Early Winter

   

LUKE 2:10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people

     At 0630 the dogs took care of their business as I watched the last of the stars.  A crisp clear morning in late December.
     After taking care of dogs, cat, and wife's coffee the German Shepher and I set out for a short walk behind the house.  The woods were a jumble of brown and white.  A light covering of white on a carpet of oak leaves.
     Many people who live up here come to despise winter by the time they are middle age.  I know that some day I'll leave four seasons behind for two or three and I will sorely miss this harshest of them.
     The woods in Winter are quiet; a sharp silence broken only by your own careless footsteps and the crunch of snow and leaves.  Some claim they cannot stand that silence but they are not listening to the sound that is there.  Not just the footfalls and leaves, but your own thoughts.  Whether good or bad they wait for Winter, for your attention and reflection.

     At 0700 the sky was a timid gray but within minutes the first colors of dawn were streaking over the ridge.  The Eastern sky worked it's way through a rainbow of purple, magenta, red, and amber and soon the entire circumference of the horizon was banded in pink.  The East was on fire with orange, amber, purple.  Some time would have to pass, an hour or more before the disc itself would peek over the ridge.  As it turned out the clouds took over for a part of the day.

    Winter sunrises seem to have more color to them than any other season.  There is a reward for braving the cold and watching the day come to life. 
     My first wife and I used to live in Stoddard.  Our apartment was on a road that lead out of the small village and into a coulee that contained great character.  One Winter morning when I wasn't able to sleep I went for a walk down the road, and up on the first hill watched a sunrise like I'd not seen before.  One very much like today's.

     Another notable event on that road occurred one September afternoon.  I'd been putting in long hours at work and took a rare afternoon off.  A mile on down the road I dipped into the coulee and around the bend came to a stop.  50 yards ahead was woman with a shotgun standing across the road from cows in a field.  This is not the most unusual thing you are likely to see in the Upper Midwest, but still something to warrant caution.  Eventually she noticed me and carefully waved me over.  I carefully walked over to her.  In the field across the road there was a fox in the middle of her cows.  That fox, though, could not have cared less about the cows.  She was rolling around in the trampled grass enjoying the cool sunshine of late September.  After about 15 minutes or wordlessly watching her, the fox pranced up the rise and into the woods.

    Winter is here and hopefully some more snow.  The snowshoes are just itching to get used.  I have the next week off and have started thinking about a hike.  Maybe Devil's Lake again and finally get to Parfrey's Glen. 

     Merry Christmas!!