From the north

Little Bird on ice. (A collage.)

The shortest day has passed, and whatever nastiness of weather we may look forward to in January and February, at least we notice that the days are getting longer.  Minute by minute they lengthen out.  It takes some weeks before we become aware of the change.  It is imperceptible even as the growth of a child, as you watch it day by day, until the moment comes when with a start of delighted surprise we realize that we can stay out of doors in a twilight lasting for another quarter of a precious hour.

~ Vita Sackville-West

Jack Frost’s visit

The wind roared and gusted in from the north last night, bringing with it an arctic chill.  We don’t have it nearly as bad here as in the Midwest, but it’s cold enough.

The cold of blue

I went out for my walk as usual.  The wind is brutal, but otherwise, it wasn’t as awful as I anticipated.  That’s true of most things, isn’t it?  We build them up to be something terrible, and then it turns out to be not terrible at all.

Rosy sunrise

I do wonder how the birds and other critters manage to tolerate this kind of cold.  I saw plenty of birds puffed up and sunning themselves as the wind battered the branches of the trees in the woods and meadows, and the grasses in the marsh.

A little warmth

The lagoon is iced over, and there has been no sign of the Great Blue Heron who regularly visits.  I don’t know how he’d fly in this wind.  Somehow they do it, though.  The turkey vultures were swooping about.  Every now and then they look unbalanced, wobbly, as if the wind has caught them and is trying to drive them down out of the sky, but the wind doesn’t win.  The vultures, expert pilots, stay up in the air.

Frozen rivulets on the side of the lagoon

I didn’t make it out to the dock.  The wind is too much, too constant, to be traipsing through the woods.  The trees make loud creaking and cracking sounds when the wind is this gusty.  I’m sure we’ll find a few more tree limbs on the ground.

Shelter from the wind in a patch of sunlight

The new camera stayed indoors during this walk.  The manual included warnings about extreme temperatures and condensation.  I thought it best to leave it behind, and take the old one along instead.  It’s a hardy camera, and has weathered worse than what we’re experiencing today.  I thought about selling or giving away my old camera, but I think I’ll keep it for those days when I’m not sure the new camera can handle the weather.

That’s it from the Wabi-Sabi Ranch on this cold and windy winter day.  Thank you for dropping by.  Stay comfortable, whatever the weather is bringing you.  I’m going to skip the outdoor walk at sunset.  Let’s have a seat by the fireplace and soak up some warmth instead.  Tomorrow will be a better day for watching the sunset.  Warmer, at least.

Two Blue Jays in the distance.  (Not a great photo, but I like it for some reason.  It’s weird how the Blue Jays look almost like I stuck them on the picture.)

Be good, be kind, be loving.  Just Be.  🙂

One Blue Jay near the tree.

Today’s joys:  A nice, big cup of hot tea; the warmth from the fireplace; a bright and sunny day; shelter from the cold; visiting with the little birds.