A Very Cold But Beautiful Morning

 Cold

Really, Really, Cold

 Nose hairs freezing cold!

 I had to take my daughter to the dentist early this morning. The one in school in FL lol.It was below 20 degrees but the scenery was awesome!

 On the way home I just kept seeing one beautiful scene after another so I went home to get the camera.  She wasn't sure about coming back out with me but I made her.  You just have to take advantage of the moment when it is here.

 

Look at that frost!

Beautiful!

 It was so foggy and frosty!

 Breath taking!

 A frozen world

 Nature just amazes me, doesn't it amaze you?

 I'm so glad I got out of my comfort zone (warm house) and went out there today and captured these images.  At 2:00 it was all gone. This magical world had disappeared.

When you see something beautiful

stop

appreciate it

breath and take it all in

Beauty is priceless

Here's my house today under cover of snow.

Awesome!

God is so good!

I am linking up to share your cup Thursday. http://jannolson.blogspot.com/2013/01/share-your-cup-thursday-39.html 
Come see what others are shareing!

I have learned to like the snow

I used to dread the end of Fall. The bare trees seemed so ugly to me

after the beauty of all the glorious color.

As I look out my window

and see the frozen landscape, I now see the beauty there.

The over all color is a soft blue/grey.

The snow is white and the cloudy sky is white

but buildings and the trees have a soft grey tone.

To some it may be boring or ugly

but if you really look,

the monochromatic color scheme is actually lovely and peaceful.

Quiet

Maybe it is my age but I have come to appreciate

the slower pace of Winter.

The quietness and stillness.

I use this time to slow down and rest.

Breath

The animals hibernate, the fields sleep.

All is at ease.

We too need to listen to the seasons

take some time to recharge.

Stop the rush and relax in the slowness of Winter.

Soon Spring will be here and we will begin

to feel the surge of new energy.

Then, we can be full of action.

But now, just...

Rest

Beginning to thaw

For the first time in over 1 month I was able to walk the whole perimeter of the lower half of the golf course. The snow has melted enough to see grass in some areas making it possible to walk without difficulty. As I walked just before sunset it was so beautiful to see the trees silhouetted against the colorful sky. I love winter and all the snow has been beautiful but just seeing the grass peak out and the beautiful sunset did make me long for the coming buds on the trees and early spring flowers to poke their heads out. I'm not letting winter go yet. It is only early March in Ohio so anything is possible!

Today was a better day and a good walk with God in nature always help!

After The Storm

After our snow storm last night our trees are covered with a layer of freezing sleet then a couple of inches of snow. Of course I had to take some images to share.

As I walked into the woods the sounds began to change.
A few months ago I went to see The Road. I was immediately reminded of the sounds in that movie. A low, deep, unending roar. Then the trees began to creak and moan under the weight of the snow.

It was so eerie, I felt the desolation I felt during that movie. I really had to keep my mind on how beautiful the contrast of the snow in the trees was. Everything was so strange because there was no color. Everything was black and white.

It was truly amazing.
As I walked home, I came into a thicket and life came alive again.
Several sparrows and 2 red birds were playing among the tightly woven branches of the bushes and trees.

To hear their song was a welcome sound!

Ah, back to the living!

Isn't the contrast and textures of the snow and branches interesting?
Hope you enjoyed the photos, especially if you live where you don't get snow.

SNOW!

Yesterday afternoon it started to snow.




My daughter and her girl friends did a no-pants snow dance the night before

(Don't ask, I didn't.) But it worked!




We got over 4 inches and it was soft and powdery. Everything looks so magical.





It was to cold and windy to walk during the storm but this morning I couldn't wait to get out with Cooper and take some photos.







It was still lightly snowing and it was so peaceful. As Cooper ran and sniffed out all the small animals I looked around to see what I could photograph to share with you.



I was a bit nervous to get so close to this groundhogs hole but alas, no one was home. Or at least not ready to come out while I was there.
I spied this cozy nest up in the tree. I don't suppose the previous occupants are actually still here but it did look nice and warm all covered up like that.


And then I came upon this exit from one of the large trees on the golf course. Nature was nice to leave the opening clear so the squirrels could get out later if they felt so inclined.



I took a few more photos of interesting things I hope you will enjoy.

These little snow covered weeds reminded me of Marie Antoinette's hairdo. What do you think?

While my oldest daughter was here for the holidays we made some ice wreaths I saw at http://resurrectionfern.typepad.com/. She has such great ideas! I made matching candles to put on my front porch bristo table.

These were so much fun to make! We never have tempretures low enough for these last but I think they will last for several more weeks this year!

Who says winter is dull and ugly? Just take a walk and look around, there is beauty and wonder all around.

Have a great weekend!

Ice

What disruption it can cause in our lives! We can’t drive on it or walk on it. Work and school schedules get delayed and life seems to come to a halt.

But

On the other side. Life slows down and we can take the time to see the beauty of ice. When the sun shines through the ice covered bare trees it is a beautiful site. It seems like the trees just light up! To look at small things covered and encapsulated it seems they will be preserved forever. At least until the temperatures warm and the temporary beauty is gone. We get so frustrated when life gets interrupted but I think these are the times we need to learn to stop and appreciate what our lives are really about. Slow down and enjoy natures beauty and wonders. She is trying to give us a show and we are to busy to take time to wait and watch.

I have chosen several shots of red berries covered with ice and a few other things to share with you before spring gets here. Enjoy~

Winter

my walk shadows

winter fireworks

diamonds

Most every day my dog Cooper and I take a walk. On these walks I find a lot of my images. On one very snowy evening and the next morning I took my camera to see what I could find. I know most of us are sick of winter but there are still several weeks of winter left and I want to share these images before we get to where we can not appreciate the beauty of the coldest months. I will be posting more images from these walks but I will start with these images. I hope they inspire you today.