This is a delayed poem celebrating the Winter Solstice as winter took several weeks to show itself. Winter finally started here around the New Year with cold temps, frost, snow and ice. The sparkles of ice from frost in the garden, even in winter, is spectacular. And the icicles that form with the snow melt, paint such a wintry picture to welcome the solstice.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog. Visit them to read some more wonderful verse.
If you enjoy reading this blog, I welcome you to share it with others. I enjoy spreading the blog love, and I appreciate all who come and read my blogs.
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Special Note:The pictures here represent ice hanging from the house, and icy-frosty pictures of the garden with icicles hanging on trees.
I leave you with a few additional words about the Solstice and winter ice. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2016. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
This poem came from my observing throngs of birds winging south for the winter. The geese started their way in October as you can see in the picture at the top of the post. And ended in early December with the starlings seen in the mosaic below.
The poem also speaks to my journey through the winter season.
December 21st is the Winter Solstice. In celebration, I am doing my my Seasonal Celebrations round up post at my other blog, Gardens Eye View. Join me tomorrow to see how others are celebrating the new season. You can also read an excerpt of my Winter story in the latest issue of RURAL magazine.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog. Visit them to read some more wonderful verse.
If you enjoy reading this blog, I welcome you to share it with others. I enjoy spreading the blog love, and I appreciate all who come and read my blogs.
I leave you with a few additional words about the wings of the season. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2015. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
Each season, I track the sun light rising from spring to summer to fall….and then to the dark of the Winter Solstice. And as winter begins, I know the light will be returning bit by bit, day by day as we get closer to spring and the garden season again.
December 1st started my Seasonal Celebrations meme for the change of seasons. Check out my post at Gardens Eye View, and join in the celebration of the change of seasons, no matter where you are on earth. You can also read an excerpt of my Winter story in the latest issue of RURAL magazine.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog. Visit them to read some more wonderful verse.
If you enjoy reading this blog, I welcome you to share it with others. I enjoy spreading the blog love, and I appreciate all who come and read my blogs.
********
Special Note:The pictures here are of a recent December sunrise in the garden. It started with a orange light against the almost black clouds. The last picture is of the sunrise in the meadow.
I leave you with a few additional words about the change in the morning light. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2015. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
“There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you…. In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.”~Ruth Stout
Winter is a much maligned season…..yes you heard me correctly. When we say winter is coming, you don’t hear a joyful cheer rise up from the masses, especially if you live where there is snow. No instead there are groans and grumbles.
It is cold. The landscape looks brown or drab or worse covered in white for months on end. Outdoor activities are limited. And worst of all, it is dark and gray. Especially dark….we rise in the dark, go to work in the dark, and watch the sunset before we return home from work. We are eating in the dark, and if your internal clock is like mine, you want to go to bed by 7pm. Not a bright prospect for a season.
So I decided a few years back that I had to stop grumbling and complaining about winter. Instead I needed to find the good in winter…the gifts it brings us. And once found, I needed to embrace these gifts, and believe in the wonders winter can bring. And I do mean believe, for as we know our perceptions about something can color it either positive or negative.
I believe it is time to give winter the credit it is due. To bring winter out of the darkness, and into a more beautiful light. And I want to share winter’s gifts with you now, as the season approaches.
So what are these gifts, you ask? Take a look……
Winter isn’t actually such a dark season. November and December are the 2 darkest months, and they come at the end of autumn. As winter starts on the solstice, we mark the darkest day and celebrate the coming back of the light. Each day we gain sunlight and the days brighten and shine.
And that’s another gift of winter, some of the most spectacular bright, clear blue skies. Watching the sun rise low is especially wonderful, as it casts unusual shadows on the canvas of white.
Then there are the sunrises that take your breath away. Yes this is an actual winter sunrise of pastel colors with that heart cloud.
And on the days when the skies are a dark gunmetal gray, and they open up with a fury, we see another glorious scene. One of magic where the whole world is swallowed whole in white. I watch each snowfall as each is different depending on the temperature. And that snow can create such unique scenes.
While the landscape may not be filled with green and flowers, there is a quiet beauty you will miss if you don’t look for it….really look for it.
A brown drab garden brought back to life with the magic of the snow and the winter light. One light show I look forward to every morning as the scene is always spectacular. Reaching deep into my soul, scenes like this make my heart sing.
And then there are the visitors who add their own light to winter. Here a pair of bluebirds find shelter and shop for a spring home.
Watching nature is another wonderful gift of winter. Now that the trees and landscape are bare, we can see the birds more clearly. And see the beauty of other critters, like this fox in its thick coat.
So while winter may keep us indoors more, and may start off as the darkest season, we can take advantage of the gifts of winter even from the warmth and safety of our homes. By changing your perspective you can observe a stunning world just outside your window.
Oh and there are other things you can do during winter as you begin to embrace the gifts it bestows on us. Consider exploring one of the following:
Grow herbs on a windowsill to use all winter so you can still have some of summer’s fresh flavor.
Bring in a potted geranium or coleus and watch it bloom all winter.
Give yourself a challenge and read more. Catch up on those books you have been meaning to read.
Take walks and look at the beauty of winter from a different viewpoint. Maybe even build a snowman or make a snow angel.
Take up snowshoeing or another winter sport, and see the winter scene’s in a new spot.
If you are crafty you can work on projects or delve more into other creative artsy endeavors.
Clutter clear your house slowly and create more space for joy and abundance.
Cook more yummy soups, stews and comfort foods.
The list is endless….So take some time this winter and explore all the gifts winter holds.
As the solstice approaches and we ponder winter’s gifts, I hope you join me on November 30th on my garden blog, Gardens Eye View, for my quarterly meme, Seasonal Celebrations.
What do you think are winter’s greatest gifts? What are your favorite things to do in winter?
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Special Note:The pictures here are of winter scenes from my garden over the years.
Please join me on November 19th, for the next issue of the newly published on-line magazine, Rural. I will have an excerpt of this post in the new issue.
The magazine is the creation of Jen@ The Light Laughed. Many of you may know Jen already from her new blog or from her days writing at her old blog Muddy Boot Dreams. I recently did an interview with Jen which was quite a treat for me.
I hope you will check out the last issue of this free online magazine. You can sign up to read the new issue of Rural here.
I leave you with a bit more sentiment about winter’s gifts. Feel free to download the photo and share.
All original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-15. Any reprints or use of content or photos is by permission only.
This poem was originally shared on my garden blog, Gardens Eye View, on January 6th, 2014 soon after the Winter Solstice and New Year. With the darkness receding as winter began, I wanted to celebrate the light. The light lost and found again through the seasons and through my life over the past few years. It was this following of the light that helped keep me going through the dark times in my life.
I thought it would be appropriate to share my thoughts on winter again as we approach the new Winter Solstice and the coming of the light. Where autumn comes out of its darkness and we follow the light to spring.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog. Visit them to read some more wonderful verse.
If you enjoy reading this blog, I welcome you to share it with others. I enjoy spreading the blog love, and I appreciate all who come and read my blogs. I hope to more overtly spread some blog love through both my blogs in the future.
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Special Note: The pictures here are from last winter as I watched the snow play on the landscape and sparkle especially in the early morning light.
I leave you with a little bit of sentiment aboutwinter and light. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014. Any reprints or use of content or photos is by permission only.