When we moved into a log cabin in June 2015, this city girl stressed out over the fact that carpenter bees loved our wooden home as much as we did. They are belligerent and territorial. They poop liquid sawdust and it dribbles yellow down our red exterior. The pest guys sprayed with little effect. Then… Continue reading The other bees
This year Easter coincides with the late lake spring. It's a moment to think about starting over, regeneration, second chances. Blooms are on their way, but today we have buds and sprouts. (Click on the images below for a slide show.) CatnipOreganoQueen Anne's LaceRoseTree Peony
I went out with an extension tube on my camera lens this morning. The flowers still scarce, I like crouching down for a close-up, letting their color fill my gray-weary eyes. Glory of the SnowHyacinthGlory of the SnowHyacinthHyacinthHyacinthLast year's Queen Anne's Lacefuture Lilaclast year's Lavender
I'm looking hard for evidence that the dozens of bulbs I planted lakeside are sprouting. I'm trying not to look at the shifting and settling and possible disappearance of stones along our rebuilt bank. Life is change. Sometimes too slow. Sometimes too fast. The wind blows. Lake Ontario
And thus begins the longest six weeks of the year -- when it should be spring, but it won't be till the lilacs bloom and the garden stores open around Mother's Day. Lake Ontario New Englanders know this as the fifth season -- mud season. Mud season is the name given to the period between… Continue reading April 1
Spring begins with a full moon, setting within minutes of sunrise. It's 6:48 a.m. and I've been rushing around in my puffy coat to get the right lens, the correct settings, and a good point of view. This is it: just the blushing moon contemplating her reflection in the water. Tech: 1/160 sec at f/8,… Continue reading As good as it gets
7 p.m. The sun will set in 19 minutes at 268.7° on the compass dial, just shy of due west. The bottom of our bank is still buried in a couple feet of ice. Frost and flurries will linger for the next few weeks. Tempests will rage. But the season has changed.
5:25 a.m. here on the edge. 28°F. and calm. A dusting of snow. The waxing gibbous moon will set at 6:06 a.m., but I better get a picture before it sinks behind the cloud bank. Hope the bright moon and the chill air energize me for the rest of the day. Tech: 2 sec. at… Continue reading Sister Moon
Lake Ontario 3:50 am, 9 Mar 2019 3:30 a.m., 16°F. and calm. Coat over pajamas. Hat over headlamp. Crampons over boots. Gloves. Camera on tripod, set to 30 sec., with 16mm lens at f2.8, ISO 1600. The constellation Casseopia is the W in the upper right corner. The standout star near the horizon, left of… Continue reading Stars over Ontario
Here comes the sun. Today, 3:15 p.m, after a few more inches of snow. At 6:04 p.m., the sun will set at 263° on the compass dial. When the sun sets at 270° -- due west -- that is the spring equinox. On March 21, the days will start being longer than the nights. The… Continue reading Arctic Ontario, after the storm
