January Blues

Wintertime here in Central New York State is usually very cold, snowy, and extremely long. We had a bit of a "heat wave" today as the temperature climbed above 40 degrees F. It is supposed to be even warmer tomorrow. So, we are having a little January thaw.

I noticed just how dirty and gray the remaining snow on the ground is right now. There seemed to be absolutely no hint of color anywhere. And the Christmas decorations have all been taken down now. I asked myself if anything in nature seems colorful during this time of the year. And the I happened to look at the western sky just before sunset. I was reminded of the beautiful shades of blues and purples which only nature can paint across a dreary sky. My photo above is entitled "January Blues" and I think that it perfectly captures this time of the year.

Where's Spring?

It is snowing again as I sit here at the computer. We had some warmer days and the snow started to melt. Now it seems that winter is back again and we may get between 6 and 10 inches of snow by tomorrow.

I am so discouraged! I managed to get the same virus or bug that the children and teachers have at school. Let's just say that I have a variety of symptoms at the moment. And now I have to go out and shovel that dreaded snow. (I hear sirens in the area right now, so I hope that there aren't too many accidents.

And to top it all off, we found out this week that our spring vacation will be three days shorter this year. We will have Good Friday and the following Monday and Tuesday off, but not the rest of the week. This is because our local schools were closed for seven snow days this winter. We are only allowed 4 snow days.

I thought that I would post this snow drop photo to cheer myself up. I hope that everyone is well and has a very good weekend!

Dreaming of Spring

Today I tried to remember what the local landscape actually looks like without all of the snow. I thought about how green the valley looks when spring reawakens the earth. My imagination allowed me to breath in the fresh air and drown myself in the sweet rain. And the spring flowers dotted the countryside: snow drops, crocuses, daffodils, and tulips. (I make the above photo last year when the tulips were in bloom.)

I had a group of seven year olds in the library today. They wanted to know how many days are left until spring arrives. So, we looked at the calendar and found out that there are 12 days left until spring is suppose to arrive, even here in Central New York State. They also knew that the snow will still be on the ground on March 20!

Fortunately, the temperatures are suppose to be a bit warmer starting on Saturday. The daily high temperatures are suppose to be above 40 degrees F. We are going to start daylight savings time on Sunday, and I look forward to the longer days.

It has been a very strange winter here indeed. Actually, we didn't have much snow at all here until the end of January. We even had a green Christmas. However, we have suffered with all of the snow and very cold weather since the end of January. I read in the local newspaper that we received 85 inches of snow last winter and our total for this winter is 115 inches.

I recently found a quotation that brought me some comfort, "No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn." (Hal Borland) And so I hope and pray that winter will give way to a gentle spring.

Weathering Winter

It is almost the end of January, and I am trying to find something positive to say about winter. Our winters here in the middle of New York State can be long and cold. It isn't unusual for the snow to begin to fly at the end of October or the beginning of November. And sometimes we don't have any signs of spring until the beginning of May.

I really did love the snow when I was a child. The falling snow reminded me of one of those magical snow globes. I used to spend time with my brother and sister just playing in the snow. We used to go sledding in the nearby field, build snow forts and go ice skating.

But then I grew up. Now I have to drive on snowy and icy roads and that scares me. I have to shovel the white stuff and worry about if my car will start if I leave it in the parking lot all day.

I should get out more and take photographs of the snowy landscape. I posted an ordinary shot of an old piece of farm machinery in a snowy field. However, it is usually just too cold or slippery to go out with a camera here. (The high temperature on Friday is only suppose to be -12 degrees C. The wind chill will make it feel even colder.)

And so I take comfort in the words of the American poet Anne Bradstreet, "If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. "

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. "