The smaller downy perches comfortably on the basket, but the larger hairy woodpecker envelopes the whole cage, tucking his tail under for better balance. He really hogs the suet and puffs out a warning challenge to the occasional chickadee that tries to get seeds from the nearby feeder.

Dec. 27, 2005 Providing a bird feeder may be good for the seed-eaters that winter over but also occasionally benefits the vigilant hawk. This morning our chickadee population is diminished by one and a small hawk has satisfied his hunger. I only caught a brief glimpse of the hawk holding the chickadee to the ground and pecking it senseless before flying off to consume its meal. We received only a few inches of snow last night while Maine is measuring its snowfall in feet. Very high winds are pushing clouds in and out, giving us brief periods of welcomed sunshine.

Dec. 29, 2005 A quartet of elegantly plumed evening grosbeaks and a large flock of red polls are brightening up this very fogged-in, gloomy winter day. Waiting their turn at the feeder, the red polls perch like bobbing ornaments on the slender branches of the nearby shad trees. Some invisible signal sends the flock swooping and diving en masse in a magnificent aerial ballet. The thermometer is showing 40° which no doubt accounts for the melting, misting and very low cloud layer. Our usually sweeping vista has totally disappeared.

Dec. 31, 2005 A winter glow sunrise spreads its soft, pink, orange and finally yellow across the morning sky. The sun still waits until close to 7:30 before finally cresting the horizon. Any perceived length to the days is found at days end not the beginning. It’s 5° above zero with a fresh coating of snow on the ground. High winds yesterday have kept the trees bare. A serigraphed Mt. Moosilauke crowns the morning view; long blue shadows stretch across the sparkling snow.