Spring has been hard-to-come-by in Minnesota. Although we’ve had some warmer temperatures they seem to be interrupted with cold fronts and more snow. Desperate for spring, I decided that even store-bought color would count. Yellow and green are the colors that represent the hope and promise of spring, and these lovely yellow tulips were calling to me at the store. With some sunshine and temps in the 40’s, I took my spring bouquet outside to photograph. A little bit of filtered sunshine seemed to bring them to life. What you don’t see in this image is the white snow that still covers the ground in places. But I can look at this image and focus on the promise of spring to come.
snow
Sentinels to winter
Winter made a comeback this week with a snowfall in the early morning hours. Fighting the slow traffic with the other commuters, I decided to get off the highway and visit a small local arboretum in Roseville – Central Park. I waited to park the car as the snow plow operator made his carefully practiced swipes of the lot, clearing the area in short time. I then had the quiet and the stillness of the park to myself. The landscape was white in all directions until I walked past a grouping of paper birch trees. Their peeling bit of color provided a contrast to all the snow. The birches and the small twigs seemed to be sentinels of winter with their watch over the cold and snow. In the distance I heard a single Canada goose honking as he took to the air, and somewhere a cardinal was welcoming the day. I then heard something I couldn’t recognize. Turning around I saw a cyclist winding his way down the path, leaving a single line of tire tracks in the fresh snow.
The tug of war between winter and spring
In the Midwest we experience a tug of war between winter and spring. The roller coaster of temperature swings, along with the snow, ice, and thawing, keep us in a limbo between the seasons. Just this past week we had enough snow melt that many things have become visible once again. The warmth of the sun melted all the snow off our yellow chairs and even caused the snow to recede enough to expose some of the lawn, albeit brown. The snow itself has lost its whiteness, instead looking pocked and littered. We navigate large puddles and potholes during the day, and track carefully across those same items covered in ice during the night and early morning hours. Soon (?) the tide will turn, and spring will win out. In the meantime, we keep coats, gloves, boots and snow shovels close by.
Coping with winter
Our long winter is continuing with more sub-zero temperatures and more snow. Just when we thought it was safe to put away the heavy coats and boots, another ten inches of white snow comes falling down. As we wake up to -14 degrees this morning, and look at a predicted high of -1 for this afternoon, we are all trying to find our sense of hope and humor. The other day this lovely pink & white scene caught my eye as I rounded a corner. I really loved the snow resting on the backs of the flamingos, and the ones with their hands in the snow (maybe they know something we haven’t picked up on yet?). Eventually spring will come, the snow will melt, and we will see the ground again. Until that time, we’ll look for a warmer forecast and try to keep our optimism and humor.
The quiet of winter
We headed out late one afternoon for some snowshoeing. The Twin Cities are filled with wonderful parks that allow you to get “away” from the city, even though it’s all around. I had been to this park before on my bicycle and knew that it had a paved walking trail through it. I was surprised that the trail had actually been plowed, so we carried our snowshoes for awhile. In the center of the park is a wonderful prairie area, with a grove of trees sitting up on a hill. It was the perfect place to don our snowshoes and head off into the knee-deep snow. There was a wonderful quiet to the afternoon – a stillness that occurs when the snow absorbs all the sounds around it. We were out as the sun travelled low in the horizon, lighting the clouds in the western sky. What a treasure it is to have the beauty (and quiet) of nature so near to enjoy.
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