First Snow

For days the weatherman has been warning us that we had a change coming in our weather.  I was totally satisfied with the unseasonable 60 degree days; so this was one time I kind of wish he had not been right. It seems the older I get, the colder I get….(except for those hot flash times and that is another whole story.)

When I woke up during the night I could hear the wind howling, though it was too dark to see what was really happening out there. It sounded like some mythical creature roaring around the corners and snarling as it went. It was an angry sounding wind.

It was fairly typical for an Iowa snowstorm….strong winds, sideways snow. The storm was enough of a hazard to close most area schools and cancel lots of activities. The local radio announcers were kept busy updating those announcements most of the morning.

I have a feeling that how we view the first winter snowstorm of the season totally depends on our age. My facebook feed was full of pictures of kids and grandkids sledding, making snowmen and just generally doing what kids do out in the snow.

Kids seem to be able to find a magical quality to  snowy days. Maybe they are just more adaptable to change.  Maybe they are just more optimistic? Or maybe they just choose to find the joy in a cold snowy place. Perhaps we need some life lessons from children?

I will admit this snow was ideal for packing and making those snowmen and if I were younger, many years younger, I would have also been out there for some snow fun. Instead, I found myself, grudgingly putting on my winter coat, pulling on my insulated boots and trudging out to do my chicken chores.

I was less than impressed by the gusty winds that threw cold wet snow in my face as I rounded the corner of the garage.  The girls were not impressed by the weather either. They stayed close to the coop most of the day.

When I finally went out later in the afternoon to snap a few pictures I saw the snow in a different light. For some reason looking through a camera lens gives an entirely different perspective. Maybe it is because it narrows your focus down to a smaller space? It is always easier to take things in smaller pieces.

I found that the view towards the river, while blustery, had a unique beauty to it that only shows itself with a winter landscape. The blowing snow gave everything a softer, hazy look. The snow softened the rough, ragged look of the harvested corn in the bottom field.

Looking through my camera lens did bring back some of the magic that snow brings…..not to the degree of a child…..but some. Finding my honeysuckle vine, still blooming, while full of snow, brought a smile to my face.

I took the bloom as a sign of hope. Hope that though the winter weather has just started, it will not last forever. Hope that during the coming cold, dark days that make up winter,the perennials are waiting under the snow for the warming spring rains.

Hope is what keeps us going. Hope fuels our joy. And hope does really spring eternal. I wish you the joy that is Hope. I wish you joy while you prepare for the Thanksgiving season. And may the days that seem cold and dreary be transformed with a child-like wonder.

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently?
And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt;
and perhaps it says,
“Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”
― Lewis Carroll,
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass