In the fall, after it was too late for any significant regrowth, I rented a brush hog and mowed the tall grass and small shrubs that had grown up in the lawns, field, and garden areas. I was determined to accomplish the task with only one day’s rental expense, but that goal was hard to […]
Two weeks ago, I made the first snow-free circumnavigation of the house. It was a modest expedition, to be sure, but its completion was an important box to check in the development of Spring. The snow is almost gone from the yard, but it lingers in the sheltered area under the branches of one of
Now that most of the snow has melted, we are entering the ugliest time of the year. It is no longer a crisp, white winter, but it is not yet a warm, green spring. We are no longer constrained by the cold and the dark, but we are dispirited to find that we can’t
Ugliest Time of the Year Read More »
My apologies for the image quality. My camera was not conveniently available at the moment of interest so I used my cell phone. The two hares that visit my back yard have now changed color sufficiently for the difference to be seen even in a cell phone picture. The smaller of the two made a
The Hares Are Varying Read More »
This view caught my eye when I was at the library to pick up our youngest offspring. The side door has a standing seam roof over it. Now that warmer temperatures are upon us, the snow is sliding down the roof and getting sliced by the roofing seams as it passes the edge. To me,
Tattered Snow and New Visitor Read More »
Earlier today, this fellow was nibbling one of the willow trees near the driveway to our field, across the street. He is a young bull, probably only 4.5’ tall at the shoulder. In the early evening, I noticed he made a wallow in the snow near the pen where the laying hens spend the summer.
The temperatures in the biomeiler pile are measured with thermocouples buried in several locations. Nine of them are found at three heights (1’, 2’, and 3’ above the ground) in the inner core, outer core, and mantle of the pile. The graph in today’s post shows the temperatures measured by thermocouples at 2’ height. These
February Experiment Results, part 2 Read More »
While I was preparing my breakfast on Tuesday, I saw this fellow sitting on the far side of the yard. He was back, again, this morning. This is probably a snowshoe hare. We also have cottontail rabbits, feral rabbits, and hybrids in the area. In the southwest of the state, there are Alaska hares,
Guest for Breakfast Read More »
Yesterday, Melissa and I drove to Delta Junction to attend the Delta Farm Forum. This event is held annually to give the local farmers a venue to hear presentations on topics of interest in that area. Delta Junction is one of the agricultural centers of Alaska. Delta barley is well-known throughout the state, but there
We have recently seen the temperatures rising and falling, which often has the effect of loosening water molecules from the snow in sunny areas and allowing them to drift freely during the day. If outdoor objects are colder than the air and water molecules collide with them, the molecules stick to the objects and a