the whole world, wide
grazing land, the open spaces
wind across the land
and the sky, blue, high
~ Nils-Aslak Valkeapää
My friend Ane Lisbet lives in Norway and she took this amazing picture there on Saturday.
…project in the clouds those lovely unwritten stories
that curl and veer and change like mist-wreaths in the sun…
~ Harriet Beecher Stowe
(The Writings of Harriet Beecher Stowe)
This is turning into a winter for the record books. I can’t remember the last time the snow didn’t melt between snowstorms. Connecticut is usually pretty drab, brown and gray for most of the season, with an occasional snowstorm to punctuate the monotony. It usually rains at least as often as it snows. I’m grateful, though, for the current wonder of looking out the window each morning and seeing snow on the ground. My view isn’t as spectacular as Ane Lisbet’s, but it’s my own little wonderland.
Last night Nate & Shea picked us up in their snow-worthy Jeep and took us out to dinner at Olive Garden — they now have a gluten-free menu. For a Monday night, the place was packed! We had a window seat and I commented that inside it felt like Italy but looking outside and seeing mounds of plowed snow gave us a reality check. We had a wonderful time!
When we got home we were so cold we climbed under the blankets with our clothes on and snuggled until I warmed up and Tim fell asleep. We had hats, gloves and extra layers on, but just walking from the nice warm Jeep to our front door chilled us to the bone. Probably all our blood had gone to our stomachs to digest the meal.
This morning it was 18°F — a heat wave! Swept a couple of inches of new snow off of the car in the dark for Tim. He left before sunrise… Big storm due tomorrow night. Must get food shopping done soon…
We sleep, and at length awake to the still reality of a winter morning. The snow lies warm as cotton or down upon the window-sill; the broadened sash and frosted panes admit a dim and private light, which enhances the snug cheer within. The stillness of the morning is impressive… From the eaves and fences hang stalactites of snow, and in the yard stand stalagmites covering some concealed core. The trees and shrubs rear white arms to the sky on every side; and where were walls and fences we see fantastic forms stretching in the frolic gambols across the dusky landscape, as if nature had strewn her fresh designs over the fields by night as models for man’s art.
~ Henry David Thoreau
(Excursions)
Barbara,
The dangerous beauty of winter snow and ice. The photograph put me in mind of some I took of the sky from the top of Easton Mt with clouds going this way and that. Calling one forth while staying behind.
I am glad you got out and about even if it was just to dinner. Others where looking for the same socializing it seems.
I love your quotes, I am amazed that you always pull those up, to create a vision and contemplation in your writing…
Stay warm, rumor is that we are to get rain, it was 25 this morning, much better then 9 yesterday!
I am Love, Jeff
I’ve never been to upstate New York in the winter, Jeff, but it sounds beautiful the way you describe it. I have been in June, though, and the scenery and sky were both breathtaking.
You’ll probably be seeing lot more quotes here – they’re always floating around in my head as I’ve been collecting them since childhood. Can’t help it, I love words! Thanks for stopping by…
Glad for your heat wave…glad for lines in the sky…and good friends. It sounds like a wonderful night out, although cccccold. It’s gotten warm here, too. I think it was in the 20’s today. I saw a shrew under the bird feeder today; don’t know if the picture came out, though.
Do shrews eat the birds’ seeds?
I haven’t seen many creatures lately, probably because I’m in hibernation mode. When shoveling snow yesterday an empty can of Dr. Pepper turned up. A splotch of red in endless waves and mountains of white…
Barbara–just for you, I posted a picture of our shrew. Please come by and look! He’s very sweet. (she’s very sweet?) Interesting Dr. Pepper coloring…
She’s just as sweet as can be! (Hope she doesn’t eat too much!) Thank you, Kathy…
That’s an amazing photo. I love watching what happens to vapour trails from planes. We don’t get many commercial/passenger planes going over here but when they do, they fly high and their trails look like elongated flying saucers. When they fly at sunset – wonderful colours.
Unfortunately, I know about going to bed really cold and fully clothed…!
I have a friend in Norway who has recently got herself a wordpress blog, she’s a photographer and a really nice person. Have a look: CreativeDaysBlog
Vapor trails!!! Duh! For the life of me I couldn’t think of the name of those lines! One day I came out of the grocery store and saw a wide vapor trail cutting across the bottom half of a full day moon. Too bad the camera was at home. Grrr…
Val, is your boiler fixed yet?
I subscribed to your friend’s blog – she looks like a very good photographer. Thanks for the suggestion!
Bruce says they’re called contrails, but I just looked it up and they can be called either contrails or vapour trails. Yeah, I get you on not having the camera when you saw that – it happens a lot, doesn’t it!
No, boiler’s not fixed yet. We’re using fan heaters but are trying to just heat a couple of rooms at a time as otherwise our electricity bill will be sky high. We’re having a new boiler put in, in a week or so… In the meantime, it’s pretty cold here (our pond froze over last night, it’d been okay for several days since the last snow.) There are stars and a clear sky tonight: always spells cold weather here, in the winter.
I’m glad you like Benedicte’s photography. She’s also a very sweet person. Thanks Barbara.
🙂
Never heard contrails used around here…
All our heat is electric, but each room has its own thermostat so we don’t have to heat the whole place. Hope you keep warm enough while you’re waiting – only two more months until spring! 🙂
Tim just looked out the window and laughed. It’s snowing again!
Sorry… that should have been ‘called’ not ‘callec’. Honestly, I dunno if it’s my brain or my typing!
I fixed it for you, Val! 🙂