February 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.

Feb. 2, 2006 Ground Hog Day. The rising sun has found enough of a break in the clouds to spread an early morning orange glow across the mountains, highlighting wisps of clouds here and there. I’m not sure if the sun will prevail or whether or not the ground hog will see his shadow, but I am sure that we’ll see at least 6 more weeks of winter regardless. I certainly haven’t observed any large rodents out for a midwinter stretch. I did however, see a skunk out foraging in the snow a few nights ago. Our relatively mild weather continues with temperatures hovering in-between 20 and 30 degrees. Small amounts of fresh snow over an icier base make for good snow shoeing. Judging from tracks in the woods, there’s no shortage of snowshoe hare this winter. Grouse tracks as well as the occasional “exploding” bird are plentiful too. A later sunset and the mere beginnings of a lingering twilight bring the promise of gradually lengthening days.

Feb. 3, 2006 More rain today, washing away our thin blanket of snow. We’re having a tough time this winter hanging onto our snow cover. We did however get out for an invigorating snowshoe yesterday afternoon as we headed across Gore Road for a crystal palace view. From the grandeur of the frosted hills to the minute icing on individual burs, our eyes encountered dazzling views. Neighbors had been out skiing and snowshoing, leaving well established, crunchy paths. The sun was just beginning to set, adding a warm orange glow as we headed home.

Feb. 4, 2006 Took a bit of a slushy snowshoe on our trail which is interrupted by bare ground and water. I noticed 2 to 3 inch snippets of spruce needles, profusely littering the ground. Perhaps the squirrels are nibbling them off for the sap. Chickadees are beginning to trill and warble a bit in between their usual squawking. They’re assuring us that the seasons are moving right along. Sunshine this morning helped to loosen the remaining ice on the drives which Jeff then shoveled and added some wood ash for better traction. It was a bit of a slippery walk to the mailbox this morning but my trusty ski pole saved the day.

Feb. 6, 2006 7:00 and the sun has just crested our hilly horizon, turning the gray clouds purple, pink and finally a shooting ray of hot, glowing orange. Sunrise is just south of Mt. Washington, a considerable northward journey since the winter solstice. A dusting of fresh snow covers the muddy mess of a road left from yesterday’s heavy rain. Fortunately the rain also brought down the remaining ice on both drives. The weather doesn’t seem to be able to make up its mind what to do today. I was standing in the midst of a snow shower, casting a shadow!

Feb. 16, 2006 We’re back from a somewhat cool but very sunny week in Florida. It was a nice, relaxed visit with mom and an interesting view of tropical flora and fauna in the various wetlands. Loxahatchee was celebrating its annual Everglades Day and we went there to enjoy the festivities. Highlights included a birds of prey talk featuring a live great horned owl, tiny screech owl, a magnificent red-shouldered hawk and the small but beautifully plumed kestrel. We also participated in a reptile walk along the marsh trail with views of several alligators, a firsthand up close view of 3 snakes, expertly displayed by the staff “snake handler” who only sustained one bite, and several interesting and varied turtles. We also got a look at a frog, disappearing down the throat of a small blue heron and a close-up view of a stalking great blue heron. If you look beyond the shopping malls, there’s much of interest to experience in sunny Florida. We were lucky to have a basically snowless week in Vermont while we were away. Points further south were not as fortunate. We were anticipating a major icebreaking job to access the garage entrance but all was beautifully clear. Warmer weather towards the end of our leave helped melt down the bit of roof snow that had compacted there.

Feb. 17, 2006 Frigid air from the north is clashing with warmer southern air, creating winds gusting around 40 mph. Heavy, driving rain did an excellent job of window washing before changing to snow flurries. Wind sculpted, turbulent clouds are rapidly moving by, bringing holes of clearing sky here and there. Lots of open ground looks more like mid-March than mid-February but hopefully an inch or two of snow will fall to bring back our picturesque winter landscape. Temps are supposed to dip below zero for the next few days so any snow cover will help protect the trees and bushes as well as be pleasing to the eye.

Feb. 18, 2006 Minus 10° and dropping. That’s quite a change from temperatures in the 40’s only yesterday. We’ve certainly been jolted back into winter. A hint of sunshine gave the false impression of a more hospitable day than it actually was. A quick trip to fill the bird feeder was all it took for me to appreciate the severity of today’s temperature and dangerous wind-chill. Even with the afternoon sun hitting the thermometer, temperatures continued to fall. As the days lengthen, the cold definitely strengthens!

Feb. 22, 2006 A light dusting of snow over the past two days has helped cover most of the bare spots but some ground continues to peek through in the field and woods. I’m still using snowshoes, not for any depth of snow but to give purchase on the solid, slippery ice hiding underneath the thin snow cover. A surprising amount of water is still flowing in the wetlands but most of it has frozen up again. I saw some very interesting tracks in the field and woods. A single line of small, fairly closely spaced tracks appear to be either a fox or cat. The individual impressions were not clear enough to distinguish between canine or feline. Another long track with paired imprints were almost certainly made by a fisher cat. A long grouse trail had several parallel scratch lines on one side, probably from dragging an injured wing. And of course, a frenzy of snowshoe hare tracks “abound” throughout the woods. Moosewood trunks are beginning to turn deep purple, an indication that sap is on the rise.

Feb. 26, 2006 7° below with bright sunshine and several inches of fresh, white, fluffy snow. Now it’s finally beginning to look and feel like winter. We haven’t yet had a large snow dump but there’s still hope with March and April remaining. Two very fluffed up bluejays are pecking away at the suet with chickadees darting in and out, snatching their single seeds from the feeder.

Feb. 28, 2006 We’re ending February in the deep freeze with low temps hanging steadily around minus 10° for the past few days. On the plus side of this scenario are longer days with an earlier sunrise that helps to warm the window glass nicely before we’re up and ready to open the window quilts. Even at 10° below we are able to rely solely on the warmth of the sun and give the woodstove a daytime rest. Decisively longer afternoons provide lingering twilight with rich colored sunsets, beautifully enhanced by the snow. Reflective oranges and soft purples spread and glowed for a breathtaking 20 minutes or more in the eastern sky last evening. The frigid, clean night air brought out sparkling, star-studded skies with the milky way spreading a night beacon across the heavens. Whew, I just went out to fill the bird feeder and get the mail. The wind continues to whip down the hill, adding its weight to the Arctic weather that’s settled in. Winter has taken a firm hold during this longest short month of the year.