As most of you are aware several states have been dealing with quite a bit of snow in the past two weeks. Our New England states, the Carolinas, Midwest and Ohio Valley states, and Southwest, including New Mexico who slid in with a whopping thirty-one inches of snow!

It’s all quite beautiful here in Louisville, Ky. And I understand that is coming from the perspective of a woman who has not had any issues with power outages, doesn’t have to drive her car in the snow and ice, and who enjoys the winter months. Also I am in great physical health and able to walk outside any time I like so “cabin fever” is not a visitor in my home. Last weekend I trudged through seven to eight inches of snow, my winter boots sinking three to four inches. But I was out and enjoying myself amidst the white terrain, and the exercise was great for my muscles, and respiratory and circulatory systems.

The pond behind Our Treehouse is iced over from freezing temperatures the past couple of weeks and a layer of snow now covers the ice. When the sun rises in the morning sometimes colors of pink, red, and orange are reflected across the soft, white surface, something I can easily see from the big arch window on the east side of the house. You know, it calls to me. And I step outside to walk, taking Reddogg with me. I wear several layers of clothing, including ski bibs and thick, black snow boots. I place a Green Bay Packers toboggan on my head and wrap a long, blue scarf around my face. And gloves! Always gloves. I feel like a child again with so many clothes on as I am walking clumsily down the driveway. Though I am still tied to gravity I wonder if this is similar to what astronauts feel with their big, wide suits and awkward gloves and their bulbous headgear.

And it is so quiet. Solitary. No one else is out walking in the mystery of all this white, changing my local world into a winter wonderland. Even the birds are fairly silent. And Sunday night I walked with my darling Man, Alan, across a neighbor’s field. I felt like we were the first explorers on a new land. And to add to the magic was a brilliant, white, full moon. To walk under a full moon with a partner with whom you are in love, and all that snow surrounding you, well, it’s really quite romantic. I highly recommend you do the same if you are able to do so. It’s what memories are made of, wonderful photos to pull up in your mind come Spring. The snow had a level of ice under it so it was packed down hard, and our boots left only a light trace of footprints. A light touch but our rubber boots squeaked as we crossed the field, breaking that incredible quiet. I was hoping we would see deer. But I am sure they heard us long before we arrived at the fence line to try and view them under that magical moon, shining like a giant flashlight pouring light through the sky. Everything was so easily seen, including the dark shadows of the Tall Beings lying on the snow covered ground. Magical indeed!

This morning Reddogg and I went for a walk across the front field. It’s still crusty, a hard surface easily traveled by boots or by paws. Reddogg stuffed his nose down into the snow, his nostrils extended, his olfactory senses on high alert. When he raised his head he looked like the reindeer Rudolph, only his nose was white, not red. Now that made me laugh out loud! And Pan, my cat, does come in the house at night and sometimes during the day. But always he heads out into the outdoors for part of each day, leaving his large cat paw prints in the snow. Both my boys are good at adapting to all this white “stuff” that has decided to hang out till the outdoor temperature rises. And it will, next week it is reported to be in the 40’s and 50’s.

In the meantime I will enjoy wearing my “winter glasses”!

c   Love, Joan