Monday, January 21, 2013

Ice fog!


Seven days in a row of ice fog and frost! The first few days, the air warmed up enough each afternoon to melt a little of the frost that formed on everything, even though the fog hung around almost all day. But after the third day, the fog here never really cleared for more than a few minutes each day, and some days the temps never even got up to freezing, so the frost stayed.


So each morning the frost was a little bit thicker than the day before. My biggest panicum started out upright, but today on the seventh day, it's totally bent over.


One evening I went to get the mail just before sunset and took my camera with me. I used the flash because I thought it might reflect off the tree branches, but instead it bounced off of every tiny crystal of fog.


Now this is what makes a hardy plant—one of my Queen Charlotte sweet violets, which always bloom this time of year.


Today I took a picture of the frost on one of my glass rings. I thought it was cool how the frost fingers formed an outside ring between a few of the piece ends. I didn't think of touching my tongue to it, but I think I know what would have happened.


Either tomorrow or the next day should be the end. This afternoon the sun was out for the longest it's been in a week, and day after tomorrow, showers are supposed to move in again. Then the ground will thaw, and I'm hoping the nights will warm up to above freezing again.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

The season of dreaming


We got another snow shower early this morning that left a half inch on everything. I put my coat on over my bathrobe and went out in my house boots with my new camera. I stayed under the trees to keep it dry. When I got to the back porch there was a small fir branch that had come down in a previous wind gust, candy-coated in snowflakes.


My fingertips really cold, I came back in the house, thinking of the wisdom of winter: take this time to rest, take this time to dream, dream of how you'll grow.