Webster’s dictionary defines hope as wanting something to happen or be true. So it is with spring this year. We “hope” for sunshine, warmer temperatures, the bright colors of flowers. We “hope” that the passing days bring longer hours of sunshine. And yet Mother Nature has alternative plans. This week we rode a roller coaster through snow and strong winds, rain, and the promise of warmer air. Through it all we strive to embrace what it is, just as these runners ran through a deserted Como Park having the trails and snow to themselves in this once-again wintry landscape.
snow
Another delay in the change of seasons
The temperature dropped and winter came back to Minnesota during the past mid-week. The blue skies and hope of spring were delayed and side tracked by a fast-moving front that dropped snow and brought back winter’s cold winds. The gray sky that accompanied this snow seemed gloomier than usual, perhaps because of the desire for spring. But as I wandered the hills, listening to the rattling of the oak leaves in the wind, I saw a brief opening in the clouds – just long enough for a shaft of light to come through and give hope again for an eventual departure of winter.
An early thaw
Temps in the 40’s? That certainly means an early thaw in Minnesota, along with dreams and wishes for an early spring. I took advantage of the sunshine to take a walk around Como Lake. Along with many like-minded people who were soaking up this bit of warmth, the walking path and bike trail around the lake had everyone dodging puddles. The lake was open near the northern shoreline, allowing the ducks to come and go. In another area the ice held standing water to offer a second reflection of the winter trees. We know winter is not over, and there will most likely be more snowfalls, but for this day it was a welcome glimpse of spring to come.
A celebration of snow and winter
After a week of gloomy, dreary skies a beautiful blue appeared today to help Saint Paul celebrate it’s Winter Carnival. With temps in the 20’s, hundreds of people were dressed warmly, soaking up the Vitamin D, and enjoying the snow sculptures that were completed for the carnival. Perhaps because we’re all longing for warmer climates, this sculpture titled “Under A Rest,” received the Peoples Choice Award. Complete with cacti and little gophers popping up from the ground, the cowboy seemed quite content to take a long winter’s nap in his frozen state.
A north woods cabin at dusk
We had spent the weekend exploring the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. Our last day had been cold, with bright sunshine and strong winds. The snow was deep inland from the lake and there had been no thawing anywhere as the temps hovered near zero. We pulled into our cabin after sunset, yet there was a hint of light in the sky. With a bright star high above, the sound of the waves lapping against the shore, and the comfort of a light to guide us, we knew we were back – to enjoy a fire in the fireplace, and to marvel and appreciate the beauty that surrounded us on our explorations and our journeys.
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