Canton Land Trust, Breezy Hill Farm Property.
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For Election Day Tuesday, Nov 8 2016
Uncategorized 05:50
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: `Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear —
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.’
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Before and After Monday, Nov 7 2016
Landscapes 08:26
Or radical landscape changes, but essentially the same camera direction…
The second shot has a slightly higher angle, but is taken from exactly the same spot! Yes, I was mildly lost getting there, though a big multi trunk dead pine was a useful direction guide. sort of.
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Amber Hills Saturday, Nov 5 2016
Landscapes 17:05
People tend to equate fall color with the maples, birches, and ashes: that early flush of bright reds, golds, purples, and oranges. The colors of fire and like fire, fast moving.
But this year, I have been noticing the oaks. Probably because my workday drive takes me past several hills, ranges really, that have been managed for oak for generations. They are dominated by oak with the occasional swathe of pine. Oak, for lack of a better description, turns all the colors of amber: from gold, to the shining browns, to the reds, to a brown purple/red, and sometimes there are hints of that green which one can also find in amber. And it lasts for quite some time as fall color goes. Like maples, every single oak has a slightly different shade of color. When the oaks are in contrast with the deep, clean green of the pines and the light is glowing in the forest, one would be hard pressed to find something more elegant.
Amber and Oak, it seems strangely appropriate somehow.
Birch woods, fall Friday, Nov 4 2016
Landscapes photography 06:45
With witch hazel. and laurel and red maple and oak….alright, Connecticut woods, fall!
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Optimism Wednesday, Nov 2 2016
Uncategorized 06:31
Optimism is a second cutting of hay on October 31st in New England. The nights at this time of year tend towards heavy dew and or frost and are combined with short days and cooler temperatures. Not exactly ideal for drying hay. But, he just might get something off of it. At least a few big round bales for his cows. I think that is probably the latest date that the field has ever been cut though! Usually in a year with good rain it is early-mid September, without good rain generally the first week in October. First cutting ranges from early June to mid-July and is largely dependent on what type of hay the person is aiming for. Or should be: from not quite mature and high in calorie content to past mature and high in fiber. Second cutting is pretty standard grass hay, though this year due to the late date and the drought, it won’t be very high in quality.
Now, will it regrow at all in the next few weeks? It might actually, which would be nice for the horse if nothing else.
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Black Pool Monday, Oct 31 2016
Uncategorized 19:35
A Lot deeper than it looks! And that log in the foreground is a massive 24 inch plus white pine which came downstream at some point.
Bullet point summary Saturday, Oct 29 2016
gardening 19:17
of what’s been going on:
all lawn furniture stored for the winter: I can’t claim any credit for this one….of course, I also can say I never sat down but once in any piece of it this year….agh!
several quarts of parsley picked and frozen, and more to come. Which is wonderful. If you freeze parsley immediately on picking, you can use it like fresh parsley in any dish that you cook. (it won’t work as a garnish or raw though)
the chard and the beets have survived the frost and snow so far. I still need to deal with the carrots, but like the parsley they aren’t bothered by the cold. I really need to clean up the squash and tomatoes though, maybe next weekend.
It doesn’t seem like it is quite time to chop down the hostas or lilies yet, again I think by next weekend they will have truly died off. I like to let them get as much nutrients back into the root system as possible.
The ‘Christmas’ cactus refuse to bloom correctly. I think they are going to beat Thanksgiving this year. Meanwhile the amaryllis will no doubt not bloom till May….faux silk flowers anyone?
Snow! Thursday, Oct 27 2016
Uncategorized 20:43
Nice to have snow tires….
And at least it wasn’t a repeat of the infamous 2011 storm!
Still a bit early and a bit odd, especially after months with no rain, that makes it even odder somehow.
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Vegetable commentary Tuesday, Oct 25 2016
gardening 20:52
I’m keeping the row of chard going, I hope, with some good row covers. But I’ve decided that the chard leaf is really not the most interesting bit at all. So far, I have successfully used chard stems: solo; in an Italian sausage/olive pasta sauce; roasted with carrots/shiitake mushrooms/potatoes; with chicken and tomatoes; in a pork stew; and with mixed greens. Think celery but sweeter/nuttier in flavor and with a less determined crunch but plenty of structure. An excellent vegetable. The stem that is. The leaf… Well, I like it, far, far more than kale (which takes virtue a bit far, never mind the bugs) but for leaves, spinach is best. Chard and beets (a cousin) compete but can’t quite win out.
Unfortunately, frost kills it. We will see what tonight brings. Winter has to come some time!
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Acair Fearann 