Winter Weather At Last: A Fairytale World

All photos by me.

After spending most of my childhood in Texas, where there is very little in the way of a discernible change in the seasons aside from hot and hotter, I have an utter and complete fascination with snow. For a child who loved reading the fairy tales of Hans Christian Anderson and the various Red, Blue, and Violet Fairy Books, all of which have tales of Snow Queens and winter lands, the rarity of snow or even sleet was extremely disappointing.

Thus, when my family moved to an area where there was at least one good snowfall every winter, I developed the habit of wandering for hours in our woods every time it snowed, reveling in the enchanting sound of falling snow and the way the ordinary world could be transformed in a matter of minutes into the world of the fae, dangerous and beautiful, silent and yet full of music.

To an artist's eyes as well there is endless fascination and inspiration. Ice and snow exhibit some of the most exquisite, detailed patterns one will ever find. If you bother to slow down and look closely, new worlds reveal themselves to the naked eye. I invite you to try it next time you're outside in the snow.

Chance of Snow

By Hiroshige, via Wikimedia Commons

There's a chance of snow in the forecast, so... cue falling snow effect!

The Frost Queen in the Marsh

The frost queen visited my marshes one night. As soon as the sun's rays hit her handiwork, it began to disappear.

Hot Tea: The Best Accompaniment to a Good Book

As the chilly weather at last begins, I can start to enjoy some of my favorite things that go along with it perfectly- such as hot tea and a good book. Or, in my case since I'm swamped with art projects and papers for school, hot tea and homework. But I can pretend that I've just taken off my lace gloves and coral necklace after calling on an old friend, and along with my hot tea, I'm reading one of my fat antique volumes of Tennyson's poems, not a care in the world except for soaking up the beautiful words and dreaming that I'm part of that romantic past.

Hot Chai with a spot o' cream is my favorite.

Some candied orange peel often helps get one in the mood quite well.