What Happened To Winter?

Don't get me wrong;  I love Spring.  I just expect to have some Winter first.

Mud season already??  The roads were posted the first week in March.  Heavy trucks have to stay on main roads.

I expect the woods to look like this in April, not March

Mr. & Mrs. Hooded Merganser in love

Walking on Woodland

I spend most of my time at my end of the pond, but it was a sunny afternoon the day before a predicted big snow, and we decided to head for the far side.

Birches on Village Road

Winterberry at the turtle pond

Ice on Cascade Brook

No one lives here anymore

Fox prints

That mountain is everywhere

Home on a snowy evening

Sunny Day In February

Sunny days are not common in February, so we set off to explore the trail to Morey Pond.  There was a thick crust of ice under the snow, so skis were out.  Snowshoes would have been exhausting as each step broke through the crust.  Fortunately, the snowmobilers had been out on the SRK greenway, so we walked along on top of their nicely groomed trails.

Mt Kearsarge

Off along the greenway

Mount Cardigan and Ragged Mountain

Mount Cardigan

Snowshoeing to the Mountain

On a gloomy day, snowshoeing in the Mount Kearsarge Wildlife Management Area.

Ice and slush in a disappointing winter (but there is always February!)

Snowshoes

On a sunny afternoon, I left the library and snowshoed along the SRKG Beaver Pond trail towards Patterson Road. The ice over the brook cracked and fell in as I crossed the first time, which gave me a few hairy moments on the return trip. No bridge. Also, no birds, no squirrels, no sounds except for my own breathing.

Trailhead on North Wilmot Road

Lowering sun on the treetops

This brook tried to drown me

The beaver pond

Ragged Mountain

Why I love New Hampshire

 Last night 6 inches of fluffy white powder drifted to the ground. Today the world is beautifully frosted. The sun is so strong that within minutes of getting out on the trails the gloves and scarf came off. 

 Chickadees are whistling in spring while the downy woodpeckers do drum solos to welcome back the sun. 

Sunrise from my window

Stopping by woods on a snowy...

Icy moosestache

Never leave home without your Teddy

There's a Storm Coming

There's a storm coming. The air is still and sounds are muffled, signs of a warm front. A perfect day to take a walk (after bringing in enough wood for the next few days).

A young beech tree hanging onto its leaves

Alders on Tannery Pond

Chickadee

Fire and Ice

After a few weeks in Connecticut, where the winter has been brown and dreary, I am back in New Hampshire.  The ground is white, there is more snow predicted for tonight, and there will be skiing tomorrow!

Last night's sunset lit up the frost on the porch windows.

If you feed them, they will come

On a dreary Saturday, scattering seed brings in the beggars.

American Goldfinch

January 3 but it feels like March

The ice is too thin to walk on, so I'm on the road.

January 1st

Up and out on the first day of the year.  A perfect winter's morning.

Billy Buskin watches over the mountain