Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Winter Wonder

 by Leigh


Oh Winter….you can be so blah.  You're cold, dreary, wet, icy, snowy…..blah blah blah.  And I haven't experienced anything like what you are doing to my friends in the northeast.  You make it easy to just hibernate indoors with a hot cup of joe while wrapped in a cozy blanket in front of a roaring fire.    You are like the unwanted solicitor knocking on the door and we pretend we're not home.


But I hate to always be a negative nelly so there must be some appealing qualities to you.  The thunder sleet last night was actually very soothing while I slept and my kids rejoiced this morning when they heard they were getting their first snow day.  But there are other things that I appreciate about you Winter.  You help us to see the bones of nature….the structure that supports all the obvious beauty that appears the rest of the year.   I can see beauty in you Winter…the tree silhouettes against a grey sky, the long shadows of branching tree limbs, and even the first little pops of spring when the crocus come up.  Instead of Winter woes I'm focusing on Winter wonder until Spring reappears.


"We cannot stop the winter or the summer from coming.  We cannot stop the spring or the fall or make them other than they are.  They are gifts from the universe that we cannot refuse.  But we can choose what we will contribute to life when each arrives.
~Gary Zukav



5 comments:

Dotti said...

What a wonderful 'ode to winter'! I love the transition in photos from the starkness of winter to the very brave little crocuses, filled with sunlight, not as warm as they look though! This is the time in February when inevitably, winter weariness sets in and with 14" of snow on the ground, I'm weary, even if it is our first snow storm of the season! But the sun is out and the latter half of February always brings more sunshine than January and that alone is enough to lift my spirits and remind me of the promise of spring.

Carol said...

I'm with you, Leigh. WHen I don't have to get to work, I love a good snow storm. I think the "bones" and structure of nature has its own kind of beauty. And I even ,generally, love the fresh cold air when I step out of our steamy office buildingd. (I do have to say that nature has taken it a BIT FAR this year!!)
Spring will be here before we know it!

Kim Stevens said...

Perhaps winter is God's way of giving our souls rest as well as that of nature...because before you know it we will be having longer days and busier schedules. Our tree pollen here has been off the charts for weeks and weeks already! And what a beautiful tree silhouette!

heyjudephotography said...

Such a positive way to look at winter, and boy do I need to do that! That tree photo is stunning, and proves your words are right. Thank you for sharing the yellow crocus photo. Those of us still buried under snow, and temps in the single digits really appreciate seeing a touch of spring. :)

kelly said...

beautiful photos leigh. I decided that this year I was going to not complain about winter. I mean, what good does it do anyway? Not going to make it go by any faster. and I can honestly say that it's made a difference in my overall mood.

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