October 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.

Oct. 1, 2006 Steady, chilly, constant rain today put a real damper on “Autumn on the Green” festivities. People came out but didn’t stay any longer than necessary. Fortunately we were inside a large tent. By 3:00, me, my cold and I had enough of the dampness so we packed up and came home. Jeff salvaged the day with our first wood stove fire of the season. The new combustor seems to be working quite well. A lone deer was out grazing in the field as I headed down the road for band rehearsal. Our neighbors reported seeing a big bull moose near the woods by our back field. He had evidently just rubbed the velvet off his rack which was an impressive shade of deep red. I’ll have to take a look in the lower woods to see if any trees show signs of recent scraping or even possible shreds of skin.

Oct. 2, 2006 Geese are on the wing, an uplifting sound for such a gray clammy day. Foliage has peaked early this year, just in time for heavy rains to bring down the leaves. Fortunately a good deal of color remains for folks to enjoy during foliage week festivities. There was quite a convention of wooly bears undulating through the grass, sunning in the road, climbing the wooden rails and scurrying through the gravel drive. A smaller and spikier caterpillar was well anchored to a lilac leaf and posed for the camera.

Oct. 3, 2006 Thick valley fog is creating what Jeff calls the Mt. Fuji effect. Just the highest mountain peaks are burning through the morning haze. Heavy frost is predicted towards the end of the week so I’ll need to take advantage of today’s sunshine to pick any remaining zucchini and tomatoes. I may as well bring in the delicata squash to dry for storage too. Actually, one would go quite nicely for supper tonight. We’ve brought in the frost sensitive flower pots and emptied the bird bath in anticipation of the coming frost. There is still only one dahlia in bloom but lots of buds. We’ll try covering it but I don’t feel very optimistic of its survival chances. We took a stroll through the woods. The heavy, musky perfume of leaf litter and mushrooms permeated the air as well as the sweet scent of drying hay-scented fern. I identified a patch of wild ginger and will try a bit of the root to see if it’s worth digging. A final stroll down to the frog pond took us through some very colorful young trees as well as the beautiful blushing blueberry and blackberry patches. We also came upon a dead mole that something had dropped on the path. Its stubby snout and paddle feet were quite interesting to observe. I’m sure whatever dropped it will return to claim its meal. We enjoyed the view from the swing and a bit of relaxation before heading in for the night.

Oct. 6, 2006 It looks like we had another little nip of frost last night although the low reading on the thermometer was only 35°. Cooler weather has certainly sharpened the fall colors with hillsides wearing a thinning coat of many colors. This evening’s fiery, swirling sunset bathed all in a rosy glow. A full harvest moonrise over the White Mountains was a very dramatic ending to a picture perfect fall day.

Oct. 8, 2006 Poplars have taken center stage with shimmering gold against a bright blue autumn sky. It’s a perfect day for St. Jay’s foliage festival and even warm enough for the town band to play an outdoor concert in the court house gazebo. It’s 65° up on the hill so probably closer to 70° in town. I’ve pulled all the frost bitten plants from the vegetable garden and tilled most of it except for the chard, kale and still viable coriander which I hope will reseed itself. Nine beautiful turtle eggs were still intact in their nest. I gently reburied them although I think they probably were never fertilized or matured. They’ll be a nice extra bit of nutrients for the soil whether they hatch or not. I guess the holes I was seeing earlier were from moles, not from hatching turtles surfacing.

Oct. 10, 2006 We’re the proud parents of a beautiful monarch butterfly. The caterpillar had attached itself to our woodpile and spun its emerald green, bejeweled cocoon, suspended by white, spiderweb-like threads. We observed the chrysalis beginning to show orange wings inside as the cocoon faded to pale green and finally black before the monarch emerged. The beautiful butterfly has spent its first day, hanging in the grass, allowing its wings to form and dry. Unfortunately there was no sun to speed along the process. For us, it was perfect weather to bring in the wood. All but one short stack is tightly packed in the garage. Geese flying above the clouds serenaded our labors. Later Jeff noticed that one of the monarch’s wings was not extending and discovered that the butterfly, when it fell from its cocoon, had impaled that wing on a blade of grass. He gently lifted the butterfly to release it and laid it on the ground to let it continue forming but unfortunately, the beautiful monarch did not survive the day.

Oct. 13, 2006 No doubt about frost this morning. Even the thermometer shows 32°. Frozen, frosted droplets sparkle on the rhododendron leaves, a light coating of ice clings to the porch and white dust covers the grass and field. Frozen droplets of morning dew cling to the bushes and bead up on the bare branches of our young maple trees. It’s Friday the 13th which I’ve been told is even more exciting when it falls in October with thoughts of Halloween to encourage the goblin in us all. A few ghosts, witches and pumpkins have appeared on lawns along with the usual harvest decorations. Of course the annual dangling stuffed “bodies” precariously perched and clinging to the side of the barn announcing “Have a Nice Fall” are prominently displayed on the North Danville Road. The Danville Inn has a talking skeleton to greet you at the front door with many surprises peering out from the garden.

Oct. 19, 2006 Chilly fall rains are here. Fortunately our yearly supply of wood is snugly packed in the garage. We took advantage of “lower” oil prices to top off our oil tank at $2.39 a gallon. We used only 74 gallons of oil last season which is actually a little more than usual. I think we had fewer days of solar gain last winter. So with wood in and the oil tank full, we’re ready to face another VT winter. Our wood stove has been working very efficiently with a 4-log burn going 4 to 6 hours. It’s a combination of the new catalyst element and burning what remains of last year’s wood. That extra bit of seasoning sure makes for a hotter burn. I’ve gotten a start on cutting back the perennial beds but need a few more dry days to finish that chore. Tamaracks are beginning to add their flaming golden candles to the otherwise drab landscape. Oaks still add color in town but are seldom seen at our elevation. Our little seedling is sprouting 15 bronze-colored oak leaves. Hopefully it will survive the coming winter.

Oct. 20, 2006 What started out as thunderstorms at 6:00 this evening was substantial snow by 9:00. Very strong winds are creating blizzard conditions and causing brief blips in the power. Our first snowfall last year was Oct. 23rd, so we’re right on schedule. My last recorded 2006 snowfall was April 4th. That gave us 6 snow-free months which is always a welcomed gift. We had a quick trip to Burlington today and were pleasantly surprised at how much color remains through the mountains on I-89. Oaks were responsible for most of the rich foliage but vibrant sumac, golden poplars and feathery yellow locust trees added their special blend. Fields are still a lush green and rivers, especially the Winooski, very full and turbulent. Flood warnings and a winter advisory were both issued by the national weather service on the evening news. Our snow thrower has been serviced but is still about a mile down the road at Ed’s repair shop. Fortunately our snow shovel is in place and will hopefully be adequate for now. I guess it’s time to put the sneakers away and dig out the winter boots.

Oct. 22, 2006 It definitely looks and feels like we are rapidly moving forward towards winter, with a low of 24° last night and yesterday’s high topping out at only 38°. Fortunately the sun has already brought us to that high this morning and will hopefully continue to climb and melt off the snow. A flock of geese were honking their way south, juncos are back from the north feasting on the ample variety of dried flower seeds and large flocks of turkeys have been grazing in the fields. A few of the hardier phlox are still in bloom, shocking pink against the white snow. Tamarack needles appear to glow brighter as well with the surrounding snow.

Oct. 27, 2006 We’re finally seeing a dry day with the sun making an afternoon appearance. I took advantage of the good weather to clean and store all the screens, empty the compost into the garden, cut back the remaining asparagus and top that bed with composted grass clippings. I did a final spot mowing as well. Once the sky cleared, the White Mountains appeared, beautifully cloaked in their first substantial snow suit. Mount Washington is definitely more majestic with a topping of snow while the snow cover on Mt. Moosilauke seems to soften that peak. As the trees thin out, our view widens and the Peacham Valley with Roy and Harvey Mountains has begun to appear.

Oct. 30, 2006 We’ve fallen back to EST which brings the sun cresting our hilly horizon by 6:30, sending long beams across the bedroom ceiling. Last night’s snow has left several inches on the ground, enough for the snowplow to have made a pass up the road. Maybe the snow will help even out those unusually bad, bumpy pot holes that have taken over our road. Danville Town Band hosted a very festive harvest concert and potluck supper last night. It marked the end of the band’s 2006 season and the beginning of festivities to come. To help set the holiday mood, we came out to a very snow-covered car and substantial snow on the ground. Unfortunately our snow brush was still hanging up in the garage but fortunately we had our snow tires on for the slippery drive up Walden Hill. Band members heading south encountered bare ground and rain but up here, “north of Rte. 2”, winter has arrived.