so in idaho, um, it snows here. not as much as other places around the world, but we get a decent amount of the good white stuff every year. it seems like i’ve mentioned all of this amazing snow a lot in blog posts lately, but i. love. snow. i don’t even ski or snowboard or anything fancy like that, but i have this super enormous love for snow nonetheless. i can’t remember being so excited about it when i was a little kid, but somewhere around age 12 or so, this snow-love really kicked in.
the past few days around these parts have just been snow, snow, snow all over. and this hasn’t been sissy snow…nope, it’s been the thick, wet, snowman-making kind that blankets the houses and cars and buildings with cold goodness. i took myself on a walk yesterday morning, sporting a lovely combination of sweats and riding boots and my winter coat and an interestingly-colored beanie with a pom-pom on top and a white crocheted scarf from my crocheting phase a few years ago, aaaand armed with my camera. i rarely just go take a walk (my reasoning being, why spend the extra time walking, when you could just run?), so this was nice and refreshing. also, i’m terrible at remembering to take pictures, so this was a good exercise for looking for things to photograph. i’m not the best at including pictures with my posts, since it’s so much more natural for me to just write, but whenever i do make myself take pictures, i find that it actually turns out somewhat well, and it {hopefully} makes the words more interesting. so keep scrolling down for some prime snow and tree pictures (because trees always seem to look extra great against the backdrop of that greyish-white snow sky), plus some more words intermittently dispersed throughout!
footprints and a tire trackmy favorite ducks!
there’s a bird at the tippy top of this huge tree!so yeah, this thing that i have for snow. it floats in and takes the world by surprise, landing wherever it pleases, and transforming the world into something picturesque and softer and smoother around the edges. and along with making the present beautiful, it also bring an air of nostalgia, of memories – of happy childhood days of making forts with friends, of white christmases long past, of good food and good company cozy inside while the snow cascades outside.
i thrive off of the remembrance, and the transformation, and the magic. there is something so special and lovely about a field or a backyard or a sidewalk completely covered by pure, smooth, untouched snow, blanketed heavily with this thick,yet still light, whiteness.
i love the way it collects in the nooks and corners of trees, and the way it clings to pine-needles, and the way it outlines the tops and horizontal posts on fences. there is something about snow that just clicks with me.
the view from under the bridgejust another awesome tree…the prettiest tree brancheswhite, white, whitemore tree-ness…snow in small placesthorns by the water
romantic bridge…i was thinking the other day that even though snow means cold, and sketchy roads, and wetness, and shoveling, and quite a few other sometimes-unpleasant things, i don’t know that i could ever live somewhere it doesn’t snow. florida and hawaii and all of that sun does sound very nice, but there’s something in me that needs that white stuff that floats down through the sky.
i need a winter, and a contrast to brightness and heat. there’s probably an essay hidden in that truth somewhere, if i take the time to dig it out. but anyway, there’s a part of me that needs the cold and the stark whiteness and the transformation into snow-land. it sets me up with a vibe of fulfillment that no other weather can bring. so today i’m grateful for snow, and the beauty that it brings to my world.
grasses peek up through the whiteness
aaand lastly…one of the whole packageare you a fellow snow-loving person? or does the year-round warm environment click with you more?
other places to find me (because making friends is fun, right?!):
– kid president. oh my goodness, this kid is just so cute and happy and his videos just brighten my day! i saw some of his videos a few months ago, but i forgot about him until yesterday when i came across one online. he’s just the best!
– oatmeal. i think i could eat oatmeal for every meal of the day. plain oatmeal isn’t all that great, but when you add a little brown sugar, and some peanut butter, or some chocolate chips, or some coconut (or all three)…mmm that’s good.
– snowflakes. especially those big, thick ones that come in all at once and take the world by surprise, until pretty soon everything is all white and fluffy and gorgeous.
what were your favorite things this week?
p.s. in other news, i’m going to try to blog every day in february! i have my fingers crossed that i can get through the month, but i’m quite excited! so check back here every day for some sort of lovely something!
as i drove home last night, the world was in the process of dusting cars and sidewalks and roads with an ever-so-slight bit of snow. baby snowflakes swirled faintly through the air, pushed to and fro by the wind. it wasn’t enough for snowmen yet, or scary roads, but it was enough to give the night that peaceful, soft glow that only snowfall can give.
when i woke up this morning, that slight dusting had turned into a great white blanket, thick and heavy and cozy. i stepped outside for a bit after my pancakes and hot chocolate breakfast, the snow still lightly tumbling down, landing on my black sweatshirt, a contrast against the dark fabric.
i pretty much adore living in the world after a snowfall – hearing the muffled rumble of cars driving by, padding gently through the white stuff, enjoying the delightful crunch from stepping in and sinking just a bit, and drinking in the little details of snow, the way it rests on bushes and leaves and trees and berries and sunflowers that grew bright not so long ago.
i love the playland the snow creates for neighborhood kids. the snow allures and invites everyone waking up and seeing it to build forts and have snowball fights and ride in bright-colored sleds pulled behind trucks. i miss the days of attempting to make igloos and enormous snowmen and staying out all day until your nose was numb and your gloves were cold and soaked. i miss the days before getting older, before snowfall became synonymous with dangerous roads and ice and difficulty getting errands done, when it meant snow angels and adventure and playing with friends until dark instead.
it being a saturday where not much needed to be accomplished, today was, fortunately, an exception to that particular sentiment. these lazy moments of staying inside and not worrying about going anywhere and just letting nature do its thing – i can’t quite get enough of them.