Monday, November 28, 2011

A Mild Month

After the Halloween snowstorm of last month, we've had warm, mild weather. The nighttime temperatures have dipped below freezing a few times, but mostly it's been warm. Insects are still flying around. Beaver are still freely swimming in open water and chewing exposed tree trunks on land.



The cilantro in the garden is still lush and aromatic and tasty in pesto.


People are jogging and cycling and hiking in light clothing, some are in shorts. Everyone is smiling and thrilled with the warm weather. Thanksgiving weekend was pleasant to be outdoors. We made a fire pit in our yard and sat around a campfire in the evening, barely needing a coat. This all sounds and feels so wonderful. Yet something needles in the back of my mind. This is not really that good. It should not be this warm on the cusp of December in New England. I don't really want insects flying around right now - some of them are pesky and should be killed by cold temperatures by now. Next year we may see a surge in invasive plant and animal infestations that do well as the climate warms.

So, I worry some, while enjoying the foggy mornings, mild afternoons, and pleasant evenings. I just hope plants don't start budding too soon and the migrating songbirds keep heading southward.
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5 comments:

  1. UnknownNovember 28, 2011 at 8:48 PM

    Something is definitely wrong when you need to swat mosquitoes in October, which is what I was doing in the middle of last month. I don't like it, even if it makes parts of my life much easier.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ellen SnyderNovember 29, 2011 at 4:22 AM

    Ryan -- we are still seeing mosquitoes on occasion - bad!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownNovember 29, 2011 at 7:17 AM

    That's upsetting! I know there are uncountable global impacts to climate change, but just on a selfish, personal level, I can see a heck of a lot of impacts on my own life as the weather patterns of the places I hike in turn all wacky. What a pain in the...

    ReplyDelete
  4. KarlNovember 29, 2011 at 8:18 AM

    Ellen,

    I think about the song birds often, especially on my ride to work. You still see flocks of birds here and there, assuming they are heading south. But with the warmer weather, I worry about the same thing...them getting caught up, up here.

    I love the beaver shots! I used to love going out to the river behind my house, about a mile in the woods and look at the trees they cut down. It amazed me that they would labor all day on a huge tree, just to see it fall into another tree, and never hit the ground! I still have a piece of gnawed hardwood that I keep on a shelf in basement because I think the geometry their little teeth creates is so neat!

    Nice post!
    Karl

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ellen SnyderNovember 29, 2011 at 7:08 PM

    Karl -- I just love beaver too :) and the crazy warm weather continues.

    ReplyDelete

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