There is a wondrous simplicity that seems to take hold of the landscape in winter. With all the snow that has fallen, our world has become very black and white. Color is hard to find in the surroundings. With a fresh few inches of snow this past week, I headed out of the house with my camera before dawn. I didn’t have to venture very far — just over to a nearby golf course. The world was quiet on this winter’s day; there were no birds, animals, or other people when I got to my destination. The silence was only interrupted by the sounds of my snowshoes. Quickly the sun moved over the horizon and into the sky adding some color to the scene. Doing so it lent its warm light to the cold landscape, with long shadows over the clean snow. As if on cue, the rest of the world began to stir and wake. I heard a cross-country skier out on the groomed tracks, and I heard cars moving by with their tires scrunching the compact snow on the roads. The quiet and stillness had changed, but the simplicity of snow and trees and sunlight was still there.
Saint Paul
All’s quiet on Christmas eve
We awoke on Christmas eve to more snow. In what has become our snowiest December on record, another five or six inches of snow served to freshen the white coating. After taking care of last-minute shopping and dinner preparations we decided to take some time for ourselves. A drive into Saint Paul brought us past this lovely neighborhood park, complete with a beautiful tree shimmering with a fresh dusting of snow and sparkling lights. The perimeter of the park was marked by luminary candles, and off in the distance were the lights of the Cathedral of Saint Paul where people were making preparations for Midnight Mass. For the time we were here at the park, this night was still and quiet. This was the time to appreciate the evening, the beauty we enjoy during winter, and this magical and hopeful season of Christmas.
Holiday poinsettias
How quickly the year has gone by. Here we are once again at the wonderful season of Christmas. No matter what one’s faith, there is a specialness to this time. If we look past the pressure to shop, the expectation of finding the perfect gift, any anxiety over meals, cookies, etc., there is still a child’s unbridled excitement over the mystery of the holiday. I encourage us all to focus on the joy and beauty that surrounds us at this holiday time. Our spirits can be lighter and we can be of good cheer, and with a bit of encouragement that attitude can become contagious and spread to many. May you find and rekindle the joy and happiness that can reside in each of our hearts and spirits during this time of year, and may you keep that alive within you as we all prepare to begin 2011. Merry Christmas!
Morning after the blizzard
This morning dawned bright and cold. The air temperature was hovering around zero, the wind was blowing sharply from the north, and the sun was crisp. Our surroundings in the Twin Cities had changed over the previous 24-hours as we had added 17 inches of snow to the five inches that remained from our last snowfall. With the forecast on Friday of heavy snow by Saturday, people were busy preparing for the worst. At 9:00pm Friday night the grocery store parking lot was packed, and all the checkout lines inside were 10 to 12 people deep. Saturday saw very few people on the roads as the snow fell all day long, with the wind blowing it into drifts that were beautifully artistic, not to mention deep. I’ve learned that in a snow of this type, you do NOT wait until the snow stops to shovel. Those people who didn’t begin to shovel until today were faced with snow up to their knees, and that was once they had cleared a way to get out the door. For all the gray and snowy skies of yesterday, the bright sunshine today was welcome, even if the temperatures stayed only in the single digits. It is a beautiful white landscape here, and I’m sure it will be a white Christmas in the Twin Cities this year.
Winter’s arrival
We knew it was coming. We knew it wouldn’t be much longer. We knew it was inevitable. But we were enjoying our moderate temperatures and fall-like weather, when all of a sudden winter arrived. The temperature dropped 30 degrees, the wind blew, and the snow fell. And it fell, and it fell, until we had over six inches of wet, heavy snow. Overnight our neighborhood because populated with snowmen & women.
And with winter’s arrival, I’m reminded that the holidays and the new year are fast approaching. Please be sure to check out my holidays cards and 2011 desk calendars. With original and distinctive images, the cards are a memorable way to send your holiday greetings. And the desk calendars will brighten anyone’s day — a great gift to give, or receive. The information about both the holiday cards and calendars can be found as separate pages on the top of my blog page at www.LindaStaatsPhoto.wordpress.com or you can click on the links from my website at www.LindaStaatsPhoto.com. As quickly as the snowpeople appeared in our neighborhood, the holidays will be here! Don’t be scrambling at the last minute for cards and gifts!
lindastaatsphoto.com 