January 31, 2012

Barn Charm

This week's search for barns brought me to the Greenville/Mason line. I don't know how this mild winter will affect us in the long run but the wild animals are having an easier time foraging for food. I saw several deer on southern slopes over this past week. 











To see more barns from all over, visit
http://bluffareadaily.blogspot.com/

January 29, 2012

Days before Digital...

I have been scanning old photos and enjoying memories of when my boys were little.
These are from some of our vists to JR and Jenny's farm in upstate New York.










...and although previously posted...I'm in a sentimental mood for this little video...


January 22, 2012

Morning after the snowstorm...

We got a bit more snow and a storm that lasted longer than predicted yesterday. Today the sky was clear and sunny but pretty chilly in the single digits when I went out this morning.










...and I found another cute weathervane....


To see more barns from all over visit http://bluffareadaily.blogspot.com/

January 17, 2012

Snow Covered Barns...



I was so excited to go out after work on Friday and get some pictures of snow covered barns. I think the lack of snow this year has made me especially excited to finally see some.

Unfortunately, my windshield cracked while I was out driving around. This made me cut my ride short and I couldn't get out to one freshly painted red barn I wanted to photograph in the snow...darn it!




Feeding Birds in Winter


Winter has finally made its appearance in NH. Winter can be a difficult time for birds. The days are short, and nights are often cold and long. Water can be hard to find, and food needed to provide the energy to keep birds warm might be scarce - either having been consumed or hidden by snow. On cold, wintry days, most birds fluff up their feathers, creating air pockets, which help keep the birds warm. The more air spaces, the better the insulation. Some birds perch on one leg, drawing the other leg to the breast for warmth.There are times when birds are not prepared to deal with sudden drops in temperature or sudden winter storms. At times like these, it is especially helpful to have feeders full so that birds can find food easily.


 Feeders should be located out of the wind. The east or southeast side of a house or near a row of trees is ideal. It is best to have a perching spot such as a bush or tree for the birds to use to survey the feeding area and provide cover from predators and shelter from the wind and weather.


Suet is a great food to offer many of the birds that will visit backyards in the winter. Suet is a high energy, pure fat substance which is invaluable in winter when insects are harder to find and birds need many more calories to keep their bodies warm.  Peanuts are another great food to offer birds in the wintertime. Peanuts have high protein and fat levels. Black Oil sunflower is a great overall seed to offer in the winter. It has a high calorie/ounce ratio due to its high fat and protein content and its relatively thin shell. Oil sunflower has twice the calories per pound than striped sunflower.


One important thing to remember is that once you start a feeding program, to continue throughout the winter. Once the birds become dependent on your food sources, it will be hard for them to adapt to change if you suddenly stop feeding them.

January 12, 2012

Snow Day!

Finally...snow in southern NH!


I took the dog out for a walk this morning...and grabbed the camera...








January 11, 2012

A drive to Lake Uncanoonuc...

The Uncanoonuc (uhn-kuh-NOO-nuhk) Mountains.


New Hampshire poet, Sam Walter Foss, wrote of these mountains:
"They stood there in the distance, mysterious and lone,
Each with a hazy vapor above its towering dome;
They stood like barriers between the unknown and known,
The Uncanoonuc Mountains that I used to see from home."

Every source I find states that the name Uncanoonuc was a Native American word meaning a woman's bosom.  At the base of these mountains can be found the 23-acre Lake Uncanoonuc, where my ex-husband’s family had a camp from his childhood. The camp was sold in the 1980’s…about the same time that all the glorious dairy farms and sprawling fields were being sold – later to become numerous McMansion style housing developments. Today was the first day I had been to the old camp since 1986. A few of those beautiful barns and fields remain. I was flooded with memories of hot summer rides to the Lake.

No longer a dairy farm...but I was so happy to see this sign!

Lake Uncanoonuc


The old camp - now bright blue
The old Severance camp aka 'The Beehive'
The Uncanoonuc Mountains in Goffstown once featured the Uncanoonuc Incline Railway. It first carried tourists in 1907 to the summit of the south peak, on which was built (also in 1907) the Uncanoonuc Hotel which offered outstanding views of the surrounding valley, including Manchester, connected by electric trolley to the railway's base station. The hotel would burn in 1923, A smaller hotel was built in 1923 but burned seven years later. A third resort was built in 1930 but fell victim to hurricane winds in 1938. The train was then used to transport skiers to the top of the mountain. The railway peaked during the 1930s and 1940s, but was essentially abandoned by the 1950s. The summit of the south peak is now the site of numerous television and radio towers.


Goffstown is in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire.  The town is home to Saint Anselm College and the New Hampshire State Prison for Women. That facility's most famous resident was the convicted murderess Pamela Smart, who was incarcerated from March 1991 to March 1993. (The trial was held while I attended college in nearby Manchester).

Winterberries at Lake Uncanoonuc

January 10, 2012

Barn Charm 67

Well... I almost never get sick but I had a horrible cold that knocked me off my feet for a few days and kept me inside for a few more...but here are my pictures for Barn Charm this week...better late than never!




To see more barns from all over, visit http://bluffareadaily.blogspot.com/