Snow

It's that time of year when snow brings mixed feelings. Well, maybe 'mixed' is a nice way to put it. Truth is, it's that time of year when the prediction of snow makes one sigh and want to pull the covers over one's head.

The truth is, how I feel about snow depends entirely on how much we have, and how often we've had it. The first snowfall is beautiful. A heavy snowfall can be fun. Sledding, snowmen, snow days are the best parts of winter. But while kids cheer when they have a snow day, after a week of snow days they are more than ready to get out of the house and go back to school and parents are holding that door wide open! After 4 months of cold weather and snow covered ground, we are all ready to see the bulbs poke through the ground and buds appear on the trees. We may have another several weeks of snow covered ground, so before it leaves I'd like to remind myself what I really like about the white stuff.

There are 4 things I really like about snow.

1) Snow fall softens the world. Stand outside while it snows and the world is silent. Snow doesn't make a sound as it falls. The birds and animals are quiet. And when it is over, the edges of the world have been smoothed over in a blanket of white. (I'm referring to a gentle, normal snowfall, not a Blizzard so keep that in mind!) When the sun comes out, the world sparkles.




Deer in the ravine



View of the ravine below our house.

 2) I can see the deer! This is probably my favorite thing about snow. There is a small herd of deer that travel around and through our neighborhood. They usually move at night and bed down during the day. Frequently they settle in the ravine below our house. I rarely see them most of the year, but when the snow is on the ground I can sometimes pick them out in the underbrush. Their camouflage is very effective, but I've learned to look for the 'rocks' on the hillside and pick out the ones that change location from day to day. There is one tree stump with underbrush that can look remarkably like a buck, but I've never seen a buck down there and it never moves. Rarely can I see all 4 deer in the herd, but I know if I see 2 the other 2 are there somewhere. When the snow is gone, the 'rocks' are well hidden in the underbrush and my deer viewing is over.



Close up of  ravine hideaway. Deer like to hide in the thicket during the day. Sometimes I can see them. Other times....not so much!

3) The exercise--The first winter we were here I was really annoyed by the daily inch or two of snowfall. By the end of that winter I had to admit all that shoveling helped keep me in shape. A little snow fall is as good as a 2 mile walk for getting the blood moving. After enduring 3 heavy snowfalls last winter, this year we bought a snow blower. I still shovel when we get just an inch or two. The snow blower on the other hand is a psychological boost when we get a good snowfall. So far this year, it has kept my primal scream at bay and proved it's value.


4) At night my view of the neighborhood reminds me of a Currier and Ives picture. We live on a hill and when I look out our window I have a great view of the town below. Houses line the street as it winds down the hillside. The night view is one of lights; lights in windows, by front doors, on lamp posts. The lights tie us together in a sense of community. Cover the terrain in white snow and the night takes on a brighter glow. It reminds me of the old Currier and Ives pictures of New England neighborhoods, minus the horse and buggys.


I've lived in the sunny south too long for winter to ever become my favorite season, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy certain aspects of it. So for the next few weeks, I'll continue to watch the deer and get my workouts, even as I count the days until I head to Florida for a two week warm-up!

A Dreary Day--I am Thankful for Music

Oh the weather outside is frightful! Sorry, that's a line in a song isn't it! Well, it was true one day this week. Outside it was cold and dreary, wet, foggy, gray... But inside it was lovely. My house was warm and dry. The lamplight brightened the room. Music on the CD player brightened my spirit.

Listening to music always brightens my day. I have the choice of rock and roll to get me moving, classical to soothe me, Christmas music to cheer me. Music has always been my 'mood altering drug of choice'. This week, it was Christmas music; everything from John Denver to Josh Groban, Mannheim Steamrollers to Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

It may seem a little early to turn on the Christmas music, but I am in a church choir. Anyone who sings in a choir knows that Christmas music starts in September, when practice for the Christmas Cantata begins. It reminds me of the retailers. We complain about how early everything starts, but the truth is, if we want to be ready for the season, we have to begin our preparations way before the season.
As the leaves are turning, I am learning a new arrangement of Noel, or Ring those Christmas Bells. By the time the leaves have covered the ground and the trees stand tall and bare, that arrangement is on automatic replay in my mind.

So on a dreary day I have my favorite cup of tea on the cup warmer beside me. Andrea Bocelli is on the CD player. Maggie sleeps at my feet. I have much to be thankful for and Music is one of those special gifts in my life. I can't imagine a life without it. This would lead you to say "Then you must be thankful for your hearing." I am. But that is another post. Today I am thankful for music.