I thought I would be spending the entire day inside watching the nor'ester dump "one to two" feet of snow on us, but I was called into work from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (give or take). 

The remainder of the day was spent indoors, other than re-filling the bird-feeders a couple times for DL.

Non-Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #03 for 2022...

"A Kiss Before Dying", by Ira Levin, published in 1953.

Cover Images

Initial Appointment at a new Physical Therapy location, to see if I can heal better/quicker with a slightly different approach.  Complete examination and a plan developed going forward.

 MRI scheduled today on Left Ankle and Achilles Tendon.

One of my favorite television shows of "recent" time was Farscape.  The dialogue below was just one part of the appeal of this show...  as Crichton was to be turned to stone for a century or so, following marriage.

D'Argo: "Fear accompanies the possibility of death. Calm shepherds its certainty".

Crichton: "I love hanging with you, man".

Visited an Orthopedic Doctor in Bloomfield for my sore achilles tendon (left).

Options I was left with after x-ray and examination:

• Physcal Therapy
• MRI
• Boot for 1-Month

I asked for PT and MRI, which was agreed to.

PT script covered more than just exercise, so that has me confident and pleased with this visit.  

Follow up is in a month.

The trip to northwestern Massachusetts yesterday revealed groomed snowmobile trails, so I made a journey today to explore.

Parked at the extreme outskirts of Notchview, and heading north into Savoy, hit the junction that leads down toward Windsor State Forest (Jambs), and turned around.

Back to the intersection of Route 8A and 9, crossed the highway and made the run a loop.

Totaled 6.9-miles in the snow, slippery without snowshoes but with the sore ankle/achilles I am in no mood to try snowshoes right now.  A great day, wonderful exploration.  Hopefully I re-visit this area to make some connections throughout the hilltowns.

DL and I visited Adams to celebrate "Christmas in January" with my folks.  

An outstanding trip and visit, everything about it was spectacular.

Took a run at Granby Land Trust (GLT's) Old Messenger Road Preserves (Katan-Ensor, Schlicht Family and Garmany Preserves).  Completed 5.4-miles, with some repetition necessary.  I will get back to further explore this area.  Additional information below is from the GLT website...

The Katan-Ensor Preserve is a mixture of open fields and woodlands with some beautiful natural features, ranging from interesting rock formations to a babbling brook that runs through the property.

The Schlicht Family Preserve a spectacular outlook to the east, Scarlet Tanager Outlook (named because Scarlet Tanagers nest here and are regularly seen by visitors).

The Garmany Preserve is located in the GLT’s Old Messenger Road Corridor and the property is divided by Old Creamery Hill Road. Old Messenger Road is a discontinued woodland road in North Granby, as is Old Creamery Hill Road.

The Garmany Preserve has natural and historical significance. Here, you will see evidence of a family – the Messengers - that settled on this mountain, known as Popatunuck Mountain,  at the time of the French and Indian War, and farmed this land for four generations before moving off of the mountain in the late 19th Century. Stone walls, the foundations of houses and barns, wells, and new growth forests all are evidence of the family's hard work and time spent here. 

Re-Visted Fuller Road to explore one of the side-trails...  decent forest path that just seemed to end at a small ravine.

I will re-check once the snow is out, but I don't expect to find much extension.

Ended with a "rough" 1.5-miles mostly due to more snow (hard and crusty) than I expected.

An additional positive from visiting this area is that I believe I saw a location to park to "find" Lost Acres Falls once the snow clears out.

Being curious about the moose population in Connecticut, tonight I tuned into a virtual presentation with Andrew M. LaBonte, deer and moose biologist with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Wildlife Division, being offered by the Granby Public Library and Granby Land Trust.

LaBonte’s talk covered the history, current status and expectations for the future of Alces alces, the largest mammal in our state. The goal was for us to learn about the biology of the animal, its presence in Connecticut and throughout New England, and its potential for population growth relative to its habitat.

About the presenter:  Andrew M. LaBonte received a B.S. in wildlife biology from Unity College, Unity, Maine and his M.S. degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Connecticut. Andrew received certification as a wildlife biologist through the Wildlife Society. His research activities have focused on the population dynamics of deer and moose and human dimensions of wildlife management. He is employed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Wildlife Division.

Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #02 for 2022...

"Dig My Grave Deep", by Peter Rabe, published in 1956.

Cover Images

Music 2022...

Effort #01,  "RR_One”.  Unreleased Dark Heart Duo Recording from the Crown Street Mansion.

This is part of a three song set titled "Better Late Than Never".

Still a bit more exploring, this time to a spot I've never been to.  Fuller and Welsh Roads in Hartland, supposedly around a gravel pit and nearby to Lost Acre Falls (which I didn't try to find).

Unplowed forest roads within a portion of Tunxis State Forest, as well as some old woods roads.

Found my way through on the connections, left a few for "next time", and completed 5-miles.

Keeping up the momentum, I re-visited Granby Land-Trust Properties again, despite temperatures in the single digits.  At least it was sunny once again.

Worked my way through Holcombe Preserve back to the re-connection with Dismal, and then continued over Crag Mountain.  Finished with the same 4.6-miles as yesterday's run!