While I was out on an errand this morning I snapped a few photos of the roads. The snow was heavy, wet, melting, and still quite nice to look at. I enjoy the way the dark tree branches, roads, and rocks contrast with the snow cover.

Imagine climbing up on your roof, walking out a pole, then hanging upside down to eat.

In the cold, too.

Photos of Houdini the Squirrel below.

With Global Warming, we get more rain and ice storms in the winter and more rain in the summers, milder autumns that last into December, and Springtime that starts in March instead of in late April.

This Christmas looks like a rain and ice event for Brattleboro. Does anyone have a prediction for how much rain we will get for Christmas this year? I'm guessing at least an inch of the wet stuff. We still might get a white Christmas, but it'll be a damp and foggy one, unless something changes at the last minute and the storm forecast to head up to Michigan and the Great Lakes turns more to the east coast. There just isn't enough cold air from the Arctic to spread around in winter anymore, since the ice caps are shrinking in size each year. Eventually when the ice caps are gone in the summer, we will have some really seriously depressing and scary weather changes. For now, it's just less reliable winters with less snow cover each year on average.

The fifth annual Solstice Celebration at Fair Winds Farm will be held on December 20 & 21. Half-hour horse-drawn rides glide along the lantern lit stream and starlit meadows. Voices lift the darkness away with music and verses of the season. The sleigh is cozy and frost nips your nose. All is quiet, all is peaceful, all is now.

The perfect antidote to Christmas bustle!

As always, I'm hopeful there'll be some skating on the meadows this year.

After Wednesday's snow had little hope of that for this year.

Then Thursday and Friday I saw a couple small ponds in Marlboro were nicely iced over - no trace of snow on the ice. Have no idea how it happened but figured if that could happen on the Augur Hole Road in Marlboro, the Meadows had to be good. Yesterday I checked and the ice (from a distance) looks beautiful. There was a lone couple skating around - not just in the shallows - all over and toward the deep end by the Retreat as well. I wasn't willing to risk it myself, but was hopeful for today (after another night of teens). Unfortunately it is snowing again. with rain forecast for later.

Will the ice survive and thicken? I'm crossing my fingers.

It's here. At 6 a.m. I heard Tim Johnson say anywhere from 5 to 8 inches in this area. This afternoon it's supposed to warm up and continue with freezing rain. As I write, it's 11:11 and still snowing in beautiful downtown Brattleboro.

The best and worst of a big snowstorm are always the stories that come out of it. So let's hear 'em- how's it going for everyone?

I wish I had a webcam facing the Harmony tonight. In the lamplight the snow falls in soft whirls.

Today's snow has been beautiful. From tiny flakes to large feathers, it's continued since this morning and doesn't look ready to stop. Not truly cold, the temp has hovered around the freezing point all day. Shoppers buzzed around, smiling and carrying their children and other treasures.

Tonight, that hush that comes with a snowy night has settled on downtown.

I only wish that these creatures were found in the Connecticut River, so that this could be a local story.

When I woke up this morning, around 6 a.m., I swear it was right around the freezing point. As the day wore on the mercury rose to above 70. My nephew in Indy reported that it was 72 there yesterday.

It's get-ready for the serious weather time. Get the windows cleaned, batten them hatches, suck up the outdoors while it's lovely. It won't last long. Still, it's nice while it lasts.

I’m posting these pictures partly for selfish reasons. I saw all these migratory fowl on the Meadows (these are shot from near Rt. 30 across from The Retreat farm looking over toward Putney Road) within the past hour. Aside from the Canadian Geese (the vast majority of the birds here) I really can’t tell what any of them are and there are some small flocks of ducks in among the geese.

Charlie Brown couldn’t have been happier. The Great Pumpkin did arrive. All the years he waited only to be let down year after year. And then, there it was. It was everything he hoped it would be. Charlie Brown’s life had finally turned around until one day he looked out the window and saw this…

It was flurrying in downtown Bratt this morning for a bit over 1/2 hour.

The first flurries are always a surprise and lovely to me. I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune come March.

As a new person in town always to be called a Flatlander I have an observation and a suggestion to run by anybody. I love beauty and mountains most of which burst forth with fall beauty. This is a suggestion to enhance the beauty. A group of volunteers gather to mark oustandingly beautiful fall coloared trees. Some weather resistant collar around a low branch that indicates individual trees as special and not to be cut when logging in the area. This group of volunteers could have another duty and that would be to actuaally plant young trees destined to be colorful such, in addition to sugar maple, scarlet maple and scarlet oak and other colorful trees here and there on mountain sides and or anywhere some extra color would be adventegious .
It could start a State Wide effort eventually and place Vermont not only one of the beautiful New England Stated but THE most beautiful State in the Union.

- George Whitney

I'm a big supporter of the Vermont Land Trust and I wanted to share this video with everyone. The video showcases the work that the farmers in East Montpelier did to protect farmland for future generations and conserve their agricultural heritage.

Credit for the video goes to the Vermont Land Trust. Currently, the VLT is working on creating a Marlboro Town Forrest with the Hogback Mountain Conservation Association. Check out their website for more info.