It may seem a worn-out phrase...Winter Wonderland...until you see it afresh. Glistening snow, brilliant blue skies, blinding sunshine, and everywhere you look white white white. For some children near the coast, it's "A terrible way to have fun!" But to resident kids, a snowbank is an invitation--to climb, to dig, to chase. When the sun gets low, what you though was "white" is now various shades of blue and grey. With the rising or setting of the sun, everything takes on a otherworldly sheen.
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| And with clear skies comes cold. Sometimes bitter, biting cold. Without proper attire, you run a serious risk of injury due to frostbite. But this is easily defeated with layers. LOTS OF LAYERS. Then, with the cold comes a stillness you will seldom encounter. For me it's a beckoning. I love to bundle up and walk to the end of the driveway. Standing there in the middle of the road, the silence seems to take on dimension, like layers of existence. Your breath becomes loud. A distant owl hoot is clear and intriguing. If the temperature is falling quickly, you will even hear trees "pop" like a gunshot because of the expansion of moisture in their trunks. |
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| Turkeys rooting on a fence rail bury their heads under their wings and tuck up their feet to escape the danger of frost. |
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| Trees bow to the heavens under the burden of ice and snow. |
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| The north shore of Lake Superior in winter. |
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| Hoar frost on the top of the LP tank. |
