“The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different.” – J.B. Priestley
I like living in an area where the landscape takes on new looks as the seasons change. That’s not to say that I’m not ready for spring when February stretches out its gray, cold days, but now, here in December with winter just showing up on the calendar yesterday, I’m ready to embrace the wonders of a new season. I’ve been privileged to see many of those wonders right here on my farm.
The picture of the barn in the snow isn’t from this year. We had a little skiff of a snow a week or so ago. It was here and gone in a day but it did coat the trees the way this one did a few years ago. That can make for a lovely walk down some winter pathways as long as you don’t mind a little snow sliding down your neck if you brush too close to a snow-covered bush or limb.
“How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year!” – Thomas Wentworth Higginson
While I sort of like at least one good snow a winter, I’m not that excited when the forecast says ice. But ice can come and beautify everything including the tips of cedar trees. I am always ready to attempt to capture some of that beauty with my camera although I do proceed with caution to stay afoot.
One of the pleasures of the first frosty cold mornings in the fall are these ice flowers that bloom. I know I’ve shared about them with you before, but no matter how many I see, I’m always amazed anew at this unusual gift of nature’s beauty. As I told you in a different post, one has to have the right kind of weeds growing in the fencerows and the right moisture in the ground and the right temperatures. If you want to know more, you can check out my post about the frost/ice flowers here.
Icicles can be a pretty decorations on a cliffside. I went over to see if there were icicles there today, but only spotted a few near the very top of the cliff. Nothing like some of the displays I’ve seen on this cliff in other years. When I was a kid, before everyone got all concerned about pollution and such in rain water, we’d break the icicles off the eaves of our old house and enjoy some icy popsicles.
While ice can be treacherous, it can also be amazingly beautiful. This cardinal posing among the icy branches of a winter day shows its red. Do you think the Lord might have designed the cardinal that bright red so we’d have the joy of seeing one in a tree of ice or snow?
When you feed those cardinals and more in the wintertime, they can come in flocks to find your birdfeeder. and bring beauty to my view out the window in my office as I try to come up with new words to share a story. During this snow a few years ago, I had an abundance of cardinals and other bird visitors to my feeders.
“You can’t get too much winter in the winter.” – Robert Frost
Yes, these are some of the winter wonders I’ve seen.
What winter wonder have you seen?
I drew for the winner of my giveaway for a copy of one of my books with a winter scene. The winner is Susan H. Check you email , Susan, for my message to you.
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Thank you Ann. I enjoy watching Cardinals especially in the winter time. I have a feeling we are going to have a cold winter this time in the south. Be a good time to get a cup of hot tea or cocoa and read your book. Take care.
Author
Any time is a good time for a cup of tea and a good book, Susan. I’m smiling that you think one of my books would be a good one to go with that cup of tea. Thank you.
I always enjoy your beautiful winter pictures. Thank you for sharing them with us.
Author
So glad you enjoy seeing them, Janette. I enjoy sharing them. Hope you have a beautiful Christmas.
Your pictures are beautiful. I think snow is beautiful as long as I can stay inside and see it. Winter is necessary but I have to say it is my least favorite season. However each day is given to us by the Lord and I try to rejoice in it.
Author
Let us rejoice and be thankful for each day that comes our way, right, Sharon? However, some snowy stormy frigid ones are harder to be thankful for the weather. But we can usually find thanks in something each and every day. And snow can be beautiful when you are enjoying it from a warm inside place. 🙂
Ann, I happened upon your books when looking for good Christian fiction. I can’t really describe how much I love them. I’ve always enjoyed Amish fiction, but discovered Appalacian Christian fiction within the last few months. Your books are a delight that add to my desire to read good clean stories with a wonderful message. You are quite a storyteller. My husband and I are huge cardinal fans here in Oklahoma, but we’ve never seen a whole flock of them. If we keep our feeder stocked with sunflower seeds, they bless us with their presence. If not, we don’t see them. So, we keep our feeder stocked with sunflower seeds! I can’t wait to show my hubby your picture of that amazing flock! Thank you for your wonderful fiction. I’m working my way through them!
Author
How nice that you discovered my books, Janet. That has me smiling. I have a good number of backlist titles although only four books set in Appalachia so far. You might enjoy some of my others too. At least I hope so. My Rosey Corner books and my Hollyhill books are some that other readers have enjoyed. If you liked Amish fiction, you might get a new look at bonneted heroines in my Shaker books although Shakers were not much like Amish.
I can see why you make sure to have those sunflowers. My birds prefer those too, but I usually mix it in with the other kinds of birdseed. A couple of my favorites at titmices and chickadees. But then I like them all. I don’t usually have that many cardinals. For some reason that year when it snowed all the birds came to my feeder and invited their friends. It was fun to watch them.
Thank you for your reply! I’ve been reading the Rosey Corner stories, and I think they’re my favorite so far.
One year, we had a whole flock of robins show up and eat the berries off my privet tree. It was amazing. Robins and cardinals are our favorites.
Merry Christmas to you and your family. Since we’ve moved to South Carolina, we don’t see much snow. So, my husband and I bought a snow machine to entertain family and friends. When the machine starts and fake snow fills the air, the squeals of laughter bring lots of joy to everyone. 🙂
Author
A snow machine? That has to be a lot of fun for your family, Melissa. That’s one way to be sure to have snow for Christmas. My daughter lives in SC and she sees more ice than snow.
Blessed Christmas and New Year to you and your family, Ann! Thank you for sharing these amazing photos!
Author
Thank you for your sweet Christmas and New Year wishes, Jeanie. I appreciate them and I’m so glad you enjoyed the pictures.
As an LPN, I worked the afternoon turn from 3 PM to 11 PM. Many nights I was still on the road at midnight driving home. I think it was January 1999 when Northwestern, Ohio, near Sandusky had an ice and snowstorm that kept roads treacherous for about three weeks. The schools closed and the kids got an extended Christmas break. Nurses still had to take care of patients so I found myself slip-sliding slowly to and from work. There was a full moon on a crystal clear night during that time. It was so beautiful I wrote a poem about it.
I have no desire for diamonds and lace while God in his goodness, glory and grace, has blessed me twice; yay even thrice, with midnight moonlight on snow and ice.
Beautiful poem, Rebecca! 🙂
Thank you. I don’t write much poetry, but when I do, I know it is divinely inspired. God has blessed me so much. He gets all the glory!
I get such inspiration from God’s handiwork in the sky. My favorite view recently was a cloudy day. The clouds were kind of loose, and there was a small break at the top for the sun to peak through. What I saw was the most amazing display of “God rays” I had ever seen. White and pale gray ribbons streaming down over a huge portion of the sky. I was driving, so I couldn’t take a picture, and it’s hard to describe. But, the handiwork was God’s alone.
Author
Sometimes the best pictures are those we take with our minds and hold precious in our memories, Janet. It sounds as if you were blessed with some sunshine and cloud beauty.
Author
Hospitals don’t close down no matter the weather or the situations, Rebecca. Thank you for standing in the gap for those who are sick and need treatment and care every day. Sounds as if you had some slippery traveling experience, but it is so lovely that you found blessings in that time and wrote that beautiful poem about the Lord’s blessings.