Winter-Time

There is a poem I like very much.

Winter-Time by Robert Louis Stevenson Late lies the wintry sun a-bed, A frosty, fiery sleepy-head; Blinks but an hour or two; and then, A blood-red orange, sets again. Before the stars have left the skies, At morning in the dark I rise; And shivering in my nakedness, By the cold candle, bathe and dress. Close by the jolly fire I sit To warm my frozen bones a bit; Or with a reindeer-sled, explore The colder countries round the door. When to go out, my nurse doth wrap Me in my comforter and cap; The cold wind burns my face, and blows Its frosty pepper up my nose. Black are my steps on silver sod; Thick blows my frosty breath abroad; And tree and house, and hill and lake, Are frosted like a wedding-cake.

This poem always makes me think of the winters of my childhood. Snow days. Days spent bundled up from head to toe. Of course, I'm only 40 (and I admit the "only" part with reluctance)...We did have electricity and therefore, no need to bathe by cold candlelight.It's also pretty fair to say that I wasn't raised with a nurse...though my mom did "doth" wrap me in comforter and cap.  Anyoo. This morning (on location at our other job) at my parent's house we woke up to a little snow and ice. The roads were too slick to have every body  head to church (except for my Dad who ventured out to check the roads) so we stayed home with hot muffins and coffee. I grabbed my camera and enjoyed all that winter has to offer from inside the kitchen.  Keep in mind that in my part of the country winter comes in a variety of flavors. We could have a blizzard (though not as likely), but most of the time we are treated to a little bit of everything...especially ice. And say "Ice Storm" to any Southern Missouri Folk and they will more than likely start an healthy twitch..then head to the nearest Walmart to stock up on propane heaters. An Ice Storm can be a Nasty Beast, my friend. This was not an ice storm. And from the ground you can tell it wasn't even a big snow event. Just enough of the nasty to slick up our hills and hollers. Pretty rough driving.   This is the neighbor's cow. My Dad is letting the neighbor's cows bunk in his field for a while. You can imagine my surprise when I looked out the window this morning and saw this particular cow right out the window. She has a trick where she crawls under the fence. Like a dog. We waited forever by the window with the cameras to see if she would do it again. She didn't. I think she knew we were watching her.  The pond. Considering 2 days ago it was 65 it didn't freeze over. But it was sure pretty with just a bit of snow covering it's banks. Just enough ice to make the branches droop and glisten.  It's hard to believe that in a few months those same branches will be budding and bits of green will be shooting from the earth. It's hard to believe that in the cold and gray of winter life can bloom so gloriously.  For now I will enjoy the brisk of the air. The cardinals (not the Saint Louis kind)playing in the newly fallen snow. And my fuzzy socks. Enjoy your day!