WINTER SCENES

The  two  snowstorms in the last days of December ushered in a white and frigid new year. What a contrast to the new year’s days that I grew up with!  Those days were filled were colors and noise.   In the Philippines, noise – all sorts of noise, from firecrackers, tin cans, bamboo cannons, horns – welcome the new year and chase away the old.  Smoke mingling with the fog, smog,  was the nearest to ‘white’ that we could get.  It makes breathing quite difficult though.  I still miss the fun and laughter and celebratory spirit nonetheless.

Holed up in our neck of the woods, I watched the snow from the comforts of a warm house and took pictures.   A couple of days later, wanting to shake off the beginnings of cabin fever, I braved the swirling cold and walked about with the camera.  I hoped to find some deer grazing in the woods or some other little animal cavorting about.  Alas! there was only me and the cold.   Taking photos with steamy glasses and shaking hands was a little challenging.   After 45 minutes or so outdoors, my toes were and fingers started to get stiff from the cold.  I rushed home.  My face, the only part of me that was exposed to the elements, took awhile to feel normal again.  I was reminded of those younger days when we girls, hoping to remove wrinkles and to have that coveted rosy blush, would slather ice cubes on our face.     Unfortunately, the effects of the ice did not last, but we did not have to suffer prolonged cold either.

Anyway, before I get lost in the chatter, here are some pictures from the indoor and outdoor photo forays.  🙂 Happy new year to you all.

Wind stirs the snow – it gets truly cold.

The leaves point the same way. I wonder when it happened – the first frost perhaps?

Winter’s flower

The leaves were as frozen as I was during my short walk.

A yew branch growing by the window.

Some low-hanging branches of the mulberry tree.

Snow is beautiful – especially when seen from the inside of a warm house. But it is work, sometimes, a lot of work. After a big snowfall, the dig up begins. Here, a snowblower is used to clean up the long driveway. The shovel does what the snowblower cannot.

The snow-laden pine looked like lace draped over the woods.

Snowfall

Old dog house

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