March observations

In a futile attempt to keep the deer from lapping all the seed from the feeder, I had poked stakes in the ground to hold some fencing. I should have known they would just trample it and walk in at snack time. I pull it back up as much as possible and we repeat. The lingering snow has made it easy to see the birds. A murmuration came through and introduced a pair of Rufous-sided towhees to the feeder. Such beautiful birds!

There is a warming trend which is allowing a slow melt and the snowdrops are coming into view.

And a few hours later, the melt softens the icy white and I can begin gathering great piles of pine and maple brush from the lawn. As I commented to a passing motorist while shoveling the other week, 2014 is providing great opportunity for fresh air and exercise. It is also drawing me to search for beauty unfolding.

Winter Marches along

Last week we had an out and about day. While hubby kept an appointment, I strolled through the nearby import store. I felt so warm as I returned to the car that I threw my heavy jacket in the back seat. Driving along to the library I realized it was 28 degrees. What a winter to leave me with the feeling that 28 was warm! Shopping, services and office buildings were built near the edge of marshland. I took what I hoped would be a shortcut back and was totally distracted. Geese strolled along a stream and drew my attention to a pond full of birds.

They must have quite a fan club from the footprints left in the snow and I was disconcerted as they came flying and running toward me. Since I was not offering them treats, some stood nonchalantly while the white ducks moon-walked away without a backward glace. It was such a glorious afternoon and the duck chatter and antics as they slid across the ice had me laughing out loud. It was so fun to find such a treasure hidden so close to the familiar.

Weather or not

There are those among us who have endured an unusual winter of steady, deep cold and white and now look at the turning of the calendar page as magical. Not so Theresa who serves at the local bakery café. “March is mean.”, was served with my coffee this morning. She’s right, that is the history here. No magic March will happen this year either; the forecast continues for bitter cold and more snow to come. No magic acts here, at least not the kind that folks want, of disappearing coats and hats and snow shovels.

But under the snow and ice and cold, wonders are happening. I’m waiting for the real magic show to begin. As a preview, here are some photos from last March.

Another story

Ada came again after I heard that Clark wasn’t at all well. She wanted to tell me what I didn’t want to hear, she would get to meet him soon. And so she did. So again, I’m telling myself a story, if you’d like to listen in… Ada is speaking.

Clark

Hi Mom. I know you, crying your eyes out, but blow your ~~noes~~ nose, dry your eyes and try to listen up. I want to let you in on what’s happening here, there has been so much kittie chatting! I’m sure I’m going to like Clark. he seems like such a cozy, gentle friend.

Sasha wanted to meet Clark, she thought it would be best. I think The Best Cat Ever just wants to be in charge here. ha-ha! She really hasn’t been here very long so we all just love on her. What stories she has had to tell! Well, you might imagine, we are ready for an update on Our Girl!

Here they come now…go on Maggie, don’t be shy, your brother Clark is here now! Max – just chill – no herding Clark just yet! Isn’t it great, Merlin, to see all your housemates together again? Oh, yes, I forgot about Phoenix for the moment (although how could I?) Yes, yes, you remember I told you about meeting him at Mom’s house. I’m sure I will recognize him… Hello, Coal! Strawberry! Haven’t seen you in some time, welcome!

Now, we’ll all be in a down/stay/tuck in paws until Sasha finishes introductions; I’ll wait till last.

Hello, Clark! So glad to meet you! I know we are going to be best friends! You just wait and see! What’s that Sasha? He’s bringing news, well of course he is! Mabel? You left Our Girl in Mabel’s paws? Well now, that is excellent news! How delightful that there is a new pet in the house. Long-hair, you say? Wonderful! Not that you short-hairs are not attractive, no, no, not at all! But we long-haired girls and guys do have our good points. (You may not know that Ada was a bit vain about her wonderfully curly topknot and tail.) I’m distracted – what’s that? What’s that! A ring! Bling! (Ada is jumping and twirling) How exciting! I’m so fond of a little bling for a girl!

Ok, sorry Clark, I’ll settle down. We want to hear everything, almost 14 years with Our Girl – remarkable from what I’ve heard about your eating habits…plastic bags, blankets, sheets, my, my…

But we want to know more about the ring. Sasha told us about “him”; plays the guitar, let her nap in its case, let you stick yourself to his leg…

Her happy voice fades from me and the curtain slides back into place on the peaceable kingdom.

Learning to see

At the end of our Christmas visit to Longwood, I found an enchanting book ion display in the shop, Seeing Trees by Nancy Ross Hugo. I was taken in by the photograph on the cover and leafing through the pages, I knew this was a book for me. Robert LLewellyn has transformed photography to open my eyes to wonder. When I settled in with her prose I was not disappointed. Then, I had the opportunity to hear Mrs. Hugo speak a few weeks ago between ice and snow storms. It was so fun to be taken into her passion and joy for the wonder that is a tree. Taking advantage of the season, I had been looking at bark on some trees in the yard.

cedar tulip poplar black oak

After reading about the American Sycamore and learning that this tree likes to follow along watercourses, I went looking for them. The soughing off of the old bark reveals their startling white beauty in the winter barrenness and makes them easy to spot in the landscape. Beautiful!

Earth dreaming

The Snow Moon will shine tonight. Whether or not we will see it or just more falling snow is still unknown. There was much snow this week; much more than I cared to shovel. But shovel we do. Dig out the heat pump and shovel a path to the bird feeders. Then there is the driveway to consider. Normally we don’t consider it too much any more; Joe plows for us. Except when his rig breaks down, like it did yesterday morning leaving us with 14 inches or so to contemplate today. So we shoveled and chopped ice and made phone calls and repeated the process. Then the phone rang and our new neighbor offered to come with his tractor. Such blessed relief!

Today I learned the proverb, “St Valentine brings the keys of roots.” Within it is the thought that this is the day when plants start growing. Last week I noticed a slight swelling of the magnolia buds and I found this… a snowdrop! It is now blanketed with deep snow but its bravery was a sign of the earth dreaming Spring!

It’s going to be a long winter…

…”and what will the birdies do then, the poor things…” an old camp song goes through my mind… be sure to drag out loooong. Yesterday with everything covered in ice, they foraged at the feeders, sought shelter under the shrubbery or just sat on ice covered branches thinking bird thoughts.

We were grateful to have shelter, cold sandwiches and a warm fire.Cold, hard beauty could be found.

Late in the afternoon, the temperature rose above freezing, the sun came out, and it rained a thick layer of “ice cubes”.

Melt will come and the work will begin to clean up all the cold, hard sad.

The birds were happy this was not the branch that holds their feeder; we are happy it did not fall on the house itself although it certainly woke us up when it hit.That mound of icy greenery totally hides the shed. From every window and door we see piles of winter storm prunings to be gathered up.

The pine tree that welcomed us home all these years and weathered many a hurricane and winter storm has fallen. I shall miss this old friend.

Weather repeat

I don’t really collect stats on weather or seasons in my life. I do remember cold winters and snow and ice winters but this one does seem relentless. Heavy rain in the night turned to rain and snow and sleet and left a coat of the heaviest kind to be pushed and shoveled.

But it was very beautiful and perhaps it was that beauty and the slightly perceptible lengthening of daylight that was energizing. I enjoyed creative time in the kitchen and we were delighted to share our muffins with the man who plowed and then helped to shovel, too! God bless Joe!

January energizing

When Bonnie, the Faith Barista, announced the prompt for this week – photo journaling – she linked back to a post on Whitespace: a photo journal. I need this getting away, this time in nature, in quiet. But it has been so very cold. This past Tuesday, it was “warm” so I drove to the reservoir. A few minutes in the roaring wind and I retreated.

I sat a while and watched the gulls and geese and enjoyed the beauty. The wind seemed to keep the gulls huddled on the snow. In “the one that got away”- I didn’t have my camera ready – all the gulls rose but could not fly into the wind and were forced back and down onto the snow. This time they kept low to the water and made a turn back to the road. Someone had stopped and was feeding the geese and gulls from their car.

And then I went home, feeling like I had not accomplished what my soul needed.

Thursday: But it did warm a bit and I wanted to go away and I wanted to stay at home. So I pulled on my boots, coat and mittens and walked out the door to my own back yard. The focus of the day in the devotional I am following was peace and the verse I was thinking about was from Luke 19.

Jesus was weeping over Jerusalem when He said, “…if you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace…”

I stop on the step as a goldfinch lands on the feeder just a few feet away. He seems at peace with my presence as I pull the camera from my pocket and snap away while he busily feeds from his provision.

I walk slowly listening to the crunch of snow as I walk through the field. I stop to look at tree bark and seed stalks and the beauty of light and shadow and think of things that make for peace in life.

And the things that steal peace till I wander around in confusion.

I keep crunching along among deer tracks and rabbit trails and other critters trails too, caught up in the beauty of glittering snow and grateful for whitespace in my own back yard!

January

Hibernation sounds like a good thing. I’m grateful for down comforters and cozy quilts, crocks of soup and stews and the warmth of home. Simple things like watching birds and light and shadow, reading and coffee seem to fill the days while chores sit and the list of things I planned to do on snowy days is long forgotten in what seems like a never ending winter – and it is only January <sigh>.

The amaryllis has been such a joy and I will miss its cheerful greeting as the blooms begin to fade.

A few years ago we left our winter snow and went south. Far south. Where it is cold in summer. I decided to share a few photos from that January when I didn’t mind wearing my winter coat.

And yes, the birds in the background are penguins!

These are Magellanic Penguins. They nest in burrows. January is summertime in Punta Arenas, Chile but the season is short; the chicks grow fast and the parents take them down to play in the water’s edge.

The most wonderful thing was that we walked on a simple path marked out with sticks and twine right along the edge of their mounds and they didn’t seem to pay the slightest bit of attention to us as they went about. They, however, had our full attention!

Such amazing creatures hidden away in a remote part of the world waiting for eons for people to even know of their existence, delighting their Creator.