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.

To Drive the Cold Winter Away

I am sitting before a roaring fire today. Why, you might ask, are you sitting in front of a roaring fire when the daffodils are already blooming?

Well, I believe that even the daffodils wish they were sitting in front of a roaring fire.

Yes indeed, that is what happens when you bloom too early. Lady Winter comes and dashes all your hopes, laughs in your face, and coats the trees in ice.

 I think it's quite beautiful though, and since my seedlings are safe indoors, I don't mind the ice storm. I've gotten my last bit of winter, so when she's gone, I'll be happy to welcome spring.

Memories of Summer, Hopes for Spring, and Snubbing Lady Winter

When I'm not hoping for snow and enjoying grey skies and hot cups of tea, I'm plotting what I'll plant in the spring and remembering happy summer days. I found myself yearning for some warm summer colors, so I sat down with my watercolors and had a bit of fun.

Photo: Me

Photo: Me

In general, summers where I live can be unbearably hot (not the 85 degree 'hot' that northerners imagine is unbearable; I mean 104 degrees fahrenheit or more), but there are perks to them; magnolia blossoms, star jasmine, honeysuckle, and gardenias scent the night air and cause me to feel intoxicated, to the point that I'm ready to vanish into the night in search of the fairies who must assuredly be responsible for the other-worldly vapors.

Photos: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Honeysuckle_.jpg , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Magnolia_flower_Duke_campus.jpg , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Trachelospermum_jasminoides1215878198.jpg

There's also the rivers and lakes that I do so enjoy. Even if I don't feel like swimming, there are so many wonderful things to see and find; dragonfly nymphs, pretty stones, moss...

Photo: Me

So until I get a winter wonderland for at least several days in a row, I'm going to snub Lady Winter and plot my garden and dream of summer nights, since I'm not to have my fair share of snow.