“Alas! in winter, dead and dark,

Where can poor Robin go?” ~~William Allingham

Certainly these robin do not seem to care that it February in Nova Scotia.

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree.


This isn't the first day of Christmas nor is it a picture of a partridge in a pear tree. It is however, a partridge sitting in the apple tree just outside the backdoor. They've been coming by lately, eating the buds. "Budding" as my husband calls it. 

More Winter Photos

“Nature has no mercy at all. Nature says, "I'm going to snow. If you have on a bikini and no snowshoes, that's tough. I am going to snow anyway."”~~Maya Angelou

Welcome, Winter

And finally Winter, with its bitin', whinin' wind, and all the land will be mantled with snow. ~~Roy Bean

What a difference a few days can make. Today the world outside is white, but here I sit, snug and warm, wondering how much snow we'll get and how long it will last this time.

Not Your Typical Nova Scotia Winter

Brew me a cup for a winter's night.

For the wind howls loud and the furies fight;

Spice it with love and stir it with care,

And I'll toast our bright eyes,

my sweetheart fair.~Minna Thomas Antrim

As predicted by the hornets in an earlier post, this winter in Nova Scotia has been one with little snow. Here's a photo I took just this afternoon of the lake, a thin layer of ice on it's surface. Who knows what the rest of winter will bring? But for now I'll enjoy this lack of snow.

Black Duck Lake

Sauerkraut

"Some prefer carrot while others like cabbage.~ Irish Sayings

Cutting in sauerkraut

Stomping the cabbage.

Adding a weight.

Most years we cut in sauerkraut. For us, it has almost become a ritual. Not sure why I'm the only one of my siblings who are interested in doing these things, but I'm certainly glad my husband shares my interest. The krautknife was given to us by my mother and we've made good use of it over the years. If you ask me when is the best time to cut in kraut I'm going to tell you  it's when the moon is growing. Sorry, it might sound old-fashioned but I totally go along with it. The juice on sauerkraut rises with the moon. I don't go along with this making a brine and pouring over the cabbage once it's cut in. That's just not how the "old people" did it, and didn't they know the best way to do these things? One thing we've found that works well when adding a weight to the kraut is to put water in a plastic bag and set in on top of the open bucket. It forms a tight seal and the water works as a weight.

Signs of a Mild Winter

Every winter When the great sun has turned his face away,

The earth goes down into a vale of grief,
And fasts, and weeps, and shrouds herself in sables,
Leaving her wedding-garlands to decay -
Then leaps in spring to his returning kisses.
~Charles Kingsley

It has often been said that when the hornet nests are close to the ground we will experience a mild winter. If this holds true these photos indicate that the upcoming winter will be a very mild one. This is one of the largest nests I've seen in a very long while. There were no hornets home the day it was discovered as it was quite late in the fall.