Monday, December 7th, 2009
If you live anywhere in Connecticut that is North of the Southern edge, you probably got snow on Saturday night. Oh yay.
Yeah, it’s back. I thought it would just fall and melt really fast like it normally does this time of year. Whelp, it’s not gone yet and it’s Monday. I do see some dripping off the roof though, which is a good sign. The grass is peeking through too.
We only got about an inch and a half. My sister down in Maryland got about three inches. See, that’s why I try to stay up North…less snow. haha.
Hey, have a nice Winter. I’ll call you in Spring.
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Night time snow on Arborvitae
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First snow of 2009/2010
If you think this is any different than what went down last year, check out my “Orange Winter Sunset” post that I wrote on December 7, 2008.
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Friday, January 16th, 2009
If you have gone outside over the past couple of days, you may have noticed that it’s fairly cold out there. It doesn’t really feel much colder than it normally does for this time of year, but the time-to-being-frozen is a heck of a lot shorter.
Being this cold really isn’t my cup of tea. The house is a little colder than it normally is, which makes my arms numb when I type on the computer. It’s not that cold in here…I’m just sensitive. Also, we can’t really go outside walking, which gets on my nerves. Anything under 20 degrees is usually our cutoff.
Since this is such a drop from our regular average temperature, I was wondering what the average temperature usually is around here for this time of year. I did a quick search for “hartford, ct average temperatures” and came across this website. Basically, this is what I was looking for.
The website tells me that January’s average temperature in Hartford, CT is usually 25.7F. That’s not too bad. I was telling my brother last night that when it hits 20 degrees again at night, it’s going to be like a heat wave.
If you want to check your town’s average temperature, just visit the website I linked to above and click the logo in the upper left corner. From there, you will be able to locate your state and city to see what you are up against.
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Sunday, December 7th, 2008
I was lying in bed last night at around 12:30 just thinking about the ins and outs of life. I turned to my side and noticed that one of the backyard motion detector lights had clicked on. They aren’t too difficult to notice…they basically make the window shades in the bedroom glow.
Over the Summer, I set three of these lights up for safe keeping. Who knows what happens in this backyard during the overnight and I felt that perhaps these lights would scare away the wolves if they attempt to peek in the windows.
I rolled out of bed, walked over to the window and pulled on the shade string. I looked down to the porch and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Then, to my left, another motion detector clicked on. I gave a quick glance, but didn’t see anything there either. I became slightly curious. I scanned slowly from right to left and then I saw it. Our very short friend had appeared again.
Apparently, the neighborhood has a cat that likes to make little pit stops here from time to time. He or she is a semi-long haired black and white one. The cat was walking towards the driveway, minding its own business when I saw it, so I decided to close the shade to get some sleep.
I remember a time over the Summer when this cat decided to stop by to sun itself on the front walkway. He or she was probably here for over an hour, just laying on the warm walkway the way cats do. Very cute.
Back to last night. Just as I went for the shade string to close the shade, I glanced over to the right again. I saw little flickers in the beam of the spotlight. I felt a gentle tingle in my stomach because what I thought I was witnessing was our first snow. This, of course, was through very tired eyes.
Here are a few photos of what we woke up to this morning.
Snow on driveway
Snow in the back woods
Do you know what’s nice about snow? Well, I’ll tell you. It makes everything brighter. You can’t miss it because everything in the house comes alive during the morning of a fresh snow fall.
Laura woke up about an hour before I did. After I got out of bed and stumbled down the stairs, we stood in the kitchen talking. I said, “Hey, did you see that it snowed last night?” She just gave me a look.
A few days ago, I was doing all sorts of work inside. I was running around like crazy. The sun was shining outside, but going down fast. This time of year makes you feel like the sun is setting before you even hop out of bed in the morning. I guess it could be with the way it hangs so low in the sky all day. I’ll admit, it gets on my nerves at times.
At about 2PM, I decided it was time for a break. I needed to get outside to soak up what light was left for the day. I know myself and if I sit inside too long, I become agitated.
I opened the garage door and took a few steps outside. As beautiful as it was, it was a bit brisk. I remember this because when my cold pants hit my leg, I got goose bumps.
I went over my usual routine…walking up and down the driveway, looking at all the plants. I imagined what they were going to look like come Spring. I put a whole bunch of them in the dirt this year, so I get excited when I think about what they will become.
As I made my way down to the bottom of the driveway, the filtered sunlight hit my back. It felt so good, because it instantly warmed me up. I walked a bit further and found a spot where the direct sunlight was shining on the driveway. I moved into it and stood there in the warmth for a few minutes, just staring in the woods.
Then I closed my eyes.
The very first thing Laura and I noticed when we opened the car doors to visit this house was the quiet of the neighborhood. I am talking silence. I have rarely heard this type of quiet and was starting to think it didn’t exist. There is usually some sort of background noise that one becomes accustomed to, but not here, and that’s what really makes this place.
When Laura’s parents visited us over the Summer, the first thing they said upon getting out of their car was, “Wow, it’s quiet here.”
I must have been standing there for about 15 minutes. I have to tell you, I really, really enjoyed just simply being where I was. That kind of peace doesn’t stop by too often; I have to kind of go hunt it down.
I heard Laura give a quiet giggle in back of me and I turned around. It was like I just woke up. The sun was still shining on me, so it was difficult to see what she was doing. When my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw that she was taking Holly up to the mailbox for her daily walk. Laura likes to take the dog out for a while, so Holly can enjoy the scenery too.
It’s strange, because I am still thinking about just standing there in the driveway.
I don’t know why, but I’m sure it has something to do with…
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Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008
Now that Autumn is here, I think the camera will be coming out a lot more. We have many mini adventures planned.
There certainly is something different in the air. I can feel it in my bones. Just going out for a little cruise this morning felt strange. Maybe I drank too much coffee this morning, but if not, something is going on.
I, like most people, love Autumn. I am guessing there are few better places on earth to be during this season than New England. It’s not only the trees, it’s the landscape, the weather, the types of homes and the people. Everything adds up to a really great time of year. What’s especially nice is the smell in the air.
Every year during Autumn, I try to take just a few minutes out to just sit somewhere. Listening to the leaves fall and feeling the breeze is quite therapeutic. No matter what’s going on in life, relaxing on a nice Autumn day has its uses.
This is one thing I am trying to do on my blog…I am trying to take pictures during different times of the year. I always wonder what this time of year was like or that time of year was like. I have a horrible memory when it comes to this kind of stuff. I do remember that last year in New York, the leaves were still falling at the end of October.
Here are some photos from today. Remember, most of the leaves around here are still green. There are a few though that are turning. The following pictures are on the road right down the hill.
Early Autumn Trees
Early Autumn Tree Tops
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Saturday, March 15th, 2008
I found a cool little tool to help you get a rough picture of what your home is worth. It’s an internet tool, so you have to take it with a grain of salt.
My neighbor is in the home appraisal business and she says that people get really excited when they see their house value online. It’s usually pretty high. What you have to remember is that the website I am talking about doesn’t know the condition of your home. You also have to take into account what time of year it is and what people are willing to pay at that moment. Remember, your home is only worth what you can get for it on the market.
So, if your home is in decent shape, take a look at its estimated value. You can also see what your neighbor’s houses are worth and what they last sold for. That’s the really interesting part. They paid WHAT???
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Monday, September 25th, 2006
The absolute best time to go to Rye Playland is at the end of the summer. Just be sure to check their schedule to make sure you pick a day before they close up. Their hours get quite sparse towards late August – early September. This time of year is the best because the park is nearly empty. No heat and sweat, no kids running around dropping ice cream on your shoe and no lines. Yes, no lines.
We parked in the side lot and met Craig at “Ye Old Mill.” The official story of this ride is…
“As you enter this dark ride on a small boat, a voice tells the story of the gnomes who are protecting their jewels. You’ll encounter a giant dragon and a terrifying troll during this eerie journey.”
…but this may give you a better picture:
It’s a pretty cool ride. You float around a small canal in a little boat, that might tip over at any moment…seriously…be careful. Things move and make noise, but overall, it’s not too scary.
We went on only the best rides. The Log Flume and the Double Shot are musts…
…and of course all the roller coasters. You can never get sick of going on the famous Dragon Coaster…over and over and over…did I mention no lines?
There is something about Playland that you might not expect. I would call it a certain aire. As you walk around and have all sorts of fun, the sun starts to go down and it gets a little chilly. If you are there on a clear evening, you can go out on the pier and try to look across Long Island Sound.
The best part is just hanging out on the pier looking back at the park waiting for it to get a little bit darker, because the best part comes next.
The Ferris Wheel at night. Who says Rye Playland isn’t romantic? Riding the ferris wheel with a nice cool breeze messing up your hair offers a deserved break from reality. This might be the most memorable part of the day. You have to make sure you go on the ferris wheel almost at closing time to feel the full effect.
Besides the rich history of Playland, there were some movies filmed here, such as Tom Hanks’ “Big” and Wood Allen’s “Sweet and Lowdown.”
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