Dry Stone Fence

I'm dipping back into the past for awhile until we have something new and interesting to share around here.  This is a remarkable old stone fencerow that is actually a dry stone wall. It was located on the farm beside our previous home, and I walked here with our dog for several years.  The stones are all piled to create vertical walls, and it stretched from nearly at the barn almost to the back of the farm.

At first glance you might not notice anything special about this line of stones, but once you look more closely you notice how unique this is.

It's a little hard to illustrate with photos because in the summer it's covered with green and in the winter with white.  A skiff of snow like this is ideal.

As you can see, it's a long farm lane that went straight back down the middle of the farm.

By getting closer I think you can see the vertical sides better.

This was probably built 120 years ago, but is still stable today.  You could climb up and walk along the top; it's about five feet thick.

I expect we will lose many features of the cultural landscape like this, just because they don't fit well with modern farming methods.  This is undoubtedly the most interesting old fence I've found since we moved up to the valley.

A Peaceful 'Normal' Winter?

 Looking out the window this morning I was struck by how 'normal' a winter this appeared.  A foot of snow, gentle snow falling easily, and no wind.  And to beat that it was beginning to look like we might get some sun today!    And we did!

It was simply a gorgeous winter's day!

You could almost picture sitting our there in the sun!

Yesterday wasn't at all so nice!

And for those who were asking, our snowstick is in find shape, with a nice winter blanket.

The Snowstick Returns!

 I've been wondering where our good old snowstick went, the copper crane that we use to measure the snow depth.  But as the snow melted almost away to nothing last week, there it was, fallen over under the weight of one of those December snowfalls.  Luckily we were able to rescue it and stand him up again to continue his work

On Dec. 30th it was standing back up and ready to go, just a little snow around its feet.

The next day virtually all the snow was gone.

On New Year's Day we had a light dusting of snow.

And then winter returned, about a foot of snow, coming down very gently.

Jan. 5th added a couple of inches and we're back to deep snow after our big meltdown.  That's winter for you!

Winter Comes, Winter Goes, Then it Comes Again!

We're in the middle of a continuing roller coaster of winter.  On Christmas Day it was still snowy, but then the big thaw began, taking us almost all the way to green grass.  Today it is snowing like mad again and winter is back.

Christmas Day

Just four days later.

Dec. 30 - it looks like spring!

A light snowfall that was gone within hours.

Jan. 2 - a nice gentle snowfall, about 4" deep.

Note our snowstick in the lower left.

Yesterday morning - about a foot now, and lots of blowing snow today!

Happy New Year!

The new year has arrived, I can't believe it!  Time moves so fast as you get older.  Just yesterday it was summer and I was riding downtown to the library or for coffee.  Now it's winter, though a mixed up -  warm then cold then repeat, snow then melt then snow again.

So with our fixation on the weather and on holidays, you might not have noticed, but yesterday I published my 3000th blog post!  I can't believe how much it's helped concentrate my mind over 15 years!  And that's not all, because I've also received just over 40,000 comments and over 1,7 million visits!  That's the real reason I celebrate.

Your dedicated commitment to reading and making comments means a great deal to me, particularly over the past five years while I've been paralyzed.   So thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And why do I blog?  First because I enjoy reading blogs, so I figure it's a fair trade.  But second because I find it engages the mind like little else.  Having to take pictures, think of a theme to post those pictures around, and actually writing the blog, gives my brain a small routine challenge every day if nothing else.  

So thank you, and best wishes for a great new year!

2024 Review Part II

I was surprised to find these 'Tidbits' signs around downtown back in the summer.  The brainchild of a  professor from George Brown College in Toronto, the tidbits of history they posted certainly helped me understand the industrial legacy of the harbour area.  There are still mysterious gaps right by the waterfront where long gone industrial buildings once stood.  

This is the old hotel that stood where the library is now.  It was mid-summer when these started showing up.  You might note that this is when I had to enter the modern age and finally learn how to use QR codes!  Gotta keep up with the next generation!

In August along came one of the best bird pictures I've ever caught, a Rudy-throated Hummingbird visiting our Mexican Sunflower.

Pretty soon it was harvest time and Mrs. F.G. worked hard at growing several kinds of hot peppers this year right here in our own garden.

We're in the middle of a significant apple-growing area, so it's always notable when apple season arrives in early fall.  These apples were at Goldsmiths Farm Market.

Meaford has several festivals over the year, but none is so obvious as the Scarecrow Festival, held in late September..

Then it's fall and the leaves start turning colour, one of my favourite times of year.

I also got this great shot of a Monarch, just outside our front door, very late in the season.

On one of my last trips downtown in early November I saw these two Mute Swans in the harbour.  Although we often see one or two in Thornbury's harbour, I don't recall ever seeing them in Meaford before.

We went on our annual drive to look for Sandhill Cranes, and we were very successful, though these were photographed at an extremely long distance.

And then I arrived at physio one day to find this charming fellow greeting me as I went in.  A cheerful end to the year if nothing else!

Happy New Year!

 

 

2024 in Review

It's become tradition to compile a selection of photos representing the year past, usually organized by season.  So I started into it and quickly realized I had been  filling up Jan-Feb posts this year with photos from the past.  When spring arrived I was able to get out and actually get this year's photos.  This former schoolhouse which is now a residence symbolizes all those winter pictures so we can start with this year's pictures in April!

This is my favourite old one-room schoolhouse, now a residence.  I think it would be great as a summer retreat.  All the rest of the photos below are actually taken this year.

Of course, the first and my favourite is the tiny royal blue dwarf Iris, always the first flower in bloom here in our own garden.

I capture many of the memorable photos from the year when we go for a drive.  This time we went down the long Epping Road hill right to the river.  All around it were flooded lowland forests at this time of year.

Back at home it's Daffodil season.  These bright yellow flowers are the announcement of spring!

Out in the woods this Bloodroot would be one of the earliest wildflowers.  It's strange to find a big patch of it here in town, but around the block and down the street, there it is, shaded under a big old maple tree (now cut down).

Here in our own garden one of the most precious plants is our Fernleaf Peony, blooming very early among the Peonies.

We more into June and it's the time of year for both Magnolia and Redbud blooms.  I love them both.

The large flowery Peonies are also in bloom at this time of year.  They certainly add colour.

My favourite among the dozen or so Clematis we have is actually the one with the tiniest bloom.

And the highlight of our garden is the number of beautiful Day Lilies we have.  This is just one among more than a dozen, all different colours and patterns.  And that brings us to half-way through the year.

After the very few useful winter pictures this year, I'm so glad Mrs. F.G. has created our wonderful garden at home - keeps my camera busy!