There is a beauty that comes with a blanket of white snow that is wondrous. I was able to take a snowshoe hike from my home on the recently opened snowmobile paths. There are thousands of miles of trails across Vermont and other northern states that open in the winter. Farmers agree to open their fences and gates to allow the snowmobile riders free access to zoom across their fields. There are also miles upon miles of groomed cross country ski trails in the town where I live. I have not taken up that challenge yet..you have to know and purchase different kinds of skiis for different conditions. It is more work than snow shoeing so I have stayed with that for now. My grandson has racing skate skiis as well as regular cross country skiis as part of his ski club training. It looks like fun and  perhaps at some point I will make all the purchases and take lessons but for now the snow shoes fit my budget and desires.

As I was snowshoeing along, I thought of friends that I wished were there with me. I miss having friends to take walks with. I have my family and enjoy time outside with them, especially my grandson who keeps me young, by sledding and tumbling in the snow with him. Yet, I was craving a peer to enjoy the beauty with. Then I realized how I enjoy the silence in the woods, the sound of my breath, the movement of the branches as snow weights them down, the freedom to choose my path forward. I imagined a friend with me, felt her heart and knew that she was walking next to me. I can have the silence and the companionship!

Today is sunny and very cold. -14 degrees with a wind chill that brings it down another 10 degrees. Brrr! I had a dentist appointment this morning in the next town over but cancelled it. It simply is too cold to be out and about unless it is a necessity. I will take a short walk to get some sun on my face but no lingering outside. My fingertips and toes grow numb quickly in these temperatures despite good gear.

I have a sewing project to do today and have gotten out my knitting needles and yarn to see if I can take it up again. It has been decades but I discovered that youtube has tutorials that may help me get back into the rhythm of it. Lovely that folks take the time to share their expertise with others. A different world than what I grew up in or even raised my kids in. It was libraries and card catalogs to find out any information.

Flower websites are a lovely distraction in this cold. I have been searching for old fashioned roses that grow in this zone 3B climate. Not a lot but there are some available. I used to have a rose garden, that was added to every Mother’s Day by my kids. I had only very fragrant roses….pinks and peaches and creams. It was my delight. It is time to have that in my life once again. I do not own property but live here at my son and daughter-in-love’s place and they have room for roses. The bigger property of my former hubby that holds the rest of the family, has acres of meadow space to grow in. It is sandy soil so we are intending to try lavender plants this year. There are a few old fashioned red roses on the place that offer a lovely fragrance. It will be wonderful to add in some more plants in the pink-cream range that I love.

We live in a time of little permanence as all changes so quickly. Yet, there is the energy of creation and beauty that calls. I think of folks eating all the delicious citrus and stone fruit that we planted in California. They are enjoying the fruits of our efforts and it is time to dig in here in Vermont and see what we can create. Even with a shorter growing season, there is so much beauty that is possible. I am amazed at the vibrancy of plants that return each spring to dazzle the senses. After a monochromatic landscape, the flowers’ colors seem richer in their impact on my senses.

There is a layer of ice under the snow that makes walking outside treacherous. I have grippers to wear on my boots and a dear son who salts and clears my walkway each morning. We took a walk yesterday late in the afternoon up the hill to see a neighbor’s cow and pony that he keeps for his young daughter. My granddaughter, at almost one year’s old, can say “moo” and likes to go visit the cow and listen to his moo. She rides high in her backpack on one of her parents’ shoulders, her round rosy face poking out as she looks about. Once she is older, winter will be a magical time for her.  My grandson, at six years old is in love with it. He gets to help clear trails in the woods with his grandfather, go sledding with friends, build forts and snowmen, cross country ski, skate on a neighbor’s pond with bonfires and treats. Outdoors is a paradise.

A deer statue peeking out at the local cemetery that I can snowshoe to.

I am grateful to see it all through these young ones’ eyes. Everything is a discovery and there is enjoyment in it all. It helps me keep my sense of wonder as I see the patterns of frost on the windows in the mornings, the icicles dripping as the sun hits them, the magic of the trees coated in snow, the ponds and creeks frozen over with layers of ice, with currents of water rushing under and through. May the magic of nature fill our hearts and keep us warmly glowing.