Signs of Spring

The maple syrup season has ended. My twelve taps only produced about nine liters this year. There would have been a couple more if it weren’t for that unfortunate burnt sap incident. When we tapped the trees there was still snow on the ground, although not a lot:

Some snow in April took care of that:

As of three days ago we were still getting some interesting ice patterns on the puddles and ponds in the morning:

but that hasn’t stopped the garlic

or this crocus:

It’s amazing how much can happen in a month.

 

Hyacinths

These Hyacinth bulbs have been stuck at this stage for weeks:

They have not got grown bigger or smaller. However, twenty minutes at a Beaver meeting will produce a perfectly reasonable substitute:

So, while I wait for the hyacinths to bloom, I’ll show you the paperwhites that just won’t quit:

 

White

This little guy was trying desperately to blend into the background this morning:

He did a pretty good job. I am pretty sure he knew we were there but he stayed perfectly still and counted on his white winter coat to keep him safe. He stuck with this strategy for a long time and, in fact, we moved before he did.

Meanwhile, inside the house we have been enjoying the white beauty of these paperwhites:

 

Snowshoeing is the New Skiing

An article in the newspaper yesterday said that snowshoeing is the fastest growing winter sport. This is good to know. Personally, I use snowshoes less as a sport and more as an effective way to get around the woods in the snow. I checked Mountain Equipment Co-op and found that technical snowshoes sell for about $150 to $314!! Yikes! I’m perfectly happy with these vintage snowshoes that I got at an auction down the road for $10.

I am not a winter sport person, unless sitting by the fire reading is considered a sport, but I do force myself outside for fresh air and exercise. Yesterday was mild and snowy but some pretty cold temperatures were forecast for the rest of the week so I thought I would take advantage of the mild weather to head into the woods.

Everything looks very stark against the white backdrop and not a lot of vibrant colours are to be found but the subtlety of the beiges and browns are really very nice.The thing I like best about walking in the woods in the winter is that when I get lost, which seems inevitable, I can easily follow my footprints back:

Today is ridiculously cold but clear and this morning I saw this:

What you see here is the rising sun shining on the trees beneath the moon. It was taken at about 8:00 am. It was very beautiful. It would have been just as beautiful if seen from inside a warm house.

 

Fall Planting

I have noticed that despite the fact that the growing year is ending, nature seems to be preparing for spring. I find this very reassuring. The hollyhocks are dropping their seeds:So are the milkweed:

Just as an aside, I read somewhere that you can spin the fluff from milkweed seeds into yarn. I have not tried this and can’t imagine I ever will. It’s an interesting idea though. I have knit with yarn made out of soy so maybe milkweed isn’t such a crazy idea.

Not wanting to be left out, I planted 75 tulip bulbs:I am sure that all 75 will grow. I am sure that the squirrels will never think to look for them in the freshly dug flower bed. Planting at this time of year is all about hope.

I also planted 250 cloves of garlic:

I have already given away at least this much for seed garlic in an attempt to encourage friends and strangers alike to grow their own garlic. It is very easy and rewarding and much better than the stuff you buy in grocery stores.

 

First Snow

We only got about 5 cms of snow, not even close to the 15 cms that was predicted. Although I still enjoy the magic of the first snowfall, I am glad it won’t stay because that would make for a very long winter. This was enough snow, and it is staying long enough for us to admire the way a bit of snow can change the way things look:

It also gave us a chance to bundle up to the point of being unrecognizable.

And enough snow for a snowball fight:

 

Frosty Morning

We have had some pretty frosty mornings but at least it is just frost and not snow. I like the way the frost outlines the edges of things.

 

Easily Missed

This dahlia has been hanging in there despite some pretty frosty temperatures.

I spent quite a lot of time admiring the pale pink petals and the yellow beads in the center. Several days later I noticed it again.

This time it was the way the early morning sun shone through the petals that caught my attention. When I leaned over to take a look from the other side I was surprised to see a bee that had been caught out after the temperatures fell. It was in some sort of stupor from which it awoke as it was warmed by the sun. But look what had happened to those little beads in the center. They had burst open and released their pollen. The bee had noticed this, but I would have missed it.

At the risk of sounding silly or sentimental, isn’t it amazing the things that are going on all around you that you can so easily miss?

 

Nature Loves a Circle

I am seeing circles everywhere these days. These beautiful fungi are growing on a stump:

Take a closer look:

I love the circles of gray and brown. Nearby these logs are patiently waiting to be split:

And despite frost, rain and an entire summer of neglect, this little flower is bravely blooming:

 

Further Adventures in Dyeing

My curiosity and interest in natural dyes continues. Looking around I saw that the sumac flowers were both numerous and bright so I thought I would try making a dye with them. Since my last experiment with stainless steel versus cast iron gave such dramatic results, I thought I would duplicate the experiment using sumac. By sumac I mean this plant:

I don’t know about anyone else, but frequently when people refer to a plant I have no idea what they are talking about so I have provided a picture. I put 650 grams of the flowers in a cast iron pot with twelve cups of water and did the same in a stainless steel pot. I boiled them for two hours then turned off the heat and let them steep for eleven hours. I had pre-mordanted some 100% natural coloured wool from Briggs & Little in alum and cream of tartar. I added about 750 meters to each dye bath and brought that to a simmer. I turned off the heat and let the wool sit in the dye bath for eight hours. I rinsed it, let it dry and got these results:

On the left is the wool dyed in the stainless steel pot and on the right is the wool dyed in the cast iron pot. I was secretly hoping to get some shade of pink simply because it is so elusive and although I was disappointed in that respect I was pleasantly surprised by what I did get, particularly the gray. I am having a hard time believing what a difference the type of pot can make. I can see getting different shades of the same colour, but I’m getting completely different colours.