A Love Note to December

December has arrived. Our snow came and went and is, as of today, back again. Yes!

Last week looked oddly like springtime. It felt so strange to lose the snow so quickly. I didn't take photos then.

Here are some of the wintry photos I've taken in the past week or so when we did have snow. The forest walk that Meeko and I take once a day and occasionally twice is restorative for me. About 35 to 40 minutes surrounded by nature is a joy. Meeko bounds and leaps and then waits for his less rapid companion who is usually off taking a photo somewhere. We both revel in the sights and sounds of the forest, each other's company as well as occasional encounters with fellow nature lovers, both two-footed and four-footed.

Airborne! 'Superdog' in his head and in my heart. :)

If you look at all of the frozen water, you get a sense of why we can't walk here for three seasons.

Wrap yourself up. It's getting cold.

Autumn and winter. Soul mates.

Love in the forest.

Gorgeous spiky frost on the marsh. It reminded me of a feather boa.

Touchdown after leaping over the log!

Frost-tipped echinacea in my garden. (The only photo not from the forest.)

My beautiful heart tree. When I was trying to find it again, I actually said
'Where is my heart' out loud and then 'There it is'.  My heart.

More leaf love.

Is there such a thing as too much leaf love. I don't think so.

We have lived in our house here for over fourteen years. I didn't know about this beautiful path, even though it is just at the foot of our street, until we had Meeko.  I owe thanks to my furry friend for so many things.

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

Leaf collection

The winter weather continues here despite occasional teasing hints of spring. Meeko and I walk every day whether mild or very cold like today. (Thank you, Meeko.) I don't always remember to take my camera but I did have it with me on two walks in the past few weeks. I was so enchanted by the colour and the wonderful forms of the dried leaves that have managed to hang on despite this winter's snowstorms and high winds.

Who says winter is drab and colourless? I took more photos of other beautiful forest finds that I will share in the days ahead.

I've had several people comment on how I like to paint leaves. It's true. I do. Looking at all of these leaf photos made me think of the leaf paintings I've worked on in the past year. I did a little mosaic of with some of them. I'm actually working on another painting of leaves right now--tea leaves. It will be a little different. I'll let you see it when it's a little further along. :)

Despite the fact that I am smitten with the dried, papery leaves I've been seeing in the forest lately, I am so looking forward to those beautiful green ones that are only a couple of months away.  This time of year I start to ache for spring. ❤

Grey and Green

Grey and green. That seems like a good summary of the past week. The weather is definitely grey (gray if you prefer) and cold and wet.  It's the kind of weather that slows everyone's pace.  Mine for sure.  I wasn't idle at all but my days moved slowly. I'm feeling a little computer fatigue too. So much effort sometimes with hard to recognize results.

The natural world is waking up around me. Slowly and surely, there is more green and bits of colour all around.  I brought my camera on my walk with Meeko yesterday, as I had seen wildflowers the day before. I almost walked right past them as everything was tightly closed. Even the plants miss the sunlight.

It's not just me. Even Meeko looks like he's in a pensive mood. Mind you, I don't spend as much time thinking about robins, seagulls, dog biscuits and squirrels as he does.

When Chloé was little, I sometimes called her Mademoiselle Mélasse (Miss Molasses) as she had a slow way of doing things.  I think I would carry that name well too sometimes. I am slow and deliberate in my thinking and my artwork. I have been working on a painting this week, slowly but happily.  Here's a little peek at a corner of it.

"Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help."

May Sarton

Thoughts of Spring Covered with Snow

Yes I am the crazy lady bundled up for winter and carrying an umbrella in the photo above. The snow was coming down so hard I was worried about ruining my camera. After I took a few photos, I tucked the umbrella under my arm and wrapped my camera in a hat.

I was dreaming a little bit about spring the past few days. It has been mild and melting.

Meeko and I went on our forest walk this morning and it was kind of sad. Not much snow, everything was brown, lots of branches on the ground from past wind storms.But as this afternoon drew to a close, the snow began to fall. I can accept the delay of springlike weather as it is absolutely gorgeous at the moment. A fairyland.

When Chloé and I went in the forest in the middle of the snowstorm, the path was absolutely transformed. Everything was clothed in clean white. No footprints except ours.  Just magical.

Some of you must be starting to know this pathway as well as I do. :)  Have a good weekend whatever weather you are currently enjoying.

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There are some nighttime snow photos on my Facebook page. We also had lightning! Wish I'd caught that in a photo.

Time For A Walk

I've been noticing people on their blogs and Twitter mentioning 'fake winter' and spring weather. Gosh, we don't have that here. I'm not sure that we have the same depth of snow that we've had other years but we've had several layers of snow and ice the past couple of weeks.  I've had to shovel the front steps so many times. Today, it is absolutely beautiful. There are soft, fat snowflakes falling gently. The temperature is -4C (25F) which feels warm! It was the perfect day for a walk with my camera.

Boots with spikes? Check. P

Faithful companion? Check. P Here we go.

Meeko was so very patient with all of my camera stops. 'Wait!' He knows what to do when he hears that.  He deserved a reward, so I let him off his leash to run on the last part of the path.  He makes me laugh when he runs and jumps through the snow. He looks like a jack rabbit. So much joy.

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I want say thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the beautiful, sensitive comments left here on the last post. Thank you as well to those who read the post but chose not to comment.  I appreciate you all. You restored my faith in the world. And I know that Jody feels the same way. So does my Christmas cactus. It decided to bloom today. How beautiful.