Winter At Last

tanjabrittonwriter 60 Comments

No sooner had I lamented January’s dearth of snow than our first substantial winter storm dropped a much-anticipated and greatly appreciated 7 inches in our corner of the country. As we all know, not each snowfall is created equal. While we have lived through many a blizzard, this most recent meteorological event allowed each snowflake to float straight out of the sky and drift softly to its landing site, be it the ground, a tree, bush, or flower, where it remained for the next couple of days without being blown about.

Don’t you just love to awaken to a white world which appears not only much purer but also far quieter, in which all sounds are swallowed by the cottony character of crystallized water? To watch the sun set the crystals asparkle? To be awed by the magnificence of trees flocked in tufts of white? To find and name unusual wintry creatures, such as the Snowy Platypus draped over a bough in one of the photos below?

Once the storm had moved on and the remaining clouds been dispersed, the blue sky and sunshine beckoned. My husband and I laced up our Sorels and walked some of our neighborhood streets and alleys, stepping into tire tracks or making our own, enjoying the day’s pristineness and utter splendor. Grateful for the snow, hopeful for more. As I’m writing these lines, the forecast promises a few more inches for this week.

To enlarge a photo, click on it.

60 thoughts on “Winter At Last”

  1. Snow is so beautiful just after it has fallen, so pristine, so pure. But then the effect gets ruined by people like us going about our daily business, trampling on it or driving through it, and soon that exquisite beauty is just a distant, faded memory. Is this a metaphor, I wonder?

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  4. da hast du sehr schönes im schnee entdeckt. das schlafende oder wachende tier auf dem ast, toll. auch die blumen mit hut sehr schön. und der muffelige busch, der noch ausruhen möchte und sich deshalb die schneedecke über den kopf gezogen hat. lach. tolle fotos! liebe grüße aus dem regnerischen berlin.

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    • I didn’t mention that all the snow has melted already (it was 60 degrees yesterday!). But a storm is predicted for this evening and we are keeping our fingers crossed for me.
      It’s not unusual for the Front Range to get a good dumping and have very little of it left a few days later, which is different from what is happening Up North!
      Take care,
      Tanja

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      • I looked ghe 60 degrees Fahrenheit up, which is plus 15 degrees Celsius, no wonder that all the beauty is already gone. My fingers are crossed for you for tonight!
        We are also in the path of quite a weather cocktail…. first, temperatures climbing up to plus 7 Celsius, followed by rain and snow….. We‘ll see how it will work out.
        Take care and enjoy the snow….
        Regards,
        Christa

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  17. Beautiful pictures, Tanja! I am happy that you have the privilege of enjoying a snowy winter. I simply love a white wonderland; but sadly I stay a few thousand miles from the closest such heaven, and have seen snow only twice in my life – the first time being at the fag end of my 20s! Do enjoy and make the most of it! 🙂

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  18. I just love the snow. There’s a beautiful softness in the silence thick snow brings.
    Alas, we don’t get it that cold in Melbourne, but the surrounding low-lying hills can sometimes get a sprinkle or two.

    I still remember the crunch of walking through the snow when in Austria on a skiing holiday when I was in my twenties…..and London in 1978. I think it was a rare winter that snow stayed on the ground in London that year(?). I spent several winter holidays skiing here in Australia, but such a short season we have.

    Love your photos showing the details in your local area. I can ‘hear’ the sharp crunch of each footstep in your images.

    Surprisingly, many of the books I’ve read over the years have had their location in the Himalayas and are about mountain climbing. 🙂

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    • Thank you, Vicki. Walking through fresh snow is, without a doubt, stimulating to many senses.
      The fact that your reading often takes you to the Himalayas is likely a sign that you are in touch with your inner yeti. But your inner yeti has nothing abominable about her. 🙂

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    • Dankeschön, liebe Maren. Auch wenn die weiße Pracht nach einigen Tagen schon wieder vollständig geschmolzen ist, genießen wir sie, so oft sie kommt und so lange sie bleibt.
      Vielleicht bringt der Spätwinter ja noch eine Schneedecke in Deine Gegend.
      Genieße Deine Wochenende,
      Tanja

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  20. I spotted your Snow Platypus right away: what a clever image! The silence after a snowfall is one of my favorite experiences, and a quiet snow is even better. I’m sure I’ve mentioned to you the experience I can’t forget: going out into the Black Forest on the morning after a snowfall like this, with not a sound anywhere, and feet of snow.

    I know of only one Christmas carol that’s captured the experience: “In the Bleak Midwinter”. I can’t imagine that anyone who’s known “snow on snow on snow” ever forgets it.

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  21. You very nearly make me miss snow, but naaaah. Much nicer to be warm and not needing to shovel. For desert I get to see the best part of a snow day here. Thanks for sharing!!! 😊🙏☃️

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  22. Loved your pics, Tanja, especially of your neighborhood. One of my favorites snow sights is the road before it is plowed. Hoping you get more snow—the snow is gone here, as well. Very confusing for me, because it makes me think it’s time to get the garden organized. 😉
    Cheers,
    Julie

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    • Thank you, Julie. I also like to be the first to walk through snow, even though I’m always slightly reluctant to destroy its beautiful pristineness.
      The weather’s back and forth, with 60+ degree days to below freezing, is very confusing for humans, and I suspect for more-than-humans also.
      I can relate to your gardener’s impatience, but here any serious gardening is discouraged before the middle of May. That seems a looong time off!
      Enjoy your weekend,
      Tanja

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  23. Truly, sunshine on new fallen snow is one of my favourite winter sights, as well as the glittering frost on tree branches. If it wasn’t for these highlights, winter would be hard to tolerate when it can last for almost half the year in our area.

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  24. I liked “cottony character” and “flocked in tufts …”. Beautiful words to augment the wonderful photos. But the platypus! It took a keen eye to spot that pattern in a grand field of snow. Thanks for sharing winter.

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