Month: January 2019

It was 32° when I got up this morning, and the temperature has been falling ever since. The wind is gusty, and my weather station had a wind chill reading of 10° earlier. As you can see in the photos, we had a little snow last night, and it has blown off and on all day. I fed the deer as soon as they showed up and will go down again if they return. That’s about all the rambling I did today, although I did walk down to get my newspaper.

The deer went back into the woods, but “the boys” (six tom turkeys) have been around most of the day. They show up as soon as I throw out seed for the songbirds and came running from the woods when I fed the deer. You can see them eating last week here. And yes, that is real time, not speeded up.

We’ve had several cloudy and misty days, and the lichens and mosses have really grabbed my attention. Perhaps it’s because so little else is green this time of year, or perhaps I am just noticing them more.

The clouds are clearing, and the sun is out, but it’s still well below freezing. I’ve filled the bird feeders and plan to stay in for the rest of the day. After a forecast low of 12° tonight, tomorrow is supposed to be a balmy 31° and sunny. I look forward to a ramble in the sun and will share with you next time.

 

As you can see below, we’ve had some sunny days lately. Some of the days have been cold and windy, but somehow it seems warmer when the sun is shining.

A flock of geese have taken up residence near the river, and I can often hear them from my house. Usually there are only a few, but it looked like they were having a party yesterday.

Today has been cloudy and cold, but the “wintry mix” in the forecast hasn’t started yet. I went out earlier this afternoon for my walk and saw deer along the way. These were eating lichens off the branches of a downed tree.

A lot of the trees in the Hollow have lichens growing on them (a sign of poor health), and I’ve been seeing branches in the road on my rambles. I find the lichens beautiful and fascinating, as I similarly do the mosses and fungi.

Admittedly, I am fascinated by many things I see on my rambles, like this stick I found with strange natural markings and shapes I find in fallen trees.

The deer are more fascinated by the corn and apples. 🙂

The wintry mix has arrived, and it’s time to sign off until next time.

It hasn’t really rained all year, but sometimes it seems that way. Fortunately, I’ve been able to get out and walk in between showers. Today I walked in more of a mist than rain, and I made it home just before the drops got bigger and the wind picked up. 🙂

It rained all morning, and the deer showed up as soon as it let up (way earlier than usual). I saw a single doe and her 2018 fawns and decided to feed them early. Somehow all the others suddenly showed up, so everyone ate lunch instead of an afternoon meal today.

The deer disappeared into the woods after they ate, as they usually do. Then I saw some of them again when I walked, both going and coming.

They recognized me and were back in the meadow soon after I got home. I fed them a few more apples, and they settled down to chew their cuds.

I often see deer as I ramble (although I am rarely quick enough to get a good photo). Here’s a video of them heading somewhere after an early feeding on Christmas. Sometimes they nap in the “orchard” above my house.

The six jake turkeys I call “the boys” didn’t show up for the first few days after I returned from my trip, but they come pretty regularly now. Today they missed the early feeding and had to scrounge in the meadow for overlooked kernels of corn.

Occasionally I see turkeys in other parts of the Hollow. I was surprised to see this big flock last week. Here’s a video of them crossing the road.

The weather forecast calls for some sunny days ahead, but I’ll try to post again before too long.

It’s been a while since I last posted, but I’m back! Substitute teaching, rainy weather, and a visit to New Mexico kept me from my regular walks, and I was happy to resume my rambles when my life settled back down. Here’s what’s been going on with the river; 2018 was the rainiest in Asheville history. I made a couple of videos of the high water in December: 12-22-18 12-28-18. And for those of you who like trains, here is one passing by. It’s loud!

Of course, the deer continue to come, regardless of the weather. (And I made sure they were fed while I was gone.) The big bucks are gone, and about half of “my” regular herd of ten or so are 2018’s fawns. It’s fun to watch them come when I call! Watch here and here and here!

The floods covered the bridge used by the folks on the other side of the ridge, and they had to go through the field to get in and out for a couple of days. You will see the gate open in this video. And now it’s time to put on the the black-eyed peas, roast some kale, and bake some cornbread (no sugar!). I expect to post again soon!