MARCH FLOODING

we've had around 6 inches of rain this week... march has come in like a tiger... witch hazel "diane" below...

i've started trapping squirrels in the potager and have relocated 5 the past week. perhaps i'm just trying to drain the ocean, but it's that or cover every vegetable in the garden.  

joe joe standing by the small retaining wall that collapsed this winter. we just relocated the pieris today.

species crocus - the next day, the deer ate them.

i finally planted some double snow drops...

japanese coral bark maple (sangu kaku) drips in front of the neighbor's shed...

the saw mill river parkway, flooded for half a mile in each direction, yesterday. it is passable today. like nothing compared to japan, right?

FIRECRACKERS IN SNOW

hamamelis 'diane' blooming in the snow

 apple espalier, jasminium nudiflorum budding in background, diane in foreground

southern magnolia

DOGS IN DEEP SNOW

ehn!

 ehn!

 free!

 what was all the fuss?

 joe joe plays with the white shepherds

 sugar pond with willows

 trail marking

 bridge and tree at south end of sugar pond

ICE STORM WELCOMES FEBRUARY

fence drops

 emergent witch hazel flower trapped in ice

 harry lauder walking stick

 icy tufts of lespedeza

 sangu kaku maple

 pieris

 lespedeza

 hydrangea limelight

 japanese maple

SNOW ZIGGURAT

when i came home from work after the last heavy snowfall, a lighted, snow ziggurat greeted me. hubs had stayed home from work, since mayor bloomberg asked people to stay out of the city, and had let his creative side take over!people were stopping their cars to have a closer look... a friend thought it was a wedding cake...
we usually don't have enough snow to make such large creations... thank you to a wonderful husband...

EASTERN SCREECH OWL (RED MORPH)

yesterday a crowd gathered at my dau's school... there was an eastern screech owl (red morph) in the holly! thanks to dau for this pic... the owl is all fluffy due to the cold that day...

today the owl was still on the same branch, so i was able to photograph (5pm)...

 i'm afraid the owl did not like the flash very much...

see the owl in the holly at left? this shot shows how tiny it is, and how even at 5pm a little crowd was gathered.

everyone is wondering whether this owl is ok... time will tell. (update... the owl is not there today, thursday...)

ET TU SNOW?

yet another large snowfall, this one over a foot

 i took these in the morning

 the bald cypress still has leaves clinging

 curly larch

 potager... i especially like the small spruces in the center, totally coated with snow

 up the street

  down the street

 the nj palisades

joe joe snuggled inside

HAPPY NEW YEAR

we had the most wonderful, fluffy snow last friday... here is the harry lauder walking stick...
joe joe loves the snow...
the trees were encased with fluff...
the potager... resting, as am i... happy new year...