The past week offered up a short respite from winter with a brief thaw. Some of our snow piles diminished and we were able to see open water on some of the lakes. I headed over to Lake Como on Thursday night and was treated to a vibrant sunset that was reflected in the pooling water standing in areas of the lake. It was all looking so much like the beginning of the end of our winter. I was even treated to a small flock of geese that flew overhead, honking as they made their way from one end of the lake to the other. But this was all a tease by Mother Nature. Even after photographing this image, the wind picked up and the temperature began to drop. And today we’ve had snow falling for over 12 hours, accompanied by strong winds creating white-out conditions and drifting. Winter is not done with us yet, as our landscape is now covered with close to a foot of fresh white snow, and any water is now frozen once again.
Minnesota
Signs of spring approaching
Although we were in sub-zero temperatures earlier this past week, we are all looking forward to spring on the calendar. And as if in answer to our pleas, the thermometer has been getting into the 30’s and 40’s the past few days. Sure signs of spring in Minnesota are puddles of water from all the melting snow, as well as people outside in their shorts and short sleeves. Granted, to most people 40 degrees doesn’t warrant shorts, but for us the temps are 50 degrees warmer than what it has been — a grand reason to celebrate. To me, another sure sign of spring are chicks, and in this case, baby chicks less than a day old! Through the generosity of some great new friends, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to photograph a group of silkie white bantam chicks that had hatched within the past day. Silkie chickens are unusual in that they have dark blue flesh and bones, and they have five toes on each foot whereas most chickens have four. What an amazing group of little birds! They would be up hopping and walking around chirping, and then be fast asleep all huddled together under a heat lamp. The little chick being held in this photo has a look of determination in his eye. In his short life he’s already pecked his way out of his egg, has gotten his feet working, has dried out all his feathers (and had them fluffed up thanks to the humans watching over him), and is ready to get on with his life. In no time he’ll grow into a full white pompadour of hair on his head.
Lessons learned from a sprained wrist
It’s now been two weeks since I slipped on our notorious Minnesota ice and badly sprained my right wrist. Much like the camellia in this photo, I am starting to emerge from this injury although I’m still seeking some protection as I do so. I realize though, that I’ve certainly learned some lessons from my injury: (1.) Appreciate all the things you take for granted. Until now I haven’t realized all the things, big and small, that I do with my hands. (2.) Trying to do things with a non-dominant hand is not as easy as one would think. OK….I tried to get my brain to talk to my left hand and tell it how to move and what to do, but of course the message wasn’t getting through completely. I have humbled myself many times as I fumbled trying to do simple tasks. (3.) Mindfulness is really important, and not second-nature. I have learned to pay more attention to what I am doing at a specific time. If I’m outside walking, I try to concentrate on my walking — one foot in front of the other. How easy it is to be distracted with thoughts of how cold it is, where I’m going, what I’m going to be doing there, what the roads are going to be like, what I’m having for lunch, etc, etc, etc. Live in the present!! (4.) When walking on ice or slippery surfaces, always carry things in your dominant hand. I read this tip the day after I injured my right wrist. If you have something in your dominant hand and you fall, you will most likely use your non-dominant hand to break your fall. OK, you just might injure it badly, but you will not be nearly as incapacitated as you would be with injuring your dominant hand. (5.) Everything takes longer when you have an injury, and patience is something to strive for. I haven’t been able to tie my boots, put a glove on my right hand, or turn the key in the car ignition without some assistance from either my left hand or from the willing two hands of a friend. My frustration would get the best of me at times. And photographing with a tripod and a dominant-hand injury forces me to slow down — look, observe, envision the shot, and only then do I spend the five minutes to mount the appropriate lens, place the polarizing filter, set the camera on the tripod, adjust the tripod legs, attach the cable release, focus, and then make the image. And just maybe, that’s not a bad thing.
In the middle of the lake
The past week was all about winter here in the Twin Cities. It was the St. Paul Winter Carnival with its ice and snow sculptures along with all the outdoor activities associated with the event. I was fortunate to have a dear friend from the Seattle area here visiting (yes, people really do come to Minnesota for vacations!). I wanted to show her something that’s unique to our area in the winter time besides all the piles of snow that are gracing our urban landscape. So we headed north to the second largest lake in the state, Mille Lacs. We got our road pass for the day and drove four plus miles out into the lake on the ice road. How bizarre to look at my GPS and see the car symbol surrounded by blue water! Just a reminder that there really is a lake underneath this layer of ice. The lake is filled with fish houses now, as far as the eye can see. Some are sitting out all by themselves, and others are close together forming their own little villages. Although we didn’t see any large piles of fish sitting nearby, I’m sure the fishing must have been good on this blue-sky day.
The good, bad, and the ice
With the coldest week of our winter so far, the weather has been perfect for the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships that were held at Lake Nokomis this weekend. Attracting hockey players from all over the world, the games are held outside in the winter landscape of the frozen lake. No matter the temperature, the players are in their element. Some teams show up in full hockey uniforms, while others are playing in jeans and red flannel shirts. But it’s the sport and the camaraderie that’s showcased here. So that’s the good of our winter weekend. However the ice also played a sinister part in my weekend. While I was walking up to the warming tent at the Pond Hockey tournament, I shared an experience that many other Minnesotans have endured this winter. My feet went out from under me and I landed on the ice, trying to steady myself with my right hand. Oops! – not the thing to do. This split-second slip earned me a trip to urgent care and x-rays of my wrist. Luckily it’s not broken, although it’s done its share of swelling and turning black and blue. I now have a renewed appreciation of my dominant right hand and all the things I use it for. Note to self: Be aware, be alert, take small steps, and concentrate on what you’re doing and where you’re going. We still have many more weeks of winter to go and, needless to say, I don’t want a repeat performance.
lindastaatsphoto.com 