Snowfall

The other night, on the evening news, the weatherman mentioned that we had already received 44% of our average yearly snowfall, and it's only the second week of December. Winter hasn't even officially begun yet. When we had our first blast of bitter-cold weather, back in November, all I could think was, "I hate winter! Why do I live here? Why don't I move somewhere where it's warmer?"

But my feelings for winter, and snow, aren't quite so one-sided. As long as I don't have to shovel, or stand outside shivering, there are quite a lot of things I like about this time of year.



I love how quiet it gets during a snowstorm. The snow muffles and softens what little noise there is, and everything is hushed. It's a good reminder that we all need a little stillness in our lives.

I love the scarlet flash of the cardinals that visit my bird feeders. Sometimes, a whole flock of them will visit, trying to boss the little sparrows away from the sunflower seeds. The females, although they aren't as showy as the males, are beautiful too, with their subtle tinges of red among the buff feathers.

I like snow at Christmastime. Although it probably didn't actually snow at the actual Nativity, somehow, a nice blanket of snow makes everything seem more Christmasy. And I love twinkling Christmas lights too.



Last week, before rain melted half the snow and then cold winds froze everything into a solid, crunchy crust, I noticed the tiniest little bird tracks in the back yard. Some little bird had hopped through my flower garden, dutifully checking each half-buried stem for any possible seeds. I hope she found what she needed.