Wrong word

Some people are taking umbrage with the word "enjoy" when I described our ice. That may be an inaccurate word. We can easily do the Willow Waltz on our plateau. It is Zamboni smooth. We walked down the meadow to meet UPSGary again; we didn't even try the RTV. Our walking sticks help a little.
We spread 150 lbs calcium carbonate on the big hill; that was very helpful. We could hear the sizzle when the little balls hit the ice. Within minutes the ice was slush and we could walk easily. However at $19/50# we aren't going to want too many ice storms like this one.

Another step closer to the rest of the house

We are enjoying our 5th ice event of the season, another 1/4", and another delayed start to many peoples' day. I went to work about an hour late; as I opened the front door to take the girls their warm oatmeal and grape breakfast the herd of 8 deer crashed away through the iced-over forest. I could track them by the sound of breaking glass as they made a big circle east of the coop. The temps hovered around 33 all day. My new tires drove me to the top of the hill without slowing down at all. Gary-the-UPS-Guy called so I met him at the cul-de-sac. His monster truck has trouble on dry days.
From the Baron yesterday:

I got together with Gregory Love, our Zoning Officer, and we got the paperwork started on the Huston Twp zoning permit and the Centre Co Building Report form. Greg will process the zoning permit and building permit application forms and send them to me for further submission to Harry Burd, our code enforcement official. We will need to provide Harry with 2 copies of our construction plans along with the two forms that will come from Gary later this week.
I showed Gary our floor plans and he said he knew you and said to say "Hi." He also said he knew your work and he has never had any problem with your design drawings. I mentioned that you also know Harry Burd and you are used to working with him.
So once I get the forms from Gary our next step is to pass all the paperwork and 2 sets of plans to Harry Burd.
The process begins....

Snow and ice

We've had another storm, rain all day yesterday and snow today. The temps hovered around freezing so we don't have much accumulation but the tinkling of ice on the trees as the breeze blows through is a disconcerting concert of the forest. Yesterday through this morning we had 1.30" water. The ground isn't totally frozen after last week's 40 degree days so we haven't gotten damaging runoff.
Freddy was waiting for his treat on his stump this afternoon. He chewed up his BOSS while the Baron watched, then they moved to another tree stump for a second helping, just in case the bear wasn't fully hibernated yet and wanted his/her share. Neither Freddy nor the Baron is as willing to banter in the cold as they were earlier this fall. They get down to the business of food quickly now.

We have reports of a pine siskin irruption but since they look so much like winter green goldfinches we haven't noticed them yet.
The girls don't spend much time outside these days. They don't like the wind ruffling their feathers, and are very uncomfortable without leaves to give them cover. Four seemed to have bonded; they huddle together on their roost, but the 5th is usually in one of the nest boxes when I check on them after work. I lift her onto the roost. Someday she may learn the socially appropriate bedding-down site. The 3 golf balls in the nest boxes aren't inducing egg laying activity; sometimes one or more is on the floor in the evening. They aren't eating much; not even the warm oatmeal and yogurt in the morning is as interesting now. I don't know if they are still discombobulated by the loss of Red and the rest of their flock or if the weather and lack of daylight concerns them. We only have another 3 minutes to lose in daylight before we start gaining again. Sunrise today was 0727 and sunset was 1644 (9:17 light today); December 21 sunrise is 0733 and sunset is 1647 (9:14 light). Then it gets cold.
This full moon is the (moonrise 1634, moonset 0736) biggest full moon of 2008, as much as 14% wider and 30% brighter than lesser moons we've seen earlier this year. An astronomer would say this is a "perigee Moon" because it occurs at perigee, the side of the Moon's elliptical orbit closest to Earth. Space Weather
We saw Michael who had the 1/8" drawings for us. They look good; we just had a few questions and changes to make. He had some information from the timberframing companies but none was very useful. Next up: a site visit to plan the houses' connection. He'll meet with Calvin Pierce, the geothermal man, and with Dave The Builder to see what they think so far. He says that we should be in the house next Christmas with plenty of room to spare. Wahoo!

Thanksgiving 2008

We started the day by cleaning up from yesterday: I couldn't get my car up the hill in the snow. We only had about 5" but by 5:00 it was mashed potatoes, thick and icy. I left the car at our first electric box and walked up the hill grumbling (I'm not allowed to say harping or grousing) all the way. Luckily I didn't have anything to carry; even more luckily, I had thought ahead and put boots and warm socks in my emergency kit in the car.
So first thing this morning we put the plow on the RTV and cleared the road. It's 40degrees now so plowing up the black rock has cleared away the problem. We'll have to redo the driveway next year for sure...unless we have big building trucks destroying it even more.

We decided that the day was nice enough and the girls have been pent up in the winter quarters for a week so we opened their door and ...nothing! They looked out but decided not to get their feet cold. Even a box of sunflower seeds and scratch didn't entice them.

and more to be thankful for...
3 Hardwicks and 3 Puris for 2009! It's great to be Oma and Opa x2.

Ice on the water; Fire on the Mountain

Wasn't that Smoke on the Water?
We had our first real frost this morning at 32 degrees...

...but the hot pepper harvest will keep us toasty.

Ice storm

We are half way to Spring (Groundhog's Day, Candlemass is tomorrow) and half way through an ice storm. NWS forecast ice at 0300; we woke at 0330 to pinging and rattling on the glass; forecast verified. What started as rain quickly turned to sleet. PSU closed till 1000 and all of the area schools took the whole day off. We have .5" accumulation of slippery, white stuff. It's falling as a mixture of very fine ice pellets or snow grains and rain. Temp is holding at 30 for most of the morning.

Birds and squirrels don't seem annoyed by the precip and could even be grateful for the handouts today.
A pair of Carolina Wrens (look waaaaaaaaaay down in the left bottom corner) snatched a dead moth on the deck behind the grill. One perched in the ladder out of the weather for a few seconds. Year birds for the Barony. Flickers attacked the ice in the flat stump feeder so the little birds could follow. Two pairs of cardinals, several blue jays, at least one redbellied and downy, innumerable mourning doves, juncos and goldfinches, lots of tree sparrows, titmouse, nuthatches, and chicadees (all the regulars) kept us entertained through the storm. Check the ice on the dove's tail. Many other birds had icy tails as well.

We see small branches scoured off after the big winds early this week but the Baron reported no new trees down after his walk yesterday.
I wonder when we should think about pulling the ground feeders because of the Great Bear Wake up Call.