The past three weeks we’ve had a Friday snowfall, and each one has been different. One was wet and sloppy, one was a dusting of dry snow, and another was driven from the north. This one painted the trees on one side only, outlining them from the wind direction. Birch and aspen that are generally white had an extra coating of brighter white on the north. With a cloudy sky overhead, this color photograph became a black and white scene without any alterations. Each of these snows have been short-lived as they’ve been followed by warmer temperatures and sometimes rain. But as the months progress, we know there will soon be the snow that stays and is increased with each storm – all the way until next spring.
winter
Transition time
We are in the middle of the transition from fall to winter in Minnesota, and Mother Nature has her own agenda. With fall colors still evident, we had two quick snowfalls. We love the four distinct seasons we have, yet we can be confused when the boundaries are blurred. My neighbors have a beautiful euonymus tree in their front yard. Its leaves are a wonderful pinkish-red in fall, and yet this week the branches were covered with snow. The white made the leaves glow a bit brighter, and contrasted them to the more usual golds and browns that were scattered on the sidewalk below. The wetness of the snow had its affect on the leaves; the next day the tree was bare and the ground was dappled with red.
Hope
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.
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.
Open water on the Mississippi River
With our spring thaw in full force, I wandered along the banks of the Mississippi River yesterday. Where normally the river is ice-covered, there was only a thin layer of ice that lined the shoreline. The wind was brisk causing the clouds to hurry quickly across the sky. Fishermen were active on the river, launching boats and heading out to their favorite areas with nary a thought of ice. The scene was more like one from early April, but we’ll embrace and welcome spring at any time it makes its appearance.
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