Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Emerging from the Blanket

I'm writing this in response to a friend, Tim Gels, who wrote a blog about how nature wins.

A week ago snow fell like a heavy blanket over Arkansas.  We were buried and many of us hunkered down beneath that blanket because we had little choice.  This was not a pristine blanket either, because while we may have not been able to venture far, life still went on.

Just as I filled my notebook with inked words and pictures, I could also see the evidence of life and play across the expanse of snow outside my window.  The small pits made from stomping through the snow.  The splashes of yellow indicating where I had finally convinced my dog to pee outside instead of on my carpet.  The hints of staccato steps dotted near branches and porches -- birds hopping along as they sought the sprinkling of seeds left only for them.  

Now it's in the 70s and the evidence of activity isn't as easy to see with the rapidly disappearing snow.  But as I drove to school today I noticed the signs of winter clinging on all the same.  The patch of snow slipped between the shade of trees.  The silver sheen of ice along a pond where two geese are determined to cross the expanse all the same, even if they can't swim.  The hints of bird song, source unseen.

I remember being so enamored last week when I took a walk through winter woods, but as the snow melts and I turn my attention to spring, I'm reminded that while I may have to look harder into the depths of nature to find evidence of life and play -- it's there all the same.

9 comments:

  1. I love this. That blanket of snow when it first falls is so beautiful but it quickly shows that evidence of life. Love that image...except for the yellow spots. LOL

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    1. Agreed. I love that moment of quiet. We don't get major snow events down here often, so I take pleasure in the times I get to watch it fall and pile up. Especially if it's a night. I was lucky enough to get to see it before it started getting disturbed, but even then it was fascinating to me to see the paths people and animals carved out in the snow to get out.

      No one likes the yellow spots, but it's there all the same.

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  2. Winter certainly is a crazy season! Temperature swings of 50 degrees within 24 hours are common here in the south, and--like in Arkansas--those swings a wonderful source of incredible observations. You've got a good eye for seeing what most miss, and I'm glad your shared the story with us!

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    1. Our local news has been highlighting the most recent weather whiplash. It's certainly the source of some interesting contrasts. Thank you for the inspiration and the compliment -- I'm not always observant with people, so it's nice to know I can at least pay attention to nature.

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  3. Such beautiful details in this post - like stacatto steps, sprinkling of seeds, silver sheen of ice.

    Paying attention to nature is such a gift. You really had 70s?!? Lucky you!

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    1. Thank you! I am starting to see why so many writers encourage exploring poetry, because I think my continued practice with it has wormed its way into my prose writing as well.

      And yep, 70s, our local news stations have been highlighting the weather whiplash the past few days. It's wild.

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  4. Erica, your Slice makes me smile. Your Slice makes me think that Louisiana snow was so much nicer and calmer than the Monstrous Snow/Ice Demon that Texas got. But, I could be wrong. (SMILE)

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  5. Sorry Erica, not Louisiana!! Charge it to my head, not my heart.

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    1. I'll forgive you this time ;D

      I'm glad my slice could make you smile. I think AR snow did end up being a little nicer, though I do know of some places with loss of power and dealing with water issues. From what I understand there were several factors that made the hit TX take a lot more severe than other areas.

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