January Blues

Our winters here in Central New York State can be very long and harsh. The first snow fall can come just as the last of the fall leaves have been raked and cleared away. We seem to have snow on the ground from November until the end of March, courtesy of the Lake Ontario snow machine known as lake effect snow. We have endured days when the temperatures struggled to reach 0 degrees F as well as snowstorms that brought us two feet of snow at one time.

This winter, however, has been very different. It has been very mild. We have only had a few days when we only had a few inches of snow on the ground - no snow storms, ice storms, blizzards or days when the temperatures dipped below 10 degrees F. Amazing!

Actually, the midday temperature yesterday was 61 degrees F (16 C)! I didn't even mind the rain because I didn't have to wear my winter coat or boots. The neighbors were outside without coats taking down their Christmas lights.

Now freshly fallen snow can look lovely, but our harsh winters can wear my down. I do not like to drive in it or shovel it. The cold temperatures chill me to the bone. I tend to hibernate when the snow falls.

I would like to get out and make more photographs during the winter months. Winter skies can be breathtaking and the shadows can be fun to work with. The above photograph was taken just before sunset on a warmer January day. The hues of blues and purple remind me to try and take time to appreciate the beauty of each season, whether there is snow or not. As the French philospher Albert Camus once wrote, "In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. "