Winter Notes

The winter season has never been a vast favorite but I can find it charming nonetheless. I am not a fan of the cold like some, the winter outdoor activities have never appealed - I have never even put on skis (cross country or otherwise), as I mentioned to a friend I find no reason to sled, though I like speed. I do wish to learn to ice skate but have no desire to do it outside on icy ponds.

Still I delight in watching snow fall, marvel at how beautiful bare trees are when encased in ice, particularly when the sunlight alits and makes the limbs sparkle. Shoveling is not a favored activity but I do like some physical labor and really like it when there is enough snow that one must move it in order to navigate the sidewalks and such. The Thursday before last it was delightfully warm, in the high forties to low fifties giving everyone a thin ribbon of spring fever very early in the year. After some of the brutally cold single digits, even going negative, we had just had this was a welcome reminder that it would not always be that cold. Then began the predication of much snow. Since moving to Ohio I have not seen what I consider a lot of snow, and no major ice storms so despite my less than graceful adaption back to winter temperatures I have not found winter so bad. On Tuesday we had snow, not a lot but it was pretty. Then came a freezing rain or sleet, or whatever it's called that adds that terribly frustrating layer of ice atop everything. This was followed by more snow. On Wednesday we had what I consider a reasonable amount of snow, maybe 6-8 inches here in our neighborhood; north of us got 9+ inches which I would have loved, except for the shoveling. The other thing I have noted is the snow here is usually light and fluffy. Not once have we gotten the heavy slushy type of snowfall that feels like one is moving wet cement from around their car - I consider this a plus to living in this area.

I love the quiet that snow brings with it. Cars move slower with more attention, fewer people are bounding about, and there is something about the particular winter sky right after a snow fall that is ethereal and still. All the usual sounds are either in hiding or muffled by the layer of crystallized water covering everything. The sun glints off the fresh sun fooling us into thinking there is mica mixed in with the frost. Except for walking the dog I have remained homebound delighting in the quiet, secreting loving that the cars are covered by a snow-ice-snow layer. It has been with a mix of sadness and thrill that I walked on untreaded snow on the greenway while I alternatively walk inside of others' footsteps and strike out on virgin territory. Because of the ice that fell between the snows sometimes my footstep sink, crushing the false shelf of stability; other times, where it is thicker, I feel inches taller as my perspective changes with the added height.

Yesterday I noted how similar snow can be to sand - it polar opposite in one's ideas of ideal landscapes, vacations and temperatures. In the street, where the walking is some of the easiest the snow has been churned up by tires and has the gritty texture of dampened sand. The soft crunch under my feet is satisfyingly dense and reminds me of beaches on both coasts, though in truth it probably more similar to the collection of sand on the boardwalks, bathroom stations and other sites further from the water's edge. From there I head to the greenway and walk the virgin area where the snow now resembles the sand dunes on Cape Cod - weightless and easily blown about by wind, my foot gently submerges briefly before kicking up a wisp of snowy crystals as I step.

This morning I woke, knowing by the way the light was falling that it was before 8am though I had no clock by my head to confirm it. I had given up on falling back to sleep despite how I love and crave sleep because it just seemed to beautifully quiet to miss. As I walked the dog this morning I watched my breath as I exhaled but this time carefuly noted as the breeze carried it to and from. I wondered how I had failed to notice this before after all the times I seen my breath but never bothered to watch it dance on air.

A touch of nostalgia

For the first time all winter the forecasters were right, we are getting a snow storm of some consequence. It started yesterday morning. Here is a photo from yesterday late morning.







It snowed all day, mostly not very heavy but very steady. TGF was released early from work yesterday which was kind of nice to have a full evening together unexpectedly. Some photos from last night.


All those spots in the photos?
Snow falling.








Since she also had today off, I took the boy out for his morning bathroom break which was a full on romp because he adores the snow. You would think he had been raised in the stuff what with his whining to go out because there is snow, making doggie snow angels, and burrowing his snout in the stuff. This morning several more inches that had fallen and I shoveled the front and back steps as well a bit of the sidewalk. I also discovered that we had moved from a blizzard warning (early afternoon yesterday) to a Level 2 Snow Emergency (as of sometime later yesterday)

A bit later I was taking a shower and thinking it would be lovely day to see Jeriann and Cody except the roads suck. Somehow from there my mind drifted to snow days like this in Massachusetts. When Michele and Mike lived across the street and it was day like this they could cross the street or call my ex and I to come over for pancakes. Snow days and pancakes became our ritual in the winters they lived there. A pang of homesickness, nostalgia, and a wistfulness to somehow recreate something like that overtook me. It is rather amazing that tears didn't start flowing.

Since I left Massachusetts Michele and my friendship deteriorated most horribly. Various things conspired to make it all much worse. In the end I decided to stop reaching out to her and have had no contact with her for over two years. I have missed her terribly since I left the east coast, I missed her more when it became untenable to continue to try to maintain a friendship. She was my housemate for about 3 years, lived across the street from me after that for another 2 years. I was present at all three of her children's births. We were like sisters but also more. She was very angry that I was left, that was part of the break, maybe a large part.

Earlier this week I finally dragged my butt to the post office to check the mail since I also had to put that scarf in the mail. It had been so long that I had to go back to the counter to collect my mail because the box couldn't hold it all. In between the junk mail, bills from credit cards that I haven't informed of my home address was a hand addressed envelope. The return address and handwriting were instantly familiar. She had written and wanted to try to rekindle our friendship, she missed me. I was caught so off guard that the only reaction I had was to laugh, rather hysterically, all the way home. In the end I emailed her, explained the lag time in responding (it was postmarked almost a month earlier). The next morning I had a response from her. I wrote a longer post answering some questions, like what the hell was I doing in Ohio (the envelope had the Casa de Cedar address). I haven't heard back from her and truthfully long to hear her voice so may give in and call. I am cautiously excited that I may be able to build a new road with her, to have my friend back in my life. But the snow and pancake days are clearly over.

Almost the same shot about 24 hours later.

First time in awhile

Since I last saw this, snow on my car. Yesterday morning was a quiet time in the house, TGF was reading the paper, the animals were calm, and there was a light flurry outside. Sipping on coffee I watched the tiny flakes falling and just had to go out in the freezing temperature, not even bothering to put shoes on and snapped a shot before it all disappeared.



Later the snow was gone from the cars and the rooftops. Wyatt and I took a great walk around the neighborhood. Speaking of the puppyman, I have to share this photo of him. He has been loving driving in the car and taking in all the smells. See for yourselves.



There are still leaves on a lot of trees but many more on the ground, with colours strong and faded. The crunch of leaves under my feet delight me everyday, like a cacophony of cracking, shushing, and softly folding under pressure.