something up her sleeve

Even with all our technology and sophistication, Mother Nature can still surprise… 19.3 inches here yesterday. I did not see that coming!

Imagine too, if it had been powder, we could easily have doubled our accumulations.

mixed reviews

For the first time in nearly five weeks, a snowfall of over two inches here. Good news, bad news- the snow drought is over.
Good news for winter recreation, bad news for drivers and utility/road crew workers; this stuff is heavy! Be prepared for some power outages today.

Drip…drip…drip…

Light sap flow here on the hill Monday. If we do get some snow the next few days, it could be good for early sugarin'.

two inches?

It ended up more like two flakes; the snow drought here continues.

From the NWS Burlington: “so far this month have received only 2.7 inches of snowfall. The least amount of snowfall for the entire month of February was 1.3inches in February 1957...followed by 2.0 inches in February 1961.
Climate records for Burlington go back to 1884.”

two little, too long

Looking forward to at least a little white today. Last time I saw even two inches of snowfall here on the hill was January 18… almost 4 weeks ago! Since then, there have been two falls of just under two inches, and on the 18th it was only 3.1.

It’ll be interesting to see if I even get two inches today.

not all bad

Our thin snow cover may annoy winter recreation enthusiasts, but the deer must be very enthusiastic; they are now free to move about the countryside. This is not just a convenience, but a significant survival factor. A more varied diet is good; being able to escape predators is great.

the shadow knows

No shadows here on Hollister Hill at sunrise, according to folklore this portends an early Spring. Actually, with the thin snow cover, almost looks like early Spring already.

“Half your wood and half your hay, should be left on Candlemas Day.”

Groundhog or Candlemas Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 (winter’s mid-point). According to folklore, if a groundhog, emerging from its burrow on this day fails to see its shadow, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, if the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks. The holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog. The holiday also bears some similarities to the medieval Catholic holiday of Candlemas and the Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic calendar, which is celebrated on February 2 and also involves weather prognostication.

Here in northern Vermont, it really doesn’t matter if there were any shadows this morning, we know there’s always plenty of winter left.