The Years To Remember

The weather has taken a turn back towards winter and it is rarely getting above 50 and the winds are relentless. Wednesday I biked the Zim Smith trail with Peggy and Susan. It was a quick 23 miles with a few water and chat stops, but lots of time enjoying spring and the nice weather. Later that afternoon the winds really picked up and they've been blowing for a couple of days now.  I'm not sure why I was shocked to see snow. It is common in March and even April. Friday -  I was a bit surprised to see snow on the ground when I looked out the window on this first full day of spring. I knew it wouldn't last long as temps were to approach 50. I had another very quiet shift at the Pine Bush Preserve to mark my Friday morning. Afterwards I braved the gusty winds and took a 4 mile hike on the Great Dunes trail.  It's been years since I've been on this trail. Not much is happening this early in spring. It was just a quiet walk in the woods until I heard a weird sound up ahe...

 3/14/25 Spring has arrived and we are determined to not miss a bit of it. A few of us planned a 23 mile bike ride today, but we had to wait until noon for the temperatures to hit 50 degrees. It was a beautiful ride with sunny skies and the temperatures topped out at 63 degrees. We stopped for lunch at the farm store and ate in the greenhouse. Me, Charlene, Geri, and SueEllen. I felt quite old when the cashier recognized me as her 8th grade science teacher. We chatted for a bit, then I asked about her mother, who I also taught at the beginning of my career. We may be of a certain age, but we are still out on 23 mile bike rides and other adventures! If I could have managed carrying it on my bike, I would have bought a cyclemen or two. The ice is still holding on at 11am. It's melting! This was about 4 pm. The lake should be ready for kayaking by the end of the weekend. 3/15/25 After puttering in the garden for a bit, I drove to meet Lyne for a bike ride. We were prepared to turn it...

Changeable weather is finally here and hints of spring appear here and there. I am growing very bored with my walks around the lake, but I have never seen the ice last so long into March. This is March 8th and its frozen solid. I heard sirens the night before and saw smoke with the glow of flames down by the lake. This house had a very unfortunate fire. Luckily no one was hurt but the house is a total loss. On the 9th I decided to drive to town, park the car, and walk into Troy for a change of scenery. This beautiful building has been converted into apartments. The east side has quite a few Victorian(? )houses that now serve as Frat houses for RPI. This is the Emma Willard School where my daughter spent a year and a half in preschool. I stopped at a little shop I drove past hundreds of times but never noticed before. I bought some lotion, soap, and chocolate! Monday 3/10 was a blank on my calendar so I set off to the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Mass. to see their bulb show. I appreci...

March is the month of the first day of spring, meteorologic spring was on the first, and daylight savings will illuminate the end of the day longer starting this weekend! I hate the fiddling with the clocks as we do, but this one fills me with the hope of warming weather. The birds have found my suet feeder and several species visit all day long - downy wood pecker, nuthatch, chickadee, starling, titmouse, and sparrows. They make me happy and eager to start planting flowers and shrubs around the deck to attract even more species. We have had almost a week of above freezing temperatures and quite a bit of rain, so all the snow has gone and there is just a bit of ice left. I was so happy to have my first morning coffee outside. I had to bundle up in a blanket, but listening to the birds and watching them flit about made me very happy. My older brother sent the tax forms I needed for Mom's estate, and I filed my taxes the next day. What a relief to get that done a whole month later th...