J'aime l'hiver!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

There's been a lot of grumbling around here about the winter weather. Yes, I agree that the snow can be inconvenient. But there is a keenly felt beauty to this season that you feel at no other time. So even though summer is my all-time fave season, today I am listing reasons to love the winter! There are oh-so-many!


1. No bugs. No ticks, no mosquitoes, no horrible black flies and deer flies that bite my bumby's skin. No gross bot flies. No spiders dangling down from tree branches and scrambling into your shirt. There are no annoying no-see-ums and no beehives to accidentally crash into. And no weird dried bloody debris in furry equine ears.

2. Amazing, snowy landscapes that have you believing the trail you are on is the 8th wonder of the world. And where are you? In your own backyard, that's where! Is this a painting by Currier & Ives? No, it is your life and you have the chance to enjoy it.



3. Woolly, fuzzy animals with big, yummy haybellies and clean, smell-so-good fur.


4. Duality abounding. Nature, after all, is full of polarities: hot and cold, wet and dry, high and low, light and dark, meager and abundant. Now is your chance to identify trees by their bark, not their leaves!


5. Knitting, wood-stoves, fun flannel sheets, colorful bulky sweaters made with Irish wool from Irish sheep, Ugg boots, big ole turkey tracks in the snow. Now is also a good time for hot lavender baths and reading biographies of people like Cleopatra and Catherine the Great.


6. The shocking hardiness of little birdies outside.

7. The shocking hardiness of the mail carrier.


8. Snowmen, snowladies, snowchildren, snowdrifts, snowshoes (including the borium ones), snowtires, snowskis, snowflakes, snow geese, snow hares, snow leopards, snow brumbies, snow days from work, and Snow White (I am sure she really loved winter...and probably horses too if you asked her). And one more thing: Snowcones, because they are just one way to keep winter going all year long.


9. Christmas.

10. The inspiration winter has given thousands of musicians, artists and poets across the ages to give us even more beauty to revel in as the days get shorter and the night stars brighter.

6 comments:

juliette said...

You are right. It is time to take stock and enjoy the beauty. Today our world was covered in gorgeous icicles. It was like a glass menagerie. Perfect.
I love your thought that we are living a Currier and Ives painting out on the trail. You are exactly right and we are so lucky. I would not change a thing.
Brian says that he pretends on his daily snowy runs that we are on a vacation. We left Pennsylvania for Florida and beaches. Then we left there for this place where it snows and is really very beautiful in its own way!

Thank for making me appreciate it. What in the world is that one photo?

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Your post is so uplifting and I love everything in #5.

Normally I adore winter and snow, too. I love the photo opportunities. But this week we've got some crazy cold weather. Tonight it -27 and today was barely above zero. I love to be outdoors, but when I'm at risk of frostbite after only 20 minutes outdoors. brrr!

I really like all your photos. The icicles are striking, especially the angles.
And the last photo made me giggle :)

~Lisa

Paint Girl said...

Those are some crazy icicles!! They are huge! I can't believe how much snow everyone is getting. It's crazy!

Amber said...

I love your outlook! Thanks for the reminder to appreciate and live in the moment :)

Rising Rainbow said...

It definitely is beautiful and there's something so peaceful looking about the countryside snuggled underneath fresh snow.

Kritter Keeper at Farm Tails said...

you are very similar to me! i think the same way and love to be outside and refuse to hole up in the house during the snowy days. i love to see the God given gifts of the beauty of our four seasons. but you are so right.,,none of those damned bugs and the ticks that drop from the trees and you have no clue till you go to bed and find one...ughhhh. i have to shake my hair out every night on my white sheets...even with hats, those things find their way on me....and i despise horse flies. i know nobody on my farm doing their job eating them...sigh...

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