A change of scene seemed like a good idea yesterday, so when Grant announced that the car must be washed I grabbed a coat and told Willow:
“I’ll be right back!”
“I’ve been told that before!”
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The world looks different in frigid cold.
Is it just the clear sky and intense light?
The absence of snow in the trees?
Fresh fallen snow certainly softens a scene.
Currently, it has more the appearance of an iced Christmas cake.
One that has had a chance to solidify!
Though there are decorations.
Reeds are a hardy lot.
They stand tall against the foulest conditions.
They are deemed invasive.
But I like them.
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Sunlight filters through naked woods and touches a few golden leaves still clinging on.
Artistry exists everywhere in Nature.
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Willard Mountain actually has a ski slope
They have snow-making machines, ski-lifts and all the rest, but we have never seen a single pair of skis since we came to the area.
Vermont has proper snow and much better slopes.
But I am not a skier, so what do I know?
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It looks as if we have a lot of snow
But this is left over from ten days or so ago.
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Many farms have tiny cemeteries, see above.
..and below.
I like reading headstones, but would not intrude.
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One is not aware of being high up until cresting a rise!
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Sometimes a single tree stands out against the sky
Sometimes a particular splash of light, colour, or form.
Corn rows in a field.
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Against a dazzling sky!
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This small green building is an Anglican church.
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Some might say “why take a picture of that?“
It’s the empty horizon. Tracks in the snow. Listing telephone poles and cables.
Scruffy bits of grass and the hint of a road.
What that says about me, I couldn’t guess!
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Writing a blog has certain challenges.
Often mine is a certain red-head. That he occupies my desk is not a problem.
It’s that he lies poking my hands and “typing” on the keyboard which I cradle in my lap. And impeding my view of the screen.
A little while ago though, something caught his attention outside and he went to look.
There was a hawk in the bush where normally the sparrows convene. It was eating something, but sadly it got spooked and flew off. I had only turned my head, but the bird may well have known I was watching or perhaps it was the sight of Toby in the window.
Of course I don’t like to think of my friends becoming prey, but the hawks have to eat.
As of right now, the murder scene is totally weighed down by Sparrows and Starlings that are staring at me as if to say:
“Oi! Can’t you turn up the heat?”
Callous little devils!
Maybe they are just trying to show strength in numbers
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“If we all stare at her together, she’ll bring more seed.”
“So who made you boss, small fry?”
“Small fry, is it? Well you can starve.”
“On 3, Sparrows:STARE!
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Alright! I’m coming!
Willow the wise is definitely not convinced by your “I’ll be right back!”
Fun reading your blog. If you get up to Crown Point you have my permission (for what it’s worth) to look at gravestones. My paternal grandmother was born there – look for any Millers and/or Murdocks. From Crown Point some of the Murdocks went West to Ohio – Newark area.
Thank you, Carolyn, for the blue sky!
Joanna
That cold winter light. – the fields and the sky! …
May you, Grant, and the cats stay warm. And your pipes unfrozen.
What a gorgeous part of the world you live in and so relaxing (uh huh) with all of your babies… 😉
I never wash my car in the winter. It gets dirty again the same day. If it’s lucky, it might get two washes a year, one at the start of summer, another at the end of September. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
The only reason we do is to get the salt off. In Vermont they use sand to spread on snow and ice but here it’s caustic salt. The underside of the car is treated for it which helps, but it’s bad stuff.
I am always amazed that there is so much colour in your photos – even when the world is covered in pure white snow!