Finding Joy in Winter’s Last Breath

First Spring Snow

Last evening started with heavy rain and high wind. When we woke this morning, the rain had turned into snow. Heavy, wet snow. The snow that sticks to everything creating a beautiful winter scene.

The date says it is the first day of Spring. Yet, Mother Nature has other thoughts. The cold air has not yet retreated to its northern climes and Lake Michigan keeps us cooler still. The trees know better than to start budding this early. I take their cue. I keep my winter coat and boots close to the backdoor.

A Forest Walk

I take the dogs for a walk, and we head to the trail through the forest. The snow is a few inches deep and the tree branches are weighted down, drooping over the trial. I feel like I entered Narnia. All is white. The wind has blown itself out. It is quiet. Not a bird song or a rustle. The snow is soft so not even a crunching sound as I walk. After a year of living in this forest, I am still taken aback by the quiet.

Finding Beauty

I try and find beauty in the daily life of my garden. Today it is the snow covered trees against the blue sky. I look for the tenacious snowdrops to pop through the snow. I enjoy watching the birds at the feeder. Even though my body and soul yearns for Spring, I look, and find, beauty in this wintery Spring day. I take direction from the oaks and maples and birches that have been here for decades, if not centuries. I wait. The garden will bloom in its own time.