Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Adding insult to injury

Or should I say adding ice to snow? Yesterday morning we woke up to about 3 inches of snow or maybe a little bit more. While Rick was out snowblowing it turned to ice pellets. Those sting! Before long, just as predicted, we had freezing rain.

I had waited a few hours before shoveling the front steps and a pathway on the deck for the dogs and I’m sure glad I didn’t wait any longer. Trying to move that snow with a good crusting of ice on it was no fun. Plus, the snow had turned pretty slushy by then.

Everything was encased in a coating of ice. Even our clothesline. This poor goldfinch in his winter plumage looks miserable, don’t you think?

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

It was not a day for being outside. It kept it up all day long. The snow melted some but it only got above freezing for a short while. I could not really get out to take photos without getting me or the camera wet, so I shot a few photos from the safety of the overhang of the roof.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

In this one I think it looks like a tiny ice sculpture of a bird (on the left). See it?

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

Can anyone tell me why snow accumulates whereas ice accretes? At least that’s how they call on the weather report. Interesting ...

This morning I went outside to take a few ice shots before it all went away. It’s above freezing out there now (only just) and as I went outside I could hear the ice melting and dripping like rain everywhere.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

Now on top of this fine mess we are supposed to get more snow Thursday night into Friday. Not a lot as I understand it, probably only about four inches or so. Still, it just keeps coming in one form or another. Frankly, I’ll take the snow over the ice any day!

Look what else I saw this morning when I looked out the sun room door.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

Bella, of course. I’m not quite sure how she got up on the table! I think she was after a tiny chunk of suet that I had tossed on the table for the birds before our last snow. Silly dog!

Monday, January 17, 2011

A Tale of Two Icicles

Once upon a winter week in rural New Jersey, two icicles formed. They came about as a direct result of snow melting off a roof and, most probably, clogged rain gutters. They started out on the modest side of icicle size.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

But the melting snow fed the hungry icicles well and the weather was perfectly set at below freezing every day. Every morning the snow melted a little bit and ran down their sides only to refreeze again by mid-afternoon, adding layer upon layer of fresh ice.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


Day by day their girth widened and they got longer and longer. They acquired sharp pointed ends.  And, pretty soon they looked like this:

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

Each day the dogs of the house thundered underneath them on their way out the door and down to the yard. The icicles were afraid that the repercussion from the crazed barking of the dogs would loosen their grip on the rain gutter, but they managed to keep holding on as tight as stalactites. The woman of the house carefully skirted around them instead of going under them (which she would have had to duck to do anyway) and admired them greatly. They preened and winked in the sunlight. Especially the larger one who was very vain.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

Like anything that is overfed and indulged, the icicles became quite nasty and menacing. They needed to be taken care of before things got out of hand.

One morning, without warning, they found themselves snapped off in their entirety by the man of the house. SNAP! Just like that they came free of their icy home. When the woman of the house saw that they were missing she was sad. But wait! The man had saved the broken-off icicles for her and laid them carefully in the snow.

She picked them up and raised them high so that the whole world could see how glorious the icicles had become.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


But one of the dogs of the house was also interested in the icicles as you can see.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


So the woman of house, whose hands were growing quite cold by then, handed off the largest icicle to the dog.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


And so our story ends as the dog carried the icicle down into the yard to become the coldest “bone” the dog had ever chewed upon.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

THE END.

 

More...

Friday, November 26, 2010

A walk to the pond

Last weekend we took the dogs down to Green Turtle pond. Our path took us through the woods. The dogs love being off lead.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

They’ve been trained to not stray too far from us by handing out treats when they return to us every once in a while. Here are Hailey and Alex doing just that.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

This leaf has obviously been stuck on this tree’s trunk for quite some time as the fungus has grown over it and imprisoned it.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

A few more fungi along the forest path.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

Of course the walk is fun, but the real reason to walk all the way down to the pond of course, is the water. It’s a race!

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

And one dog is out in front! Can you guess which one?

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

Aaahhhh ... water, Bella says!

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

The other dogs are content to just have a good long drink of the cool water at the pond’s edge but not Bella. She has to go wading at least three or four times, sticking her head under the water to take big gulps.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

And just one more splash in a mud puddle before leaving the pond. Gosh this is fun!

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

And what fun is a walk if you can’t collect leaves in your tail and skirts?

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

Come on mom and dad,  hurry up ... I’m waiting!

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

Every time I take this walk I never fail to be captivated by the captive branches.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

This braided one I am going to use as inspiration for a pottery piece.

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

All in all it’s about a mile and a half down to the pond and we all love the ability to walk right out our front door, down our street and into the woods. Lucky dogs; lucky us!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Pool opening!

dad… i know you’re still in China tonight and all and you’ll be home tomorrow night this time, but I just wanted to let you know what’s going on at home ...


Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


Notations from mom: outside temp today: 82 F; pool temp upon opening 59 F

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

I’m a believer

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

hey mom ... look

it’s finally snowing

and pretty good too!

Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey


Lynne Robinson, Hewitt, New Jersey

Husband home. A fire in the wood stove. Snow falling heavily outside. Life is good even if we didn’t get to carry out our plans to see the filming of CHOPPED. Hopefully we can reschedule for another day.

Thank you, weather gods!

About

Welcome, I'm Lynne. You know me better as a 'new' Jersey Girl. But now I've moved once again, this time to North Carolina. Here I write about my thoughts, good food, and of course, dogs.

© 2006-2023 Lynne Robinson All photography and text on this blog is copyright. For use or reproduction please ask me first.

If you’re new to this site and wish to read the blog entries in chronological order, click here.

Membership

Login  |  Register
December 2024
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31        

Search

Recent Comments

  • C, no I did not know you played the organ, let along playing one in…

    Posted to: ‘I Could Have Been A ...’ by Lynne on 11/17/2023

  • Big sis, but so not fair that I got stuck with the organ! :( Please,…

    Posted to: ‘I Could Have Been A ...’ by Lynne on 11/17/2023

  • Interesting! I never wanted to take ballet lessons even though we had a book about…

    Posted to: ‘I Could Have Been A ...’ by Carolyn Clarke on 11/17/2023

  • Yup! Sadly, no ballet for us. My theory is that Mom probably thought since I…

    Posted to: ‘I Could Have Been A ...’ by Bigsis on 11/17/2023

  • I can absolutely see you wallowing in that chair, the color is so warm and…

    Posted to: ‘The Waller [sic] Around Chair’ by Sandy on 10/03/2023

Comment Leaders

  • Lynne - (1554)
  • Carolyn Clarke - (377)
  • Steve - (351)
  • Susan Weyler - (318)
  • Joyce Roberts - (261)
  • Reya Mellicker - (247)
  • Debra - (230)
  • lettuce - (206)
  • Susan in WA - (205)
  • Jan - (185)

Archives

Statistics

  • Page Views: 9283951
  • Page rendered in 0.1615 seconds
  • Total Entries: 2602
  • Total Comments: 6608
  • Most Recent Entry: 11/17/2023 11:01 am
  • Most Recent Comment on: 11/17/2023 04:04 pm
  • Most Recent Visitor on: 12/07/2024 01:49 am
  • Most visitors ever: 373 on 03/13/2020 06:45 am