From scenic to mundane
Not all of VT is landscape and picturesque! This is the coop I go to a couple of time a week for various grocery purchases.
They have beautiful produce and many other healthy-types of foods. It is actually quite large, and a nice feeling store to shop in. It is not my only grocery store, but I can get some of the different items I need or want here. Soy milk, coffee, salad greens and dressings, shampoo and face soap to name a few.

Sunset

This picture looks to the east, which is what I thought was neat about this sunset. The reflection of the sun across the sky was really spectacular on this--much warmer than a few days earlier--January evening.

Misty sunset
this photo doesn't really capture the strange pastel nature of this sunset. There was a lot of mist in the sky this evening, turning all color soft. The hills in the background looked one dimensional, like pictures I've seen made from pasted pieces of paper.
The degree of variation in the same landscape never ceases to amaze me. I often marvel in the fact that the scene will never look exactly the same way again.

Frosty Rose
When it gets really cold, below zero cold, the horses's muzzles get all frosty from their breath. Rose's forelock and mane also have a touch of frost.

Note on posts--for a while, since I am trying to catch up, the pictures will not necessarily be ones taken on the date of the post. I decided that was best, since I got behind on taking pictures. I kept getting a chance to take pictures at the same time of day and did not have a lot of variety, so I decided to post pictures from days when I took more than one.

Frosty milkweed
It was very cold this morning, and everything seemed to have frost on it. This is some frozen milkweed near the horse pasture, its seeds still in the pod. I often wonder with all of the wind we have here, how those seeds manage to stay fast.

Relief
This is my son, just after finishing everything for his college applications. It was an ordeal, but it is done!!! If you could see the face behind the camera it too, would have relief written all over it.

Spruce in snow storm

We have five spruce trees that were planted to block the wind, I think. They line the driveway and are quite tall. I once met the person who planted them, but I can't remember when they were planted. I don't think they block the wind much either, but maybe they do.
Here they are in a light snowstorm.

Feed bucket in snow

This is the bucket I use to feed the horses every day, twice a day. Today has a little snow in it. Sometimes there is more snow, or water from the rain, depending on the weather. Of course, if I leave it in the barn instead of near the porch it stays dry, but often it is easier (an warmer or dryer!) to leave it near the porch and go right into the house.

New skis!!!

This is my new ski equipment. New to me skis, brand new boots, poles and I even treated myself to a new pair of goggles.
Using the new equipment was the least exciting part of my day.
I raced! My ds talked me into entering a gs race that was being held as a fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis. I did not make or break and world records but I had a blast!!! It was my first ski race and so much fun.

Wind in spite of the 5 spruces
Living on a hill we get a lot of wind! Many people who have lived in this area longer than I talk about their memories of wind at my house. Several of them delivered coal or oil here at one time. To hear them talk about it you'd think the house is perpetually hit with gale force winds and blizzard conditions.
It is not always windy, but usually if there is wind it is here in force. The wind has hit the house hard enough that we can feel it move and hear the china rattle. Really!!!

End of a race day
He is tired at the end of a race day. The days start early, and as evidenced by this picture end after dinner. Although each race involves only two runs the racers take advantage of being at a new mountain and ski all day.
There is also a lot of standing around waiting to go, which can be pretty cold, especially in a GS suit!

The picture was blurry because my hand was not quite steady with the long exposure needed to take it in low light. Rather than discarding it, though, I added an effect which blurred it more, which I think somehow adds to the sleeping subject.

Snow on spruce
It is finally snowing!! Actually it is quite windy, but I managed to get a picture of the snow nestled into the needles of this tree. This is one of five trees that line my drive, planted, I think, to block the wind.
This is pretty nice snow, fairly light and fluffy, but heavy enough to accumulate in the trees. It is the kind of snow that looks just like the fake snow on trees in model train sets.

Cold, cold morning
It is really cold this morning. This is a picture looking at the sunrising over the hill across from my house. I tried to get a sense of the cold, the shadows and the still feel of a cold day in Northern New England.
There is no warmth in that sun. It is below 0 and early in the morning. The snow squeaks under my feet. The sun is still low on the horizon. As the days pass it will rise further and further to the north, arcing across the horizon.

January 16--Sunset Below Zero

It is definitely January! When it is this cold and there isn't any wind the stillness is complete. It is very quiet, the only sounds are the snap of trees in the woods and the crunch of the horses walking through the snow. The snow has an icy crust which sounds quite startling when it breaks, particularly after dark when the horses are invisible in the field. I love being outside in this weather. The air is so clear and still that it seems the world is held in a momentary pause, the gap between one breath and the next.

14 January--Snow on sedum

It is finally snowing!!! We are going to have a real winter after all. Not that I doubted it, though.

I love to see the seasonal changes in plants. There is so much more to a garden than the summer blaze of color. When I plant new gardens this spring and summer I am going to plan for things that provide visual interest throughout the year.

This sedum is a new plant in my garden. It was a gift I received and planted late in the summer. What a lovely surprise its winter look is, a perfect snow catcher.

January 13--Steve's Tree
Every year Steve, the owner of a local restaurant and inn, puts up a beautiful tree. This tree has 720 ornaments and it is amazing! Every one of the ornaments has a story.
Steve puts decorations all over the inn, so customers can walk around and find unexpected Christmas treasures in every corner. It is really wonderful.
Each year we make sure we go to the inn for the tasty Saturday buuffet dinner so we can admire the decorations, and most of all the tree!
These pictures don't do justice to the decorations, but they are a start. I decided that this special subject needed more than just one picture for the day. So, I included a close up--look at all of the wonderful ornaments!
The best thing about Steve's decorations is that he loves doing it. I can imagine that it is great fun to watch customers discover treasures on the tree or in corners of the inn. His decorations are truly a gift.
Thank you Steve!

January 13 continued...Blogger didn't like three pictures so here is the last one--
Steve's Christmas village.
It took about two days with help, to put up the tree, and will take about the same amount of time to take it down. Sometimes Steve transforms the tree into a Valentine's tree, because he says that the room looks so dark without the tree. I always feel sorry about taking our tree down too.

January 12--Fluffy
I am playing catch up with my project pictures! This is one of our cats, Fluffy, who lives outside in the barn. She loves to follow me around the yard when I am feeding the horses and sheep, or gardening in the summer.

January 10--The stuff of my day
I almost didn't make it with a photo for today, but finally, at the end of the day I decided to take one of some of the things that made up my day.

January 9--Snow coming over the mountain

This view is from just below the ski lodge where I am spending a great deal of time these days. The views are spectacular, and change constantly.

Although it looks like there is snow there really isn't! If you look closely you can see the grass poking up, barely covered. Snow is falling from those clouds, though, and later in the afternoon provided us with a bit of a dusting.

January 8---Dogs
Here are my two dogs waiting for their evening biscuits. They were not too keen on sitting still or staying down for the portrait session.
Wiggles, left, kept getting up and barking at me as if I'd forgotten that it was biscuit time, while Hot Scotch, right, looked on.

In spite of the picture taking they did get more than their usual share of biscuits and I got a few photos.

January 7--My family--the last day of vacation
Here is my family, I am behind the camera. My daughter went back to college today and one son returns to school tomorrow, the other on Wednesday. The son on the left had to get his hair cut for school. His school has a dress code, but he is hoping to make it through the rest of the year without another cut. We'll see!! The college I teach at returns next Monday, so I have a week reprieve!

January 6--Surprise in the wind

So, how do I take a picture of my headache that feels like a band tightening around my forehead? How do I take a picture of the soft, brown scent of wet dirt in January, when the air should have the grey, metallic scent of snow? How do I take a picture of the discouraged lumps of melting snow in the grass? How do I take a picture of the disappointment my daughter feels that she couldn't ski today on her last day home for Christmas vacation?

I didn't. I took a picture of one of my horses, windblown, just up the pasture from a run in the field. She was snorting and happy in the warm breeze, and watching her I forgot my headache.

January 5--Think mud, think slush!

This is not January in Vermont! Does this look like January in Vermont? No, it does not, but sadly it is this January in Vermont.

This is a picture of our Christmas lights and a wreath reflected in a mud puddle in my driveway.

It rained today again, melting the little snow we do have. So grey, so warm, so not winter!

January 4--Moonset
I was up early today so I got to see the full moon setting in the colors of the dawning day.

It was quite a long day! I spent it at my son's ski race as a "gatekeeper," watching to see that racers went through the gates. Only one didn't get through all of the 4 gates I watched; one fell and didn't finish the race, the other fell by but hiked up and went through the gate.

It was my son's second race and he came in right in the middle of the pack, 36th of 75 racers. I was really proud of him, and it was great to see him ski past me. Usually I have to watch indistinguishable dot skiers from the bottom of the hill.

It was actually a beautiful day. It was warm and sunny. I didn't even have to wear gloves most of the day. I was surprised at how steep the hill was, even though I've skied it many times. Standing still and watching racers go by allows for an entirely different perspective.

After the race I decided to take a couple of runs. I wound up on an ungroomed trail which was unskiable for me! I fell twice, and finally took off my skis and hiked down to another trail. It was neat walking though, because I got to see all of the things that are missed in a ski run. One place on the trail had thick green and pink moss growing on rocks shielded by icicles and snow. It was quite beautiful, but I didn't have my camera. I did get a good run on the lower, but steeper trail!

January Full Moon-about 5 pm
Well, this picture doesn't do a winter full moon night justice, but since I haven't learned how to use my camera on manual yet it will have to do!
This view is from my porch, looking toward the barn. In the Jan. 1 picture of the horses I was looking the opposite direction, with my back to the barn.
Full moon winter nights are beautiful. When there is snow on the ground the fields are almost daylight bright. Tonight there is a crust of ice on the snow so the moonlight streams across it.
I love seeing the moon rise over the barn and the field behind it. At this time of year I often have to feed my horses and sheep in the dark, and it is nice to have moonlight to see by. I do take a flashlight to the barn though, because there is a skunk who lives nearby and I really don't want to be surprised or surprise her/him!

Late afternoon snowmaking at Burke Mountain.
The sun is lovely, but adds no warmth at this time of year. The mountain faces north, so only at the very end of the day does the sun shine here, just before twilight starts to set in. The views are lovely, and late afternoon is bittersweet as the lifts close and another ski day comes to an end.

This was not a ski day for me, but my son is racing for the first time this year and practices almost every day so I am at the mountain. I love to ski, but we have not had much snow. Only a few trails are open so I will wait until later in the season, although I couldn't resist and went once last week. It was a great day. Those snowmaking guns are dong all that they can!

I love the feeling of the end of a good day of skiing: cold cheeks, ski boots thumping on wooden floors and a general feeling of good cheer.

January 1, 2007 Happy New Year!
Dinner time! I am the person the horses are so captivated by. I walk across this road every day coming and going to the barn for their grain. As you can see it is a highlight of their day.

I love this project! One suggestion for finding photo topics was to go to a list of questions and answer one of those a day with a photo. One question, "Who are you?" stuck with me and I decided to make it my theme for all 365 pictures. I think I may discover a lot about myself in taking part in this project. Jan. 1, 2007. It is a wet and gloomy day here in N New England.