Winter greeted me with another cold morning and although I don’t like the cold weather, I suppose some people are happy who enjoy the winter sports. And the cold weather will allow the ice to start forming so maybe people can visit the ice caves again but there is still open water so it won’t be accessible for a while yet.
Entering the Ice Cave
Those venturing outside on this Sunday morning received a very sharp cold breath of air with the air temperature at -16ºF and wind chill at -30 so I think I will skip a walk in the woods as the snow will just squeak anyway and scare the critters away.
Chilly Sunday Morning
Even after shoveling this morning, my driveway is covered with snow and no gravel is showing anymore (and probably won’t reappear until spring). I sure wouldn’t mind seeing some pretty rocks on a beach and watching some waves roll in right now instead of watching the temperature fall to the sub-zero range and listening to the snow squeak under my feet.
Wishing for a Warm Day at the Beach
Yesterday I mentioned that “the trees look ‘pretty’ but it is not so pretty to shovel!” and someone commented that I shouldn’t shovel the trees then. But with the heavy snow overnight, I think the trees would like to be shoveled as their branches are hanging low to the ground under the weight of the snow. Everything looked black and white this morning, like all the color was washed out, as even the pine trees didn’t look green and the sky was white too.
Lots of White
With the new snow over night, the trees look ‘pretty’ but it is not so pretty to shovel!
Trees in White Decorations
Today some people are celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany, which marks a visit to the baby Jesus by three Kings, or Wise Men. The word ‘Epiphany’ comes from Greek and means to show, referring to Jesus being revealed to the world. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the three kings (Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar) found Jesus by following a star across the desert to Bethlehem and brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
One might sing the song “We three kings of Orient are , Bearing gifts we traverse afar” but as kids, we seemed to come up with different lyrics to songs and some weren’t all that nice. When we were are a sheep sale in Montana, we heard the singing cowboy group “The Ringling 5” and one song on their album was “If Jesus Was Norwegian” with some cute lines about having lefse for communion and instead of Amen, it would be “ya sure, you betcha”. But the last line on why Jesus couldn’t be a Norwegian was that when God searched around Norway “Three wise men were not found.”
Three Wise Men Were Found
The sun is out bright but its rays are not catching the white petals of daisies but only the white flakes of snow which is blanketing the ground.
Daisies Missing in January
My visit to waterfalls tend to be mostly in the three warmer seasons, maybe since in the winter the trails to reach the falls are icy or deep in snow and could be 100 degrees colder. In the spring, the waterfalls roar with a heavy volume of water and in the autumn, although the flow may be light, the colors are bright.
Colorful Bond Falls
When I took a walk through he woods yesterday afternoon, there was several chickadees singing in the trees. They always sound so cheerful and happy no matter if the weather is nasty or nice.
Cheerful Chickadee
After a snowfall, you notice evidence by way of tracks, just how many critters are visiting your yard. The ‘freeways’ in the snow can be found leading to the bird feeder from the trees as the squirrels attempt to steal seeds. While most of the squirrel tracks go from one tree base to another, the rabbit tracks head towards the thicker underbrush. Varying sizes of bird tracks can be found in the snow under the feeder as they look for fallen seeds. The tiny mouse tracks where running around the outside garage walls, looking for a way inside to stay warm or to get away from the fox who wanders through the yard too. This morning, fresh deer tracks led right up to the house to graze on my shrubs next to the porch. So the “pretty” snow doesn’t stay new looking very long before it turns into a maze of animals trails.
Trails in the Snow
