The Story Is Written in the Sky

The Saturday before last, Alan & I spent an enjoyable couple of hours in the backyard watching this storm approach from the southwest and pass just north of us; we felt but a couple drops of rain but listened to an almost constant rumble of thunder. The following recording captures a typical soundscape from our recent summer evenings: cicada drones in the woods, male and female bullfrogs in the pond, distant thunder, birdsong...

Spring Arrives with an Icy Roar

At the equinox, Alan was away so I set the sunrise marker on the observatory on my own. From the west side of the field I sighted east through the aluminum pole in the center of the field, to the eastern horizon as the sun appeared. Then I pounded this stake in the ground with a large hammer. It came out pretty close to the autumnal equinox stake from last September, as it should. We'll keep adjusting these points as time goes on, until we figure out what to use for permanent monuments around the perimeter of this 11-acre field.

As I did in September, after setting the stake I hurried down to our entrance at the county road, to watch another sunrise from below the top of the bluff and demonstrate how precisely east-west is the road alignment. It was so cold! About 10℉ and -5℉ windchill, painful to face and fingers.

   

And a few days later, another snowfall. For hours and hours, in barely-freezing temperatures. Perhaps for the last time this season, the farm was transformed into a winter dreamland.

This is the back end of the shooting range, the 80-yard rifle targets. You can see the platform in the background. The "chimes" are 1/2" plate steel and stainless steel.

Winter Arrives with a Demonstration

A blizzard blew through on December 20, producing below-zero windchill temperatures and ultimately leaving about six inches of snow. The wind left some exposed areas almost bare, and drifts elsewhere up to six feet high. In the thick of it:

The following evening, after tractor with blade + snowblower + shovel:

A nice blanket of snow for the west garden to sleep beneath:

Fortunately, none of the large drifts formed on the lanes and drives. This is the backyard.

It was a couple of days before the pond completely froze over. Temperatures have remained below freezing since the storm and the ice is now very solid, at least four inches thick.

This snag, a great favorite of the kingfishers and green heron, tipped from the vertical in the storm and has been leaning a little farther toward the dam each day since.

The terraced observatory field:

I found the gnomon on the ground – from the evidence, a deer had become caught in one of the guy ropes and pulled it over. We set a sturdier post that the pole can slip over and it's sturdy enough freestanding to let us set our observation points on the perimeter, then take it down again. We've only Groundhog Day remaining to have a complete year of quarter and cross-quarter day observations.

Hidden Meadow:

The ford at the ruined bridge:

The Creek Trail:

Winter Solstice sunset in flyover country:

Harvest sounds: grain trucks, grain dryers, and combines