Ew!  That’s the one word comes to mind when I think of the possibility of another year with Gypsy Moths.  They come in cycles and since this is the third year in a row that they’re out, that gives at least some hope that relief may be in sight as they should disappear again for a few years after this cycle.  Now I’m no bug expert so its possible that it will be a mild year and the nests I’ve seen near our house and around town are just flukes.  The thought of being infested again this year is definitely a downer though.

If you haven’t encountered them before I’ll give you a quick overview as to why they suck…

1)  The amount.  I like to think of myself as a nature person, I grew up camping with my family every year, to this day I’ll pick up a snake when I see it(which freaks my husband out), I’m not too fond of spiders or any insects inside the house - but outdoors I’m not really bothered by bugs except nats since they’re just plain annoying. 

With the gypsy moths its a whole new game - its not a catepillar here or a moth there - there are literally hundreds, even thousands that are on the trees, your house, your car…they dangle from trees so when you look up all you see is hundreds of floating catepillars.  When the moths hatch you almost get swarmed by them - its disgusting to say the least.

2) They ruin the trees.  In order to survive they feast on the leaves and trees - not only is this damaging to the trees and can even possibly kill them off, but it looks terrible as the regular beautiful canopy of leaves are devoured into just stems. 

3) They eat so they…relieve themselves.  Well the leaves have to go somewhere right?  Imagine this…its a beautiful summer day, you grab a glass of iced tea and go into your yard and take a chair out, sit down, close your eyes and take in the quiet peaceful sounds of nature.  You hear what you think is maybe a spring shower…ping…ping…you stand up and look around then back down at your chair which is now covered with catepillar feces…EW!  It gets EVERYWHERE!  No one in their right mind is going to stand outside knowing that they’re literally being rained on by catepillar droppings.  It downright destroys the ability to go outside and relax under the trees - and its a mess to clean up.

4) The moths - The moths aren’t as dirty as the catepillars, but the hundreds even thousands that have been hiding in the trees are now all over your yard, car, you take a few steps and before you know it have a hundred moths in your face.  Not as disgusting but definitely annoying - think huge nats - ick!

Our Gypsy Moth Attack ‘07

Ok, so it wasn’t an ‘attack’ last year but it might as well have been.  My husband and I had a summer event planned, we invited up relatives from Philadelphia and from farther parts of the Poconos to come join us for an outdoor party.  In the weeks leading up to the event the weather was beautiful and we worked our butts off to get the yard looking great.  We were happy and optimistic…until ‘they’ came.  About 2 weeks before our event they started to expose themselves - we had previously seen some in the trees and around the yard - but now they were COVERING the siding on our house.  We tried to spray them off with the hose to no avail and finally ended up using a pressure washer, it didn’t get them all but at least it made a dent.  We spent the next 2 weeks spraying to kill what we could as they continued to fall and drop waste from the trees.  In the days leading up to our event we started setting up tables, tents and chairs - bad idea.  We spent the final days before the party cleaning off the chairs, tables and tents a few times a day from the catepillar droppings.  The day arrived and the catepillars were still there - still in the trees, still crawling on everything, still leaving their little presents everywhere.  Everyone arrived and just as we were about to go outside….it rained…and poured.  We ended up moving the party to our community center where we could be inside away from the rain and the bugs.  Long story short - if you’re planning an outdoor event this year and the infestation is anything like it was last year, it would be really wise to save yourself the time and effort and just have an indoor party.  If you have a large area that is no where near trees you might be safe, if not, I’d just cross your fingers.

They’re not spraying

Towards the end of last year the Pocono Record reported that there were no municipalities in the Monroe County area participating in spraying - although its a hit or miss thing and can cost a lot, at least there is the possibility of warding them off, saving people a lot of hassle - and saving our trees.  Our community sent out a letter hoping to get enough people to participate in having our community sprayed privately but not enough people signed up to participate.  You can check with your community to see if its available but it might already be too late.

 Whether they’re actually here or just a few are visiting, I hope this is the last year for awhile that they do visit so we can finally get a truly peaceful summer!

The Pocono Mountains Run for the Red is an annual marathon and 5k road race in which the profits are given to the American Red Cross of Monroe County to be used 100% towards disaster relief in Monroe County.

This is the third year running(pun intended) and the race will fall on May 4th, 2008.  If you are a runner the race is an official Boston Marathon qualifer.  If you’re not a runner but would still like to help they are always looking to volunteers to help out not only on race day but throughout the year as well. 

If you are visiting the Poconos that weekend or even if you just live in the area you should really take note as to what roads the course runs on.  It covers a large area that can be seen on this map: http://www.poconomarathon.org/coursemap.html  From what I remember of last years race the roads they use are completely CLOSED so you will want to find alternate routes in advance - especially if you know you have somewhere to go so be sure to add a detour to your travel time.

The event overall is great for both the runners and the community as well, so keep your eye out on the 4th if you’re not a runner to see a great cause at work.   http://www.poconomarathon.org

Getting your hopes up that spring has finally arrived in the Poconos can be a really depressing idea once you realize that there are always a few late storms to endure before the warmer weather officially hits.  There’s usually a series of warmer days, maybe 1-2 at a time followed by the bitter weather, maybe an ice or snow storm that knocks you right back into the winter reality. 

Living further up on a mountain ensures that we are typically the last area of the Poconos to be able to experience spring - its almost a different world even though its 20 minutes from downtown Stroudsburg.  During the winter you double check your own sanity as you leave your home and 6 inches of snow to arrive to just a dusting in town.  An innocent “sorry guys I can’t make it because of the weather” leaves people pretty skeptical as they look outside at the drizzle or flurries they are getting as we’re busy knee deep in snow. 

Spring is pretty much the same story - we’re stuck looking at fall like weather while our friends and family in town have flowers and trees blooming and are starting their spring yardwork.  Easter is a bit of a bummer as I’d love to have it warm enough to be wearing just a light jacket but it seems the past few years we’ve had to bundle our son up to Easter egg hunt as if we’re sending him off sledding.

But…I think spring might finally be here!!  It was 60 today - that’s an accomplishment considering this time last week it was getting down into the 20s and sleeting.  Brrr.  So…I won’t completely get my hopes up but I think spring is on the way.  That means its time to fire up the grill - yum!,  get the yard raked up yet again - ugh, and start preparing for the nicer weather.

I haven’t kept up too much over the past few months but hope to get back into some sort of steady blogging because I do enjoy being able to share our view of the Poconos with you, the reader

Here are some pictures from an ice storm from this past winter, not to out of the ordinary I just love to go outside once its settled and look around at how the ice has effected all of the trees and surroundings.  This winter has been unusual, but living in the Poconos I’m not sure that there is ever a ‘typical’ winter that you can expect.  We get our waves of highs and lows - there was one point this winter it literally went from 6 degrees one day to 60 the next!  Its never fun to get a bunch of snow then have it all melt and be left with a muddy mucky mess during what should be a completely winter time.

Its now the beginning of March and we’ve had a series of flooding, high winds and power outages but I can’t say that differs too much from what we’ve seen going on in other parts of the country.  What I can say is typical from my experiences of the Pocono winters is that just when you think winter is over another snowstorm or two catches you offguard.  I have learned to wait until about the end of April to be sure we’re not going to see any additional snow falls or freezing so I know its safe to start planning spring planting and trips.

While the snow was piling high this winter we made a trip over to the Monroe County SPCA and adopted a dog who we managed to find at just the right time and has been a perfect addition to our home.  There are plenty of other shelters in the area and I encourage you that if you’re looking for an animal to consider adopting one that is in need.  Its not just cats and dogs - but rabbits, guinea pigs and more!  Although the Monroe County SPCA is a “low kill” shelter, there are animals there and at other shelters that are always in need.

In other news Bill Clinton is in Stroudsburg today at Stroudsburg High School to campaign for his wife.  If anything the Poconos never have a shortage of happenings and things to do!

Our final snow tally this morning is 10-12 inches and its still snowing!!  Some schools are  closed or at least have late starts, and depending on where you work you might have off today as well.  Take the time to enjoy it as I’m sure it will melt soon enough.

I’m not one to normally start anything Christmas oriented until after Thanksgiving but I must admit that the snow definitely has brought out the Christmas feeling early, and we’ve even popped in a few Christmas CDs to listen to.  Do you feel the same way?  I wonder if snow before Christmas effects peoples buying habits at all.  Although I’m sure no one wants to head out shopping for presents in the middle of a storm…once the roads are cleared and theres a nice coat on the ground does that bit of snow influence our buying at all.

Well, one way or another your holiday shopping will need to get done, my advice is get it done sooner rather then later this year.  Although the recent snow is not normal for this time of year you never know what to expect so prepare early!

Here’s some information from the Pocono Record this morning:

The following is a list of snowfall totals (in inches) ending early Monday morning:

Tobyhanna, Pa.: 10
Pocono Summit, Pa.: 7.5
Dallas, Pa.: 7.0
Keelersburg, Pa.: 6.0
Binghamton, N.Y.: 4.0

If you looked around at all the snow on Sunday and thought, “This sure seems unusual,” you were right.

Sunday’s snowfall marked the first significant snowfall of the winter in the Poconos, the earliest the area has had that kind of weather since 1995, when Stroudsburg got four inches of snow on Nov. 13.

“We can expect to see the first significant snowfall, that needs to be plowed or causes travel problems, before Thanksgiving only once in a decade,” meteorologist Ben Gelber said. “This is not common at all.”

After last month, the hottest October on record, the early snowfall was quite a climate shock for the area. One month ago, on Oct. 18, the high temperature in Stroudsburg reached 76 degrees.

During the mild start to last winter, Stroudsburg did not see snowfall of more than one inch until Jan. 20. With snow still falling on Sunday night, Stroudsburg had received 2.5 inches of snow by around 9 p.m.

Gelber said the overall snowfall for the storm would likely be between four and eight inches for Monroe County, with lower elevations between East Stroudsburg and Tannersville getting about four inches, with more snow in higher areas.

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We didn’t get a significant snow last year until Jan-Feb, significant to me means at least a couple of inches.  Last week we got our first dusting and that was a shocker enough, but today we have already gotten over 7 inches of snow!  We do live on a mountain so the difference in weather does vary from living closer to town.  I think a lot of times people think we might be making excuses not to go out because we’ll drive from 5-10 inches of snow on the mountain to a dusting in town.  I will have to get the pictures up that I took today, its definitely a sight to see!

We are now under a ‘heavy snow warning’, I haven’t seen the snow let up at all today so I am going to assume that we will have at least 10 inches by the morning!!  Our son has his Thanksgiving party at school tomorrow so I really hope that it is not delayed. 

Whether this weather sticks around or not please please start allowing yourself extra time to get to where you need to.  There’s shoveling the walkway, dusting the car off, possibly plowing/shoveling the driveway, if you live in a private community the roads might not get cleared as early as you’d like and people always tend to drive slower in bad weather.  All that added up means you will need to allow plenty of time to get to places safely.

If it is your first Pocono winter then this has probably been an unexpected surprise!  Enjoy it, take the kids out to play or go for a walk and enjoy the quiet peaceful time snow brings.  Be sure to stock up now on shovels, gloves, hats, salt/sand, and whatever else you will need for the winter.

Be sure to pickup a few gallons of water to have around the house - if you do lose power and use a well then you will not be able to run the water, take showers, do dishes, etc.  So at least have some drinking water on hand to get you by.  Think about investing in a generator and get your lists together as to safety objects to have in the house, a flashlight, a stand alone heater, charged cell phones, etc.  Its always better to be over prepared then underprepared.  And don’t stress yourself out, do your shopping early - whether its holiday or food shopping, spend as little time on the roads in bad weather as possible.

If one thing is for sure, Winter is coming full force!  The picture you see in todays blog is not one you see often, a tree still changing and covered in snow already!

Here’s the current weather conditions for our area:

O.CON.KPHI.HS.W.0001.000000T0000Z- 071119T1500Z/ CARBON-MONROE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…JIM THORPE… STROUDSBURG 947 PM EST SUN NOV 18 2007

…HEAVY SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM EST MONDAY…

A HEAVY SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM EST MONDAY.

PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO FALL OVERNIGHT WITH A STORM TOTAL OF 2 TO 5 INCHES IN THE VALLEYS AND 5 TO 10 INCHES IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. SNOWFALL REPORTS FROM THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE POCONOS HAVE REACHED 7 INCHES.

ROAD SURFACES WILL CONTINUE TO BECOME INCREASINGLY SLIPPERY… ESPECIALLY BRIDGES… OVERPASSES AND LESS TRAVELED ROADWAYS. THIS IS THE FIRST WIDESPREAD SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON. IF YOU WILL BE TRAVELING AROUND THE POCONOS TONIGHT… BE PREPARED FOR HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS. SLOW DOWN WHILE DRIVING AND LEAVE PLENTY OF ROOM BETWEEN YOUR VEHICLE AND THE ONE AHEAD OF YOU. THE FALLING SNOW WILL ALSO REDUCE THE VISIBILITY. PLEASE GIVE YOURSELF EXTRA TIME FOR YOUR MORNING COMMUTE.

A HEAVY SNOW WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL HAZARDOUS. IF YOU MUST… KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT… FOOD… AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

Whew, it seems like we just got into the fall season but winter is definitely right on its tail.  When we left this morning there was frost on the ground, the windshield and when I got into the car it said it was 31 degrees!  If you haven’t yet winterized your plants its definitely a good time to start.  Check out this plant hardiness zone map and take notice if you’ve just moved into the area the difference in temperature so you know how to winterize your plants accordingly.  Covering them with hay or even leaves might do the trick but be sure to read up on your perennials so they are sure to last through until the spring.

 A great, great investment for the winter is a remote car start system.  Simply put what it allows you to do is start your car from inside the comfort of your warm home so that by the time you are ready to leave for the day it is already warm!   Each system is different, but the one we have works by simply holding in a button on the car keychain and it will start the car.  If you do not get in and manually start the car within about 5 minutes the car will automatically shut itself off.  Also, if you fear that someone might steal your car - no worries, if you auto start the car as soon as the break petal is touched it turns itself off. 

They are great for a number of reasons:
1) It saves time - you do not need to run outside & start the car and then run back inside.
2) Security - since you do not leave your keys in the car(unlike manually doing it) there is no risk for your vehicle being stolen.
3) Money - Ask your car insurance agent if you can save any money with a better alarm system.  Most companies will reduce your insurance rates and eventually it will pay for itself.
4) Convenience - Going from a warm house to a warm car in the dead of winter is wonderful!

Tips:
- If you do get a system take notice of how long it takes to warm your car up - when its really cold you might need 2 cycles for it to fully warm up.
- When you exit your car be sure to turn the defrosters on high, so while your car engine is warming your windows are defrosting, saving you some valuable time that would be spent scraping them.
- If there you get a lot of snow make sure your exhaust is not covered before your turn it on.

 I can’t say enough about them, look around for deals - almost any store that offers car cd players and alarms will also offer remote starts.

Here is a coupon for a local car installation company in Stroudsburg for 15% off: http://blossominstallations.com/index.php

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