Visitor at the stream

Exciting news from the stream check this morning:
The stream stands at 2.8 inches AND
on the edge of the stream, where the brook had formed a pool when in was running high, our junior ranger reports RACCOON prints! "They look like little hands," she says.
We'll try to get out there with a camera later this morning to record it.

UPDATE: it also appears that the raccoon not only found the geocashe, he checked to be sure there wasn't a snack in it, and it ended up disgarded in the brook. Anybody know how to discontinue a geocashe?

It's snowing...more

National Weather Service is predicting up to 7 inches today before it's over late this afternoon. It's really pelting down out there this morning. We did send an intrepid junior ranger out on her new snowshoes (from Santa) to refill a few birdfeeders and get the paper. The juncos and black-and-white warblers were waiting for us.
We're posting a bit early today, as it looks as though it's going to be an adventure getting to church this morning (like last Sunday).
At 8 am, it is 14 degrees and steady
80% humidity and steady with lots of snow falling
Barometer is at 29.97 inches and falling; the storm goes all the way out to midstate New York at this point.
Fire danger is LOW.
Both the Cascades and the stream are snow-covered at this point.

The junior ranger reports that it's "like going into a storybook or walking into a poem" this morning.

And the GWLT Annual Meeting is ON for 3pm today. If you're a member, come make up a voting quorum!

Falling in the brook day

One of the junior rangers just fell in the brook in the midst of checking the stream depth. We go to all lengths around here...!

at 9: 10 am, it is 41 degrees and steady with a breeze
57% humidity and falling
29.85 inches of mercury and steady under clear skies
the brook, we have confirmed, is at 5 1/2 inches

We are continuing our battle with the squirrels over the birdfeeder in the front of the Lodge. They've now chewed through the rope not once, but twice, and now there is nothing but wire holding it up; we'll see how long that works! We've seen nuthatches and chickadees, plus, this morning, a small brown friendly little bird about the size of a chickadee that sat in a tree and talked to us for awhile. We'll look it up!

More trees

We put in some blue spruce along the southern bound of Cascading Waters today, mostly to block off the line-of-sight between the Lodge and the new development (slowly) going in next door.

Report from the Junior Ranger:
40 degrees F and rising
86 % humidity and steady
29.83 and steady
At 8:52 am
Cold, brook running a little bit.

And from today:
Down from the sky come leaves in all colors:
Red, yellow, and brown
Some have holes and some do not.

Woodland report from the junior rangers

A short hike up to the Cascades reveals the following:
30.42 inches of mercury and steady
48 and rising is the temp.
75% humidity and steady.
Today the brook is running very fast. Also many pine needles falling, small pretty yellow flowers in bloom.

We'll try to track down what the yellow flowers are, and post a photo.

Breezy

At 9am, the junior ranger report:
72 degrees and steady is the temperature
80% humidity and falling
29.59 inches of mercury and rising
The birch leaves are yellow and brown.
There's been no rain since midnight.
Yesterday, we had 0.75 inches of rain.
The Cascades are running.

Grab a sweater

The front that came through cleared the air and brought down the temperature. A great day for a walk in the (still green) woods! We've already seen a number of hikers come through today.

The junior rangers make the following report:
At 9:20, it is 57 degrees and holding steady.
83% humidity and falling
Barometer is 30.12 and rising (very high skies today)
We have a slight breeze.
The brook is running.
Yesterday we had 0.67 inches of rain
And the fire danger is LOW

A good drying day

(That's what we call these clear days with a bit of wind and low humidity here at the Lodge. With no dryer, it matters!)

We're having a slow morning here to recover from the platform moving last night. We had a GREAT crew of volunteers, who showed up ready to work and really threw themselves into it. From lifting to directing to hauling cinder blocks to speedy tree trimming, they did it all. Special mention to the younger set, who hauled dinner across the meadow for the rest of the crew. We barely got wet (super example of microclimates at work there) and enjoyed pizza, and, for those who were last to leave, brownies!

(And for those of you who were here: Bob's okay.)

We got .04 inches of rain last night

At 11:30, it is 68 degrees
61% humidity
Barometer is steady under clear blue skies
Fire danger is LOW

We had a group of mountain bikers come through an hour or so ago.

Thunder in the distance

...but that's all it is so far. The sky is blue overhead.

As of 1 pm, it is 88 degrees here (we may not break 90!)
[UPDATE: 1:45 p.m. and we just hit 90 with 54% humidity]
63% humidity and falling
Barometer holding steady at 29.85 pounds of pressure
Fire danger is LOW

We had some dog walkers go through this morning, but that has been it. Even if you don't want to hike, you might come down and stick your feet in the brook. The junior rangers recommend it.

Bunny photos

Here's the photos of our evening visitor from last week:


This gives you the best idea of how much he isn't afraid of us. That's the back of the head of one of the junior rangers. He'll only let us get so close, but he seems to understand that we mean him no harm (and would just as soon he eat our dandelions!).

(She calls him Peter.)