We ventured out today into the Minnesota winter wonderland. Like much of the country, we’ve had our share of snow, and yet there’s a beauty and peacefulness to being out in nature at this time of year. We snowshoed within the Hoglund Wildlife Management Area in Wright County. The air was crisp, the snow was falling, the deer were running, and there was a stillness that settles after the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holiday. These are the times that I appreciate the beauty and power of winter.
Photography
Winter at Como Park
Snow has continued to fall this past week. We haven’t received the dumping that the East Coast is dealing with, but rather we have a beautiful coating that’s put everyone in the holiday spirit. The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is located in Como Park in Saint Paul, and is a wonderful gem in the city. No matter how cold and wintry it is outside, it’s warm and tropical inside. It’s presently filled with poinsettias, begonias, and hibiscus — a wonderful burst of color during this season of white. As Christmas is fast approaching this week, I wish everyone a season of joy and wonder, family and friends.
Resting up for Christmas
Winter arrived in the Twin Cities this past week when seven inches of snow came blowing in on 20 mph winds. The temperatures dropped and the snow fell. It had us all remembering how to drive in snow and slush, how to shovel our walks and drives without hurting our backs, and it sent us scurrying to find our winter clothes and toys. The sleds, skies, and snowshoes all came out of the closet this past week in a flurry of snowy activity. However…there were some creatures that were found to be resting up for future activities. The reindeer know that their big night is coming up in a couple of weeks, and although the snow is here there is much preparation that needs to be done. Food must be eaten to gain strength, and rest is essential in order to have the energy to deliver Santa around the globe on his yearly mission. And so this reindeer is doing when needs to be done, knowing that the upcoming job is a big one, and Santa is relying on each reindeer to be in top physical and mental shape.
Winter’s arrival
Winter has arrived this week, and with it so many changes. For the past six days, our temperatures have stayed below freezing. We’ve had some blowing snow, although not enough to cover the grass. But the cold weather is now allowing Mother Nature to ice over our lakes and ponds. Many of the Canada geese are flying high in the sky, heading south to warmer climes. Whereas before we heard their calls in the early morning and before sunset, now they are continuous throughout the day as they journey away in large flocks before the winter becomes harder and colder. What waterfowl remain, find it slippery going on the once-liquid lakes. Soon the transition to winter will be complete and we will revel in her white and shimmering beauty.
A hike on the prairie
This past weekend found us traveling south to Kansas to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with my family. Looking for a way to enjoy the unseasonably warm and sunny weather, we ventured west from the Kansas City area to Manhattan, Kansas. After driving into the Flint Hills we came upon the Konza Prairie, a preserve of The Nature Conservancy that is managed as a biological station by Kansas State University. The late fall colors were golden across the 8600 acres of the prairie. It was a joy to hike through this area surrounded by a sea of grasses blowing in the wind, as they must have done when the early settlers came through this same land hundreds of years ago.
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