currently snowing

i love that nordic blue winter light. it's been snowing all day and is expected to continue into tomorrow. it was raining when we went to bed, so there's a layer of ice under the snow on all the trees and it's heavy! glad i don't have to drive anywhere today!

daily delight - february 14

swan footprints in the snow on the frozen lake. we haven't been able to walk out on the lake or skate in 6-7 years, but finally, it's been well below zero for at least 10 days and we were able to play down at the lake all weekend. the swans are a little sad there's no open water and these footprints were made with plaintive whining the whole way. it's apparently hard to take off from solid ice and not water. 

many animals are clearly appreciating the shortcut the ice represents and there were loads of animal tracks in the pristine white snow. i loved seeing them and leaving tracks of my own. this picture was so lovely, i accidentally posted it on my instagram stories twice. that was due to a connection glitch where it told me it hadn't uploaded, but it clearly had, but it was also so pretty, it was worth two shares.

we worked on clearing a spot of too much growth while we had the ice to stand on and decided to make a day of it - grilling sausages, drinking coffee and warming up some cider while we had a bonfire. it was the kind of weekend that filled me up with energy and happiness and fresh air to be able to face another week of working from home and endless teams meetings. it really was delightful. 

winter's last gasp (or too little too late)

so, we woke up to this. heavy, wet, springlike snow, falling in more quantity than it's bothered to do all winter long. but it's already melting and it feels like the last gasp of winter. we'll be back in the garden soon, i'm sure of it.

not what i had in mind...

now that we finally got some snow, i put out some bird seed yesterday for the little birds that have been singing in such a springlike manner around here. but it seems that the cats had some other activities in mind.

funnily enough, i haven't seen a single bird visit this feeder. unless you count the chickens at the foot of it, eating up the grains the cats are knocking down.

the cats even seem to have developed some kind of guard duty plan, taking turns. i don't think they're having much success tho'. the birds are far too smart for that. as kim suggested elsewhere, we may have learned what they mean by the expression "sitting in the catbird seat."

winter's last gasp

when i looked out the window this morning at a world covered in white, i exclaimed, "that is total crap!" but i couldn't hold onto that feeling when i stepped outside to do animal chores. the landscape is transformed, clean, beautiful, softer somehow. the air was still, sounds dampened, it was magical.

the chickens run around, lifting their feet as if they're trying out monty python's silly walks.

this little hen is taking a break from sitting on her nest of 16 eggs to bathe in the fresh, clean snow and survey the world.

she's queen of the little rabbit houses husband built so there could eventually be a little rabbit street (oddly, we've never put them into use).

lurking below the fluffy, white surfaces, fat buds, waiting to burst forth.

despite the snow, spring is in the air and the air is full of freshness and that pre-coital bird chatter that happens only in the spring.

even frankie frolicked and attacked falling bits of snow here and there, enjoying himself before coming in to warm his feet and have a morning nap.

the fruit bushes and the garden may be covered with snow right now, but it's fleeting and it won't be long before the bushes burst forth with leaves and blossoms and we begin to work in the garden. the green hope hangs in the very air, still, breathless, waiting quietly beneath the snow, secure that its moment is coming.

the bees are still tucked in, but their work will begin soon as well.

it may be winter's last gasp, but spring is definitely in the air.

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map lovers, check out this.

fabulous ice formations or those mole hills are good for something

we've had really mild temperatures so far in january, but a couple of days ago, it turned cold. it must have frozen at precisely the right pace for these amazing ice crystals to form on top of a fresh mole hill. i happened to notice it when i went out for a vitamin d walk when the sun peeked out for a few minutes the other day. i've never seen anything like them - like the water was forced up out of the ground as it contracted and froze and flash froze the water as well (you can tell i am a literature person and didn't pay attention in science class, but you can see what i mean in the photos). very grateful for my photo every day habit - it's what made me notice this at all.

w is for winter wonderland

winter came this weekend in earnest and we loved every minute of it. we baked cookies and husband helped decorate them. we made snow forts and had a snowball fight. we went for a walk in the winter sunshine. life was good. life is good.

this winter doesn't seem as desperately dark and depressing as other winters have. maybe we've had more days of sunshine or perhaps i'm just finally used to it. whatever it is, i'm holding onto it tightly. life is good.

the w boards on pinterest: want. web design. wire & sticks (this is a good one). wise words. wooden bits. words (this is word-related art, not books). work-related. workspaces. woven.

it's a frosty winter world

our weather is changing - after several weeks of what is for us bitter cold - temps down to -18°C (that's around 0°F) - it's warming up to around freezing. that means gorgeous, still, foggy frost in the morning. whenever i have a wander with my camera in the morning quiet out here in the country,  all the broken water pipes and ugly ceilings and mis-matched windows fade away into unimportance.

this quiet, unbroken, gorgeous stillness is why we're here.