Through The Year~

Looking back on 2014. . .

January of last year started off with little snow. I kept myself amused watching and photographing the birds and wildlife. I should say squirrels instead of wildlife. Mostly squirrels around here. I saw a few rabbits, but our squirrels checked out the bird feeders on a daily basis. And you can tell that we feed them well.

 I had fun watching their antics while my husband was thinking "if the red squirrels get in the garage they're going to make a mess". Our garage is actually a pole barn so we've had lots of wildlife take residence in there over the years. The squirrels built a nest in one of our vehicles while we were out of town for a few weeks, and at another time a raccoon made himself a nice bed in a storage cupboard we had stored up in the rafters.

A few times my husband and I would take a ride during February and March to take some photos of the area barns, birds, and other wildlife. We saw some eagles around the Oswego River, but  we weren't able to get close enough to get some great photos of them. Because the Great Lakes had so much ice on them last year, the eagles moved up the river to seek food. If the rivers are flowing fast enough they won't freeze over.

We also had our share of snow last winter as well. While going through some photos this picture caught my eye. It was taken in our backyard during one of our snowstorms the end of January. (Taken from inside of course.)

Not a great photo of this fox, but my husband took it passing through our back yard last February.



While the garden was  still taking its long winter nap, my husband and I traveled to Florida to enjoy some winter sunshine, warmer weather, and visit with family and friends. Of course I usually have to convince my husband that he will have just as much fun playing golf in Florida as he would if he stayed up here downhill skiing. He enjoys the winter up here playing in the snow and never complains unless he's complaining about not getting enough snow for his outdoor activities.

I love going to Florida that time of year not only for the warm weather and sunshine, but I also love watching the birds and admiring all the plants and flowers that are blooming. There are several species of our northern birds that spend the winter down there. And it's so enjoyable to see the local birds of Florida as well. It's nice to hear the birds, especially the mocking birds, sing that time of year. Up north here in the winter, you will hear the birds chirping, but they don't sing like they do in the spring. And the flowers- it's hard to believe that there is so much blooming down there while it's all white and cold up here. And I just love the intoxicating smell of the citrus blooms. So enchanting!

We had a wonderful spring last year in the northeast. We had lots of rain which helped all the perennials get off to a great start. It was a problem for some of the vegetable gardens though. Some seeds and seedlings rotted from having too wet conditions.

We had a very enjoyable summer as well. My perennials all did well, and had very little deer damage. Of course my husband and I were spraying regularly with a deer repellent and I think that helped quite a bit. Toward the end of the season, the deer found some of my hostas that I had planted out back of my house. I'm hoping they were just passing through and don't return in the spring looking for them. I hope I have better luck this year with some of my irises. I think they failed to bloom because of all the rain we had early in the season. I guess we'll see this year.

I'm not anticipating any major changes in our gardens this coming year. It's always a wait and see game for me.

My husband and I also attended Oswego County's First Annual Balloon Fest at our County Fairgrounds. I'm hoping they will put it on again this coming year, too. I was a little disappointed in that I thought there would be more balloons, but it was a beautiful evening and the balloons made for a beautiful sight.

I'm sharing this photo below, which is a picture of our road, because it just reminds me of a beautiful, warm summer day.

Our fall was gorgeous and warm and offered great days for relaxing rides and photographing the countryside in the Adirondack Mountains- what more can I say.

We had our first snowfall around the middle of November, but it warmed up and melted. Then we got another good snowstorm around the middle of December and that melted a few days before Christmas, so we had a green Christmas. But, New Year's Eve we celebrated with two feet of snow here! So, wonder what's in store for us next year???

We hope that 2015 is rewarding 

for you in many ways. 

We wish you a great year with good health, happiness, and peace!

Sue & Ted Link

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