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Well, maybe a little more than a chill. The day after I packed away all the winter turtlenecks and heavy sweaters, the temperatures dipped into the low 30s and there were snow flurries flying around on the hill this morning. The temperatures last night dipped down low enough to have frost and freeze warnings. Hard to believe that when we were at church on Sunday for the May crowing that it was a beautiful spring day and we saw our first finches at the feeders.
Tim was invited to participate in a celebration honoring the parish members who received confirmation and communion. After mass the kids participated in the May crowning.
The crowning was a little less than traditional, since Mary was already wearing a crown of sorts — a robin had nested at the top of the statute. So the flower crown was carefully placed in her hands instead.
It was cold enough all day here to warrant the wood stove being cranked back up again. Amazing to think that in mid-May we are still keeping warm by the fire — with hot cocoa no less.
My gerber daisies are blooming. It was a nice treat when I walked past my plant stand and noticed the little stalk blooms the other day.
Today, there are two flowers, two different colors.
And yes, that is snow outside the window.
We have a few touches of grass poking through but mainly there is still 6 to 12 inches of snow. So definitely, it was nice to see something flowering — even if it is indoors.
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In case you had any doubt that maybe I was stretching it a little when I said it was still cold here …… this is the forecast for the next four days. Where the heck is spring???
I admit it wouldn’t be the first time there was some chance of snow on the ground for Easter, but jeepers, the forecast didn’t look like this all winter long……
Tonight Slight Chc Snow Lo 26 °F |
Sunday Slight Chc Rain/Snow Hi 45 °F |
Sunday Night Slight Chc Snow Lo 28 °F |
Monday Chance Rain/Snow Hi 45 °F |
Monday Night  Chance Rain/Snow Lo 26 °F |
Tuesday Chance Rain/Snow Hi 44 °F |
Tuesday Night  Chance Rain/Snow Lo 28 °F |
Wednesday Chance Rain/Snow Hi 42 °F |
Wednesday Night Chance Rain/Snow Lo 28 °F |
Did you see it? Did you? Remember when either you were little or your children were and you would play that little game to keep them from falling asleep – usually during a car ride when you were close to your destination and sleepy kids was not an option.
Evidently at 1:14 a.m. this morning, E.D.T. the sun was directly over the equator, marking the vernal equinox. Did you see it? Yeah, neither did I. Could be the darkness, hard to see the sun with all that pitch black out there. Or maybe, if you were lucky, you were sleeping. I was, but I’m not anymore.
Vernal Equinox marks the first day of spring. Did you know that Easter always falls on the First Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox? Nope, neither did I – learn something new everyday.
Another interesting fact for you — this is the earliest spring in over a 100 years. The last time spring was this early was 1896. In the Pacific and Mountain time zones, the first day was spring was really yesterday, since the vernal equinox took place before midnight for them. See, you missed it.
In any event, enjoy the spring. Here in Vermont we are supposed to have a beautiful day with temperatures hitting the 70s — maybe, just maybe it will help dry out the mud.
Welcome to Spring — or as we call it here on the dirt roads — Mud Season.
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There is hope that spring is coming. This afternoon, I was most pleasantly surprised to find that some crocuses have sprung up and bloomed in front of the house. I know, you are are probably saying, “What’s the big deal?” I realize that most of you, even those of you living down in the village already have seen crocuses, and the tulips and daffodils are starting to come to life as well. Your grass is starting to turn green. I know, but here, on the hill, this is no small feat mind you, since we live in Narnia, land of eternal winter.
To give you a little perspective of what these beautiful little flowers
have been up against, I took a few steps back and took another picture….. perhaps this puts it all in perspective of why I was so excited.
This is what most of the yard still looks like as well as the remainder of the flower bed that these crocuses live in. Now, do you get why I was so excited?
Ah yes, Mother Nature. Now, we will play this little game of tit-for-tat. We melt, melt,melt and finally little patches of ground start appearing. Then just when we think spring is coming and the snow receding, you bring more snow and paint the whole picture all white once again. So the cycle repeats…..each time showing just a little more ground. Teasing. We will go on like this for weeks or maybe even a month or more. Each time revealing a little more earth.
I really dislike this time of the year. I really wouldn’t mind if winter extended well in April or May — as long as it did so all over (or at least all over my little universe). There is nothing quite as disappointing as on a beautiful day such as today, leaving our snow covered hill with barely any ground showing and getting to town where crocuses are actually blooming. This cat-and-mouse game will seemingly go on and on.
Then, just as in a game of tug-o-war, winter’s grip will finally fall and spring will come our way.
We will look around to see the grass turning greener, the flowers beginning to poke their ends above the soil.
Just in time for one last snowfall………….. Old Man Winter has a tough time letting go.
Seems that spring on the calendar doesn’t mean too much. The weather this morning indicates that there is a winter storm watch with 7-14 inches of snow expected on Friday for our area. I guess that Mother Nature didn’t like those batches of bare ground in the photo from outside my window. Her thought….. I’ll fix that.
HAZARD TYPES...MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL. SNOW MAY BE MIXED WITH RAIN AT TIMES FRIDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. * ACCUMULATIONS...4 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS AND 7 TO 14 INCHES ABOVE 1000 FEET. * TIMING...SNOW WILL OVERSPREAD THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT FROM THE SOUTH AND BECOME TO MODERATE TO HEAVY AT TIMES DURING FRIDAY BEFORE TAPERING TO SNOW SHOWERS FRIDAY NIGHT. * IMPACTS...HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS AND POSSIBLE POWER OUTAGES DUE TO WET SNOW...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS.
— Can you say candlelight dinner on Friday?
There is, after all, an upside to all of this. 
Okay, so well it’s not exactly in the garden, but someday, someday they will be in the garden when the feet of snow we still have here melt. On that front, there is more ground showing, although driving up our hill is still akin to trekking to Siberia compared to other places like Rutland. I…think…that… they… actually… have… green…things…growing there.
Here’s a view out our kitchen window the other day….
… and yes, for those of you wondering, that is in fact a small (but visible) patch of ground at the base of the maple tree. Seems like maybe, just maybe, the calendar and Mother Nature might be on the same track. You wouldn’t know it of course, because it was still like 14 degrees here this morning.
Looks like spring might be coming to Vermont soon. The State has issued a notice that all ice shanties have to be removed by March 27th. Could it be that they anticipate things melting sometime after that?
Groundhog Day is celebrated today and so is Candlemas Day. Candlemas Day originated from the Celtic holiday of “cross-over” or festival of light to signify and mark the day that lands midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Candlemas Day was expanded by the Christians to celebrate the purification of Mary and the presentation of Jesus in the Temple for the first time. It is 40 days after Christmas, or February 2nd.
Groundhog Day is the day where we determine, according to the good ol’ groundhog or woodchuck if spring will come early or there will be six more weeks of winter. No matter what Phil or any other friendly neighborhood groundhog may have to say about it, a look out the window pretty much across most of the country would have you believe that winter is still here. Sure, Phil says spring is coming early – but Phil I have news for you – we’re deep in the heart of winter up here and loving all the snow. No matter what you say Phil, there is still six weeks until the “official” first day of spring so in the words of Bon Jovi … “we’re halfway there…..”
Our storm dropped in and about a foot here for us, but essentially when you’re expecting two feet which is what they originally predicted, it’s rather anti-climatic. Boys were happy since they had a much-coveted snow day, but everyone’s back to school tomorrow.
Here’s some pictures of life outside our door this afternoon.
The tops of our Adirondack chairs peeking from the snow
Front porch
It is the end of what was a really nice weekend and it wasn’t just because we were child-less (although that was really nice too). The boys are back from their camporee and Tim was elected to Order of the Arrow so after he endures his Ordeal, that will make all three boys that are in the Order. Pretty neat. It was a beautiful weekend here, the rain that was supposed to come today has held off until either later tonight or tomorrow. We were able to get some yardwork chores done this morning and this afternoon in between me taking pictures – gosh I LOVE my camera.
Spring has definitely sprung, although it’s still not warm enough during the day to extract the honey. The hives are stacked up in the potting shed, we are just waiting for a nice warm day.
Tom found this nest in the barn and Momma bird let me actually take some pictures.
We dropped Tom’s mother off at the train station in Bellows Falls Saturday and then took a drive over to Keene. While we were there we discovered a great Thai restaurant on Main Street and enjoyed a delicious late lunch which was a real treat.
