It's snowing in Connecticut!

Red Squirrel, Black Walnut

For 8 months of the year there are 30 leafless, black walnut trees in my backyard.  And then suddenly, boom! Leaves and walnuts everywhere.  This is nice in the summer, with the dappled shade and the citrusy walnuts clinging tightly to the branches.  And then, as suddenly as they arrived, and just as Fall announces it's arrival, the trees drop their leaves, branches and walnuts all over the backyard. Raking leaves is perilous, with baseball-sized nuts dropping from 30 feet up.  The only good part of this instant nut buffet is the squirrels, who seem absolutely giddy over it.  For me it almost makes up for the giant mess I have to clean up every Autumn.

Farm weekend

Castle Hill Farm and Ferris Acres Newtown, Connecticut

Go Outside!

Autumn in the backyard

“Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and it's beauty.” 
― Albert Einstein

These pictures were taken in my backyard this morning...it's amazing the stuff you find when you slow down and look around!

Spring in the Wild Kingdom (aka my backyard)

A year and a half later, I'm still amazed by the amount of living going on in my backyard.  From the mushrooms that burst up through the mulch overnight, to the tiny kingdoms of moss and the cottontail bunnies that suddenly reappear after a long, snowy winter, there is stuff happening everywhere here.

Peonies

Is there anything better then peonies to brighten up a cold winter day?  

Brrr!

Hello friends!

It's freezing and beautiful in Connecticut this week.    I'm not a winter person, but I love the sparkly lights (apparently Ridgefield is crazy about holiday lights), fresh snow and a menagerie of animals fighting over the backyard bird feeder.

Although hibernation is seriously tempting,  I'm going to use this time for new beginnings.  Regrouping, reorganizing, improving -- everything needs a little tweaking by the start of a new year! 

I'm sending everyone heartfelt wishes for a happy, healthy & peaceful new year.
S.

barnacles

I found a shell that looks like my barnacle print!

Autumn mushrooms

After 20 years of concrete and pollution, I'm probably a little overzealous about nature right now.  I remember when I first arrived in NYC, I couldn't stop looking at the architecture, the people, the signs, the food, I was fascinated by all of it.  I couldn't understand how anyone could just walk by with their head down, not noticing the crazy, wonderful stuff going on all around them.

That is how I now feel about my new home in Connecticut.  There are things here I haven't seen or thought about in years.  Mushrooms, for example!  I'd forgotten how many varieties there are, and was surprised that they seem to grow on everything in the Autumn.  Every now and then it's good to take a step back and look from a new perspective.