A snow day

An angel in the garden, just before sunrise.

We cannot, of course, save the World because we do not have authority over its parts.  We can serve the world though.  That is everyone’s calling, to lead a life that helps.

~ Barry Lopez

The winter blue hour is very blue.

It snowed overnight.  Normally such an event would lift my spirits.  We don’t get much snow here and even a dusting is cause for excitement.  Not today.  Today was just a meh.  It’s cold, there are gale warnings, and the snow was blown away almost as fast as it arrived.  I did go out in the early morning, before there was much light and before the wind got too bad.  I took a few photos.  Meh.  But I did stay out a little too long which tells me that it wasn’t completely a “meh” kind of morning or walk.  Somewhere within, my inner child still hasn’t learned when to come in from the cold.  I think that’s a good thing (as long as it doesn’t result in frostbite and so far, it hasn’t).

Breakfast time.

Just before I finished my walk, the wind began to pick up.  It is wailing and screeching as I type, blowing snow all over the place.  It’s a north wind, bone-chillingly cold, the kind that cuts right through you.  The sound of the wind is how I would imagine a banshee’s keening, wailing, and shrieking in the depths of the deepest mourning.  One description of a banshee is a woman with long, streaming hair who wears a gray cloak.  She would have blended right in with the dark and wintry morning.

As the wind blows.

Keening and wailing are a traditional part of mourning in many cultures.  I’m not at all sure what the wind is keening and wailing about today, but it is quite a song she is singing.  There is plenty of death to be mourned.  Perhaps the banshees of the winds and woods and waters are mourning with us.

The boat wreck in the woods. (Long time followers might remember this from when we moved here, and the boat was mostly intact. Mother Nature has been working on it over the past eight years.)

Today also brings to mind the Cailleach, also known as Beira, Queen of Winter.  She is said to herd deer, battle with spring, and the staff she carries freezes the ground it touches.  Cailleach literally means hag or old woman.  This all makes perfect sense to me if we think of our lives in terms of seasons.  Winter would, of course, be the domain of the old woman.

A spirit in the trees.

Winter was a little late in arriving and will be sticking around for the next several days.  Fortunately, we have a good supply of firewood for the woodstove to keep us warm.  I also have the ingredients for soup and hot chocolate to keep us cozy from the inside out.  Izzy and Bella, the resident cats, are excellent lap warmers.  You can’t sit down for more than a minute around here without a cat jumping into your lap.  (That doesn’t happen when the weather is warm.  They are cold-weather lap warmers.)

The garden in winter.

Thank you for stopping by today.  It has cleared up since I started this post.  Let’s meet out at the Point for sunset.  It’s scheduled for 5:22 PM today.  You will really need to bundle up.  It’s normally cold by the water this time of year, and the wind is going to make it worse.  I’ll be interested to see if it’s icing up out there.  There is something beautiful about the ice formations that are sculpted during cold and windy days here on the shore.

Please be safe, be well, and be kind.  ♥

A bridge to the woods.

A few of the 10,000 reasons to be happy:  1,701)  The beauty of snow.  1,702)  Early morning walks.  1,703)  The colorful birds at the bird feeders.  1,704)  Shelter and warmth.  1,705)  Cara-cara oranges.  Yum.

A window in winter.