During the past week we have had three distinct snowfalls, each one giving us plenty of opportunity to be outside. Just as we start to grumble about winter we remind ourselves that we are exercising while shoveling, we are getting Vitamin D on those mornings when the sun is sparkling over the fresh blanket of snow, and we are seeing our neighbors more regularly as we are all outside clearing our sidewalks and drives. For some reason my snow shoveling seems to take longer than others. I’m stopping to see the soft drifts that are piling up, I’m watching the clouds start to dissipate as the sun burns through them, I’m marveling at the brightest of blue skies overhead, I’m hearing a call of a cardinal in between the sound of snow blowers, and I’m noticing how the snow has settled so lightly on some of the tree branches. All those details only enhance my appreciation of winter and its unique beauty.
snow
Embracing the snow and our season of winter
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!
St. Paul ice palace
The Super Bowl and its fans departed the Twin Cities last week, but the St. Paul Winter Carnival continued. On a cold night we wandered to downtown St. Paul where the ice sculptures were on display, along with this year’s star attraction, an ice palace. The weather has cooperated with the Winter Carnival this year, and all the attractions were still in their frozen shape (as opposed to the melting we’ve experienced in other years). A huge ice palace was built this year and was dominant over the other activities. This cold night brought many people out to admire the structure. During the day when the sun has been shining and had some warmth, people have placed pennies in the large ice blocks. The other “item” of note in the palace was the frozen walleye that was in one of the blocks on the south side. The good news, per St. Paul Winter Carnival folklore, is that once again Vulcanus Rex and his Krewe have dominated over King Boreas, and winter will end and warmer weather will be on the horizon.
Winter Carnival snow sculptures
While there’s been much excitement and numerous events throughout the Twin Cities with the Super Bowl game in town, many of our usual winter activities continue as they do in other years. One of them, the St. Paul Winter Carnival, is in full swing. Our weather has been wintry so the carnival’s timing is perfect for ice palaces and snow sculptures. I wandered through the Vulcan Park snow sculptures at the State Fairground the other night. It was cold and light flurries were starting to fall. The sculptures were lit with changing colors and there were children and adults enjoying the evening. This wonderful sculpture entitled “Eggloo” caught my eye with the broken egg shell and the young chick being sheltered under the wing. On the other side of the park was a giant snow slide and I could hear the squeals and shrieks as people climbed on their sleds and flew down the slide. All a part of winter enjoyment!
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.
lindastaatsphoto.com 