A week ago we headed north to visit a friend near Duluth. The weather was sunny but still cold; we were excited to be at 15 degrees! We all strapped on our snowshoes and headed out into the woods. Along for the trip was Halo – a happy, snow loving dog who was running rings around us. Halo is enjoying life now after suffering while with a previous owner. She is missing one of her hind legs, but seeing her jump through the deep snow, bounding ahead of us, and loving every minute of it, you’d never know that it might slow her down. She was in her element and reminded us all of embracing the seasons that we have and enjoying them to their fullest, no matter!
landscapes
A tale of two snowfalls
The dawn was cloudy and gray this morning. After the first light the snow started to fall; small and delicate, the flakes floated slowly to the ground. There wasn’t much wind, so their gracefulness was beautiful. Within a few hours the snow stopped and the clouds cleared. This was a direct contrast to the snowfall we had earlier in the week. With winds up to 40 mph and snow falling at over an inch per hour, those blizzard conditions were anything but quiet and peaceful. That snowfall accumulated to 10 inches; today’s was a light dusting.
A welcome January thaw
The morning dawned quietly. There was little wind and the air was unusually warm for mid-winter. But we’ve been enjoying the ubiquitous January thaw the past few days – temps have climbed into the 30’s and even 40’s, people walk around without their coats, and melting and dripping are common sounds. We were out for a drive, rounded a corner, and this lovely lake outlet was open water. The mallard ducks were startled by our sounds and they quickly took flight. But the stillness of winter was evident in the reflection of the trees in the water and the large piece of ice that hadn’t given up to the warmth just yet.
Dawn and the waning moon
There’s a delicious quiet that permeates dawn when the ground is covered with snow and the temperature hovers at 15 below zero. The rest of the world is slumbering and keeping warm. But the dawn awakens with a pink and orange glow on the far horizon, slowly trying to chase the waning moon from its low position in the sky. The dawn’s light gradually becomes brighter and the moon’s light fades. Sunlight is short this morning as the clouds move in after a couple of hours, followed by rising temperatures above zero and then snow blows across the landscape. The beauty and quiet of dawn seems a distant memory.
A winter’s walk in the woods
Our temperatures climbed into the 20’s today, making it much more enjoyable to be outside. I headed out for a walk in the woods this afternoon. All was quiet except for the sound of my boots breaking through the snow. Occasionally the wind would kick up and rustle the remaining oak leaves that have stiffened in the cold and still cling to the trees. As we’re in the northern part of the United States, north of the 45th parallel of north latitude, the sun still hangs low in the sky even near noon, resulting in lovely shadows that stretch across the landscape. With snow covering the ground, these shadows create patterns and designs that are soft and seem to dance in the wind. It was a beautiful show that was put on for me as I stood in the relative quiet to soak up the available sun.
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