Foggy mornings are common in the fall and winter, especially here at my farm.
Fog is made up of tiny water droplets or ice crystals. When the air close to the ground is cooled to the same temperature as the dew point, the water vapor condenses into tiny droplets suspended in the atmosphere. Last week, just days before this blizzard of 2026, we had a day of fog which seemed to get heavier as the day progressed.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
The weather here in the Northeast has been very inconsistent. This year we’ve had bitter cold temperatures, mild, pleasant temperatures, rain, snow, sleet – all leaving a lot of vapor and moisture in the air. By the end of last week, the vapor condensed into water droplets and formed fog covering the farm.
Fog can form in two ways: either by cooling the air to its dew point or by evaporation and mixing. This happens often when the earth radiates heat at night or in the early morning.
This view is just outside my large “run-in” pasture. Beyond the fence is a giant open field where all my horses can be turned out – hard to see through the fog.
This day was also very cloudy – one can see the outline of this tree, completely bare of leaves. This tree is in the same pasture, Clouds and fog form in similar ways, but clouds can form at many different altitudes while fog only forms near the ground.
These trees are Osage orange trees, Maclura pomifera. They have very sharp, straight spines along the branches. Before the invention of barbed wire in the 1800s, thousands of miles of hedge were constructed by planting young Osage Orange trees closely together. The goal was to grow them “horse high, bull strong and hog tight.” Farmers wanted them to be tall enough that a horse would not jump it, stout enough that a bull would not push it, and woven so tightly that a hog could not find its way through.
The brooks and streams are full. They appear black against the white snow from the last big storm.
Do you know this tree? It is the giant sycamore located in my back hay field. It is the symbol of my farm.
The same sycamore is also in this photo – can you see it in the distance? Don’t confuse fog and mist. Fog is denser than mist. This means fog contains more water molecules in the same amount of space. Fog cuts visibility down to six-tenths of a mile while mist can reduce visibility to about one to 1.2 miles.
Along the carriage road at the back of my upper hayfield, I planted a grove of dawn redwoods, Metasequoia. They look quite mysterious surrounded by fog.
This hayfield is one of three I use for making hay. It’s completely covered in snow now, but in summer, it is filled with beautiful, nutritious hay for my horses.
This photo shows the thick fog through another part of the woodland. Do you know the foggiest place in the world? It is Grand Banks, off the island of Newfoundland, Canada. The cold Labrador current from the north and the warm Gulf Stream current from the east create just the right conditions for thick fog to form almost every day of the year.
The thicker the fog, the longer it takes to dissipate. This fog lasted several hours along with rain showers. This view shows my golden weeping willows.
And this is a look into another horse paddock with an allée of lindens across the way.
This is the fog over the trees in my middle field. Another interesting story involving fog includes President George Washington. During the Battle of Long Island on August 27, 1776, George Washington and his troops were fighting a losing battle against the British. When a thick fog descended on the area, Washington took the opportunity to withdraw thousands of his troops into Manhattan. After the fog lifted, the British descended on the American positions, only to find they had left. The Americans’ miraculous retreat saved their lives.
On these foggy, winter days, everything seems to take on various gray tones.
Looking down between the paddocks are the tall, majestic eastern white pines on the right.
This is a view down the allée of London planes and smoke bushes. The taller London planes were pruned a couple months ago. For these trees, I am using a pollarding style of pruning, which is a very severe method that involves cutting the branches back either to the trunk, or even all the way down to the top of the trunk to promote the growth of club-headed stems and dense new foliage and branches.
And this is my stable complex courtyard – still covered in snow from the last big storm. Today, everyone in the area is waking up to at least another foot of white along with strong winds and whiteout conditions. It’s an erratic weather season – be careful and stay safe.
I am very fortunate to have several greenhouses here at my farm where I can maintain large collections of beautiful potted plants. But with so many, I am constantly thinking of new ways I can make better use of the space in each one. One solution - go vertical.
Creating multiple growing levels is a strategic approach to maximizing every inch of room. Recently, Pete Sherpa from my crew, made benches out of scrap wood and leftover mesh wire to support more plants on top of the long, sliding tables in my main greenhouse. It's an easy project that helps keep my container plants well-spaced and organized.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
When it comes to building materials, I save as much as I can. One never knows when they will come in handy. Last year, I saved the usable wood from a fence I took down around my garden at Skylands, my home in Maine. A portion of the cedar wood will now be repurposed as tiered benches for my main greenhouse.
This is wire mesh saved from the building of the sliding tables in my greenhouse – strong durable metal that can support heavy potted plants and drain efficiently. There is enough to make four benches.
Working off of the requested measurements for the space, Pete measures and marks the wood to be cut.
Fortunately, I have a small workshop at the farm, where I store all the necessary equipment for these woodworking projects. Here, Pete cuts the wood on the table saw.
He makes all of his cuts for two benches before constructing them. Working in this kind of production line process is fast and efficient.
Pete makes sure the legs are of equal length.
After cutting the legs, each one looks like this with one quarter of the top still intact.
Using a knife, Pete trims off any jagged edges of wood.
This is what they look like after cutting.
Pete also trims the ends of the horizontal pieces at a 45-degree angle.
And then starts to put it together. Here is one corner.
The legs will not only support the tops, but keep them in position.
Here’s a view from the top. Notice how the horizontal piece is placed. A perpendicular piece of wood will complete the corner and fit perfectly.
Using two and a half inch screws, Pete secures the horizontal pieces to the legs.
Here’s a view from the side. This wood already has a beautiful patina, which is a natural finish made by sunlight, air, and moisture over time.
Here is the base of one bench all done. The legs are just a couple feet tall – enough for some pots above and below the bench. This particular piece is 50-inches long and just about a foot wide.
Next, Pete places the wire mesh over the base.
And secures it with screws and washers.
And here is one of the benches in the greenhouse – ready to be used.
Using tiered benches is an excellent way to maximize space in my greenhouse where every single inch counts.
The weather has been pretty mild for this time of year and perfect for getting lots of chores done around my farm.
While I was in Milan for the Olympics my crew completed numerous projects, including pruning various trees, chipping branches, starting more plants from seed, harvesting vegetables from the greenhouse, and all the regular daily tasks of caring for the animals and keeping everything clean and tidy. What's on your to-do list this weekend?
Enjoy these photos.
Once trees and branches are taken down, they are placed in various piles near the carriage roads. We try to keep all the piles as neat as possible so as not to block any roads or damage the ground beneath them.
Then, manageable tree limbs and branches are put through the chipper.
The chipper is pointed back toward the woodland, so chips can top dress the remaining healthy trees.
This is my stable barn where I store hay equipment and feed for the animals. In winter, sometimes varying temperatures can cause these sliding doors to bind and stick making them difficult to open and close. Pete makes adjustments to the door system to address the issue.
If this happens to your sliding barn doors, first lift the door manually off the track.
Then look above – the hardware should be adjustable. Pete unscrews the cover plate.
He does this on both sides. Check to see what tools are needed to loosen and tighten the hardware before starting the project.
Barn doors usually have large screws that help raise and lower the positioning of the doors. Pete adjusts them until the doors slide easily and smoothly.
And that’s it. Pete checks all the doors to ensure they are in good working order.
Meanwhile, Cesar works in the bird enclosures changing out old, wet bedding. We’re still under several inches of snow – some of it has melted, and rain and possible snow are expected this weekend.
Inside the stable, Helen grooms Banchunch, my Fell pony. This time of year, the horses are out during the day and in their warm stalls at night. And every day, each one is well-groomed.
After a good brushing, Banchunch likes to drink warm water from the large stone sink.
In the greenhouse, my gardeners are busy preparing for the next growing season. It will be here before we know it. Matthew fills trays with potting mix and brings them in the head house to be planted with seeds.
And look what was just picked from my vegetable greenhouse – fresh, perfect radishes…
… and lots of delicious, organic arugula. Both will make a great salad.
Enma polishes these silver cups. I use vintage silver and brass containers for holding my desk essentials.
As with all my silver, items are first washed, then wiped with Wright’s Silver Cream, and then rinsed thoroughly.
And in minutes, the silver cup shines beautifully.
And don’t forget the doggies – here’s Luna Muna getting groomed after an active day at the farm. Her paws are cleaned and her coat is brushed.
Lilium, my brown Persian longhair, watches from the rolling laundry basket.
And here’s Luna with her little baby, Half Moon, who doesn’t seem quite ready to take a nap just yet. There’s always a lot going on at my farm to keep it in good order. What tasks are you taking on this weekend?
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