What do you say, Mr. Winter? Will you go out like a lion, or a lamb?

Alone

We have had every kind of weather possible this week. Rain, snow, sleet, fog with temperatures ranging from the teens to the fifties. Yesterday, it snowed all day long, from morning to night, leaving a beautiful white dusting. Today it is overly bright, and in the teens. When will it ever end? I ask, “When will winter ever go?”

Find the treasure.

Branch

Bark

In the Garden

Where signs are ornaments

Shed of many faces.

Octogan

Watchkeeper

Where no one bothers me.

Life, love & death

Where fairies roam.

Mountainside

The rain is falling.  It seems to have washed away the fog of yesterday, when all day, there was a wonderful mist hanging in the air, throughout the land.  It was the kind of fog that moved and floated here and there, as if precipitated by spirits.  In very low places in the terrain it was thick and would settle, but above ground it actually looked like groups of little clouds, roaming around.

Today is darker.  As I awoke and heard the rain, words came to mind, to describe the sound it makes, when it falls.  It’s ‘raining cats and dogs, or buckets’.  In Spanish, ‘Llovió a cántaros’.  A ‘cántaro’ is a clay jug, that keeps water cool.  The sound of the rain  depends on what kind of roof it falls upon, and the speed and force, and contact it makes with the surface on which it falls; it could be wooden shingles, corrugated metal, of slate or grass, smooth or perhaps, even plastic.  If it’s a good roof it will keep the water out. This morning the rain isn’t pounding or beating on my roof, it was simply falling at a normal pace, not fast.

Rain is good.  It melts the snow, so we can see the ground, where crocuses, or tulips will begin to show.  In the spring, it supplies water for planting season. One thing’s for sure, ‘Baby, the rain must fall’, which is going to be the case, all day long.

 

Gray is the color for today.  There is a light fog peering out of the forest, in the distance, beyond the blotches of March’s crumby brown snow.  The bare earth shows through, here and there, and a variety of birds are restless in the trees, chirping and tweeting their morning song. They have drowned out, the single sweet notes, the rhythmic tones of yesterdays.  It seems they need more practice, before the performance.  The woodpecker is silent this morn.  The rains should come today. GRB

At 19 degrees, it’s important to wear a hat, coat and mittens, today.  Even still, the chorus of birds begins, though the woodpecker’s tap is softer, and one can hear the sound of the rolling wheels of the neighbor’s car, as they roll over the frozen ground of their unpaved driveway.  Taking their son to school, most likely.  He never has to ride the bus.  Oh lucky boy!  Maybe he’ll find out what’s important from his teachers today.  Is it probable, or improbable?

In spite of the weather, it is good that the snow is melting away from the front of the house.  It’s a sorry sight, however, as the shrubs are half eaten by the deer.  Some creative gardening, is in order.

So getting back to the main question; What is important? It can change by the moment.  At this moment, it is vital that I tie up some loose ends to teach my classes today.  For an essential question, I will ask my students to reflect in their journal upon, ¿Qué es importante?.  Will they remember to use the subjunctive mood, or the infinitive of the verb?  Some will, and some won’t, but what is pretty certain, is that they will know, what is important, and once again, the teacher will learn.

Freezing!  The woodpecker has joined in the chorus, tapping away, along with the other little bird, from yesterday.  Perhaps it will warm a bit, so we can throw the windows open, and hear them in the morn.

Nothing else moves on the frozen land, and sky.  The world awakens, in wonder of new happenings.  Maybe my computer will be fixed today. Happy face.

The glow of the morning light envelopes the world.  Stepping outdoors, there is a crisp chill, lingering in the air, and a solo bird, singing its rhythmic verse.  The hospitable Spring arrived quietly, the day before yesterday.  Yet, her friend, Winter, so in love, still resides.

Reality sets in. It’s time to go to work!