Today’s “Nor’easter” totally changed the face of things around here.  What a difference a day makes!

Yesterday, ducks swimming in the pond . . .

Today, same ducks, different surroundings . . .

Yesterday . . .

Today . . .

Yesterday, tapping trees . . .

Today, the grove of maple trees in the snow . . .

Inside . . .

Outside . . .

Happy Winter!

It’s official: another snow day from school!  It’s 5 am and it’s snowing, blowing, drifting, with about 6-8 inches on the ground so far.  Hard to tell because it’s drifting.  I’ll have the check the actual amount when I step outside, but the whole world is a beautiful blanket of white.  What a difference a day makes!

UPDATE AT NOON:

We have at least 10 inches of snow and it’s still snowing!  It’s windy, frigid, and drifting, and I’m enjoying catching up on work inside.

Nate just plowed us out with the John Deere . . .

Happy Snow Day!!!

That saying is SO true in New England.   Yesterday, my daughter and I took advantage of temps in the 40’s for a walk on the beach . . .

. . . and then, last night, we had a very sudden snow squall . . .

. . . which made for a bit of a slippery mess this morning!

Ahhh, such is winter in New England!

I took advantage of the warmer temps lately to “stroll” two farms:  both my family’s farm where I grew up, and my husband’s family farm, where we’ve lived for the past 30 years.

I guess I was destined to live on a farm.  I grew up on a dairy farm in a neighboring town, and of course as a child, didn’t appreciate the vast, open spaces, as we had all kind of chores to do, including “minding cows.”  What’s that you say?  Well, even my husband, who grew up on a dairy farm the next town over, had never heard of such a thing.  We kids (siblings, cousins, and me) had the important job of “acting like a fence” while the cows were grazing, which meant we had to keep them in a certain lot and away from vegetable gardens, etc.  What a summer job!  My husband’s family just used a movable fence for this job, of course!

There are still lots of wide open spaces on the farm I grew up on, but no dairy cows.  With  the passing of both my Dad and my uncle, the next generation has turned it into a farm hosting beefers, horses, and Christmas trees.

My 80-something-year-old mother, who had been feeling the effects of “cabin fever” lately due to all the treacherous ice around, enjoyed walking the fields with me during this thaw.  I enjoyed reliving childhood memories and great conversation!

Back at home, my trusty Sheepdog campanion, was awaiting a walk of his own.

On our farm, the thick layer of snow on the pond had melted, creating a glassy surface.  When it freezes up again, we should have perfect skating!

A veritable current of water was running through the apple orchard from all the melted snow.

The river is running higher from all the added “liquid” snow and ice.

What a lovely day for a stroll in near 50 degree temperatures–and with the occasional sun peeking through.

To see who else is strolling today, visit the Quiet Country House.

Couldn’t resist the opportunity to catch this incredible sunrise as I was heading off to school yesterday morning!  Now, if the sun will just bring some warmth with it this weekend!

It’s beginning to feel like the North Pole around here lately—and I love it! 

Eddie, our Old English Sheepdog, loves this weather, with the wind in his hair and cooler, “sheepdog” temps.  It’s been bitterly cold lately with sub-freezing temps, but it warmed up to just about freezing today to drop a bit more snow on us.

The thickening white blanket in the apple orchard is beautiful, but the mermaid standing guard over the frozen pool seems to be saying she’s had enough already!

All this snow certainly has provided lots of opportunities for playing for both little–and big–kids!

What’s it like in your neck of the woods?  Are you up to your elbows in snow or are you yearning for some of the white stuff?

After some decent snow last night, it was a morning of plowing out around the farm today.

My younger son used the John Deere with bucket to make quick work of the snow removal.

The “frozen custard” window at the farm’s creamery is desolate this time of year!

The waterwheel and animal pen are blanketed in white . . .

so the animals have moved into their warmer, winter quarters . . .

Soon, we’ll be firing up the evaporator in the Sugar House to transform the sweet sap from  maple trees into sticky, delicious maple syrup.

No apple picking today . . .

The icy pond is hidden under the winter whiteness.

All in all, a super day for a stroll!

To see who else is strolling on this wintery day, visit the Quiet Country House.

We dashed to the Northeast Kingdom for a few quick days and–although it was warmer than it should have been for this time of year and we had rain–we were treated to this magnificent sunset when it cleared for a bit last night!

Back home, it was reported to be 60 F yesterday and many places are experiencing spring-like weather in December.  We had enough snow to play in for a bit, but I say . . . bring on winter in all its glory!

As the saying goes, “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight!”  So, we should be in for a great day!

As promised, I’m posting some pix of our favorite Snowball Cookies.  As the snow/ice/rain/sleet swirled around outside this weekend, transforming us into a true winter wonderland (or a terrible, slippery/slidy mess–depending on how you look at it!) I finally popped a batch in the oven.

Trouble is, in a few moments, there were . . .

GONE!!!!

Fortunately, I did take my own advice and tripled the batch, so I have more dough in the fridge.  My 3 guys decided they like them best warm and when there were looking for some more last night, I popped another batch in the oven and they were again devoured at breakneck speed.  Problem is, at this rate, there will be NONE for Christmas!  But, they’re enjoying them now!  Hope you do, too!

My weekend took me to an unexpected place: the icy, Northeast Kingdom!  I wasn’t expecting to post a Sunday Stroll and had a zillion things to do at home, but due to the necessity of checking on a questionable furnace at our family’s northern home during recent winter ice and snow storms, we made a mad dash to this polar wonderland.

Despite the -1 F temps, I totally enjoyed this experience—especially the incredible sights.  I know that everything will still be awaiting me at home, but it was well worth it!

Icicles galore!

Duke totally enjoyed himself, making his own kind of snow angels . . .

Fortunately, my multi-talented DH was able to clean a screen on the furnace and restart it before any pipes had frozen, and was also able to shovel snow. . .

After getting the chalet in order, we  took in some Christmas-y sights at a nearby, larger town . . .

and, then, enjoyed the fire!

GOOD NIGHT!

To see who else strolled this Sunday, visit the Quiet Country House.