Where the north winds blow...

A lonely fir-tree standeth
On a height where north winds blow ;
It sleepeth, with whitened garment,
Enshrouded by ice and snow.


From the poem: The Fir-Tree and The Palm
By: Heinrich Heine 

Snow White

Little Snow-White

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

     Once upon a time in midwinter, when the snowflakes were falling like feathers from heaven, a queen sat sewing at her window, which had a frame of black ebony wood. As she sewed she looked up at the snow and pricked her finger with her needle. Three drops of blood fell into the snow. The red on the white looked so beautiful that she thought to herself, "If only I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood in this frame."

Footsteps in the Snow

Diamond Snowflakes

A Passageway to Mystery

Just a hole in a tree,

Why, what else could it be?

A handy spot in which to hide.

A refuge from the snow outside.

I crouch down, surprised to see,

There’s plenty of room for me.

Once inside I look around.

It’s cozy here, underground.

On the floor lies a golden key

And a passageway to mystery.

Surrounded by the warm brown wood,

I feel much braver than I should.

I hear someone call my name.

Should I head back, or remain?

I take the key and down I go.

Where this leads, I’ve got to know.

Whatever happened to Rosemary?

I saw her last by the hole in the tree.

Happy New Year!

Think there's nothing to do

In the garden

In the thick of winter?

This is the best Time to

Imagine and Plan and Dream!

Don't Be A Bear

It's easy today to hide from winter.  Are you spending your time huddled in front of the computer, counting down the days until warmer temperatures arrive?


Here are some pictures to entice you step outside and enjoy the magnificent snow-show you are missing. 

Bundle up and go outside.  Beauty is all around us.

The Snow Fairy

Be careful if you meet,

A fairy in the snow.

She'll cast on you a spell,

And never let you go.

She'll lure you far away,

To lands lost long ago.

Trapped in her fairy world,

It's all you'll ever know.

"Come faeries, take me out of this dull world,

for I would ride with you upon the wind..."

William Butler Yeats

The Birth of the Unconquerable Sun

The sun is a primal source of all light and warmth on Earth.

In winter,

as the sun takes its lowest path across the sky,

we languish in its absence

and seek other comforts

for our shorter days and longer nights.

We needn't worry.

As the Earth continues along its elliptical orbit,

the birth of the unconquerable sun is just around the corner.

The Frog King

The snow has finally fallen.  I believe it's here to stay.

This year the Frog King chose to ignore the council of his Advisor,

deciding to remain above ground

where he could continue to survey his pond.

To his unhappy Advisor he said,
"In the depths of winter I finally learned
there was in me an invincible summer."

by Albert Camus

The Advisor did not approve

of the King's decision,

and took his post with a most disgruntled air.