First Snow of the 2012-2013 Winter Season

So the winter begins...we had the first snow of the season this past Tuesday.  While I don't like all the work it brings, I can' deny how gorgeous it is outside when everything becomes dusted in a sparkling layer of white.  We had about an inch and I took these photos just as the ground started to become covered.  I think everything looks so pretty when the snow is just dusting everything...the colors remind me of a steel engraving and I am in the middle of it...

The garden is just becoming covered in a white shroud of snow.

Snow is falling fast and furious...the white pine boughs
are protecting the grass below from falling snow...

The herb garden is still producing cold weather savory treats.
Seth picked herbs for our Thanksgiving stuffing, as well
as the centerpieces...little vases filled with sage...GORGEOUS!

Blueberry bushes have turned their winter red.

A garden guardian...

Another watchful eye over the winter garden beds...

Rosemary continues to produce...

Interesting pattern effect as the white pine boughs capture the snow fall
and leave the ground below bare.

The gazebo appears to be covered in a dusting of confectioners sugar!

Delightful and dreamy...

Thankfully we received only an inch and then it melted away from the walkways and driveway...we are expecting record breaking warm weather this week...that's our New England...wouldn't have it any other way!

Elizabeth

Winter Activities on the Pond

What an incredible winter...it seems to snow at least once a week and it has been COLD!!!!! We haven't seen the ground for what seems like months...The birds must be fed as they have nothing to eat from the garden beds...the winterberries are long gone! We have had so many finches this year...we have been through alot of sunflower and thistle seed....The pond is very frozen and the ice fishermen have had a heyday....

See the marker...the fishermen have them everywhere...

Here is a father and son making their rounds to all the holes they have drilled...

What a great picture of father and son out on the ice....

This is their "campsite"...a small tent, a sled laden with all their gear and the auger to drill holes into the thick ice....

Dad checking a hole....

The long trek back to the campsite....my husband saw them pull a two foot fish out of a hole not long after I took this photo....

Kids skating and playing ice hockey...

We saw the Dad with a snow blower clearing the large spot for the kids to skate...good guy that Dad...

The water slide looks a bit out of place when the pond is frozen over....

Well the pond has been very active this winter...while it has been interesting to watch, I long for spring when the ice gives way to the inky black water and a hot summer for swimming and simply floating on my raft staring up at the blue sky and pondering and thinking....

Elizabeth

Snowy Photos

It is next to impossible to get over to our island once the snow falls...so we look from the main land and dream about summer...We rarely plow causeway and the cove really is never safe as there are so many active springs under the water that it takes an incredible amount of time to freeze even when the temps are below freezing for a week or so...The last time we actually skated on the cove was in 1996...the springs are very very active....the main pond freezes over very quickly but our cove is a different story...


This is a great view of one of the benches on our island....

In the fall we put out a couple of vintage 1950's snowmen on timers to light up for the holidays...they look so cute by the dock...

How adorable is this snowman?!

Elizabeth

More Winter in the Garden

Added a few more views from the garden....Can you guess what this is snow covered lattice thing is?????

It is a demi lune doormat....

A snow covered vintage trellis....in the summer it is covered with clematis...

A snowbird sits in the snow on the fence...

A view of the entrance to the raised beds garden...boxwoods are snow covered...

This is a small children's vintage potting table that I keep outside the greenhouse...it has silvered with age and is simply beautiful anytime of the year.

Old terra cotta pots sit in a wire carrier under the potting table protected from the snow falling....

Dried Annabelle hydrangea covered with snow...I love hydrangea in the winter...the bush itself holds snow wonderfully on the wooden stems and the old flowers add great eye appeal...

Some of the flags we have flying about the property...since September 11, 2001 these flags have been flying...we change them as they weather but there are always flags posted...on a grey day when the winter landscape offers only the colors of white, hues of grey and greens, our country's red white and blue look extra beautiful...

Winter in the garden is wonderful!!!!!

Elizabeth

Little Indoor Winter Garden

Well the paperwhites did their thing and this morning I had to change my little space I like to have adorned with a few things green and colorful...as the paperwhites are forced in water the bulbs cannot be salvaged. The bulbs are affordable so it really poses not problem for a nice display during the holidays...about the cost of a bouquet but with a much longer life...nice treat. So I moved a few things around and added an ivy and a couple of new African violets....this little spots just makes me smile....

The wintergreen is placed directly in the sun as it does well there. I like to "sprinkle" a few vintage items amongst the flower pots...little birds, turtles, a couple of my old hyacinth vases (we have a huge collection of these) and even an old lightning rod spike....

I have old pieces of coral in the copper plant stand with another violet as well....an eclectic mix that works for me!!!!!
Add a little bit of greenery to your indoor space...it will make you smile for sure!!!!!

Elizabeth

Winter is Here in All Her Glory

Our world changes after a snowfall to an absolute gift for the eye...it becomes a blend of hues of white, black, gray and green...dispersed with silver and ice crystals...
This is the cove looking to the island

Shrubs laden with a thick layer of snow...looks like an over frosted cake

Through the thicket you can see the roof of our day cabin on the island....

Husband hard at work clearing over 12 inches of snow...

Can shrubbery look any better than this?


Stillness....

A look at the garden after snow...


An antique cement urn topped with snow...

The weight of the snow on this white pine tree has created an arbor over the path to my garden room and shed...

The snow on this reed covered fence has created a delightful pattern...

A look across the garden to the storage shed...the snow has created a gorgeous look on the garden wrought iron fencing and the wood fencing next to the shed.

A couple of blueberry bushes covered in snow....


Winter is here and the gift of snow has a beautiful dimension to our world....

Elizabeth