Category: Nature

Yes, I’m back to work.  However, today was my late shift, 12:30 to 9:00.  On those days, I like to go for a walk before work.  And today there was still snow!

I wondered if I should really go for a walk, since I wouldn’t be able to take a nap to recover.  Wading through deep, deep snow is exhausting!

But when it came down to it, the sun was shining brightly, and I couldn’t resist.  The snow won’t last forever.  Yesterday, a lot of melting happened, and now the snow has rounded bumps all over.  Last night, there was a hard freeze, though, so I was a little worried about ice on the sidewalks.

Well, I was able to keep from slipping on the sidewalks.  But when I got to the snow, I found a wonderful side effect of the freeze last night — Now I could walk on top of the snow!

This picture shows the difference in the amount my feet sank into the snow on Tuesday on the left and today (Thursday) on the right.

Amazing how much less work it was to walk on the snow today!  And it’s still tremendously beautiful.

Today I got to walk through 2-foot deep snow where no one had been before me.

There’s something magical about the ordinary world completely covered with snow.

 

Okay, I am REALLY loving this blizzard we’re having.  I’m cozy and safe and warm and enjoying the show.  That is all.

I’m thankful for this one every year.  But this is the latest our first snow has come since I moved away from California!

It’s almost sure not to stick, and is just coming down lightly — so I’m very thankful it is falling on Sunday afternoon, when I can take the time to walk through it while it’s falling.  It would have been sad to just stare at it out the window from my workplace!

Yesterday, the sun was finally out after a couple weeks of clouds!  I was so excited, I decided to bring my camera on my walk, even though the foliage is pretty brown about now and I didn’t expect to take many pictures.

Then, for the first time ever on my lake, I saw two swans!

As I was posting the pictures later, I was tickled to realize that it was actually the seventh day of Christmas!

The only question — why only two, not seven?

Though, you know, when I first moved here and started posting pictures of the great blue heron, my friend told me that a heron is symbolic of Self-Reliance and Self-Determination and navigating the obstacles of life.  It seemed good for owning my own home after divorce.

What do I know about swans?  They’re beautiful and they mate for life.  This was also a pair, in it together.

I like the thought of taking them as a symbol for my new year.

And they flew away — I wonder if I’ll ever see them again.

But how blessed I was to come for a walk with my camera right at the time they happened by!