Thursday, December 6, 2007

My First Snow Day

At 8 o'clock in the morning the sun has not risen above the higher mountain to the east. We are still in shadow and the light is blue.















About a half an inch accumulated during the night. Not enough to cover the vestiges of warmth held in the gravel driveway















A snowplow spreading salt came up the mountain to the county line and then back down around midnight. The roads were clear and drivable before I ever woke up.















I now know what frozen ground is like. Two days ago while gathering stones the ground was frozen solid. It made picking them up a bit tougher. Of course this morning there were no stones to be found, shrouded in a blanket of white, and work on the wall was put off.

Frozen ground will also make the excavation for the footing for the upper wall beneath the cabin more of a warm cycle event, though so far it seems only about the top three inches of soil has turned to stone. We'll see. It doesn't take much convincing to keep me inside when it is below 40 degrees.

So close now.

















I have already noted on the first day of melt, about half of what fell is already gone, that just because it gets above freezing, all of this frozen stuff doesn't magically melt in unison.

The lone baby and only pine on this land looked even cuter with its inner snow blanket. I have not pried its needles apart to give it a proper name. My guess would be Eastern White Pine, Pinus strobus because that is fairly common up here. It is however in the wrong place, the chopping zone of the utility easement. If I want it to live to maturity, I need to find it a new home. At this small size it might be successfully moved.















Lichens and fence rails















And Covered Conifers

















On the first day of snow.

7 comments:

Carol Michel said...

Yes, that's snow! Isn't it pretty? See how it changes everything? But it is definitely cold outside.

Anonymous said...

Pam @ Digging says:

Your stone wall is looking great, especially with that layer of snow. Below 40 degrees I'd be inside sipping cocoa myself. Brr.

Phillip Oliver said...

So lovely and serene. I like the photo of the snow covered fence.

Frances, said...

Your blog is so personal, you make us feel like we are with you on your journey. My garden is somewhat nearby and our weather is similar, but we are at a lower elevation. The diversity of what we can grow is astounding. We come to North Carolina often as we have a son living there. Hope you have stocked up on gloves, hats and warm socks.

Christopher C. NC said...

It sure was pretty while it lasted. I think it is good though that I am not too far north and that it won't pile up all winter. Of course this was only the first snow. I have heard tales of four feet one March and being snowed in for several days.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Your to-die-for wall looks great with a sprinkling of snow to soften the edges.

I just love to see lichen and moss around the garden. They have such texture and eye appeal. Lichen is not usually seen in my garden but I do encourage the moss here and there.

lisa said...

Hooray for snow!