Archive for the ‘strategies for winter’ Category
small green world
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As I gradually put away my Christmas decorations, I am a little sad about disassembling the vignettes I created – a group of carolers skating on a mirror pond, a serene stable scene, a lighted Christmas village.
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To see me through the rest of winter I have created another small world in a glass cloche, a moss and lichen garden under glass. I picked the moss before the first December snow and it has done well for a month. The moss leaves are bright and there is new growth on some of the lichen tips. The terrarium even has its own little climate and ‘weather’ – days when the glass is clear and dry, and days when the glass is foggy and you can see a faint mist among the mosses.
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I love the ‘green-ness’ of this miniature world. Green mosses, sheltered by the green leaves of my Lipstick Vine (Aeschynanthus lobbianus) and guarded by my green, four-clawed Chinese dragon. Green candles.
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While the world outside is cold and white, I have this tiny green world to remind me – spring is only weeks away.
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Copyright 2015 Jane Tims
goodbye to the snow
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We have had a thick layer of snow for the last few days. But today, Christmas Eve, the rain is coming. The snow will disappear.
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No matter. Green or white, Christmas is Christmas. I can hardly wait.
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Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.
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Copyright 2014 Jane Tims
snow across the landscape
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end of day
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new-feathered, the valley
a black and white wing
stretches from horizon
the beat encloses
clouds and winter sky
field under snow, the back
of a settling dove
a lone skier presses
towards shelter, and
amber streak of sky
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Copyright 2014 Jane Tims
new layer of snow
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Snow is gradually building on every horizontal surface. I love the contrast between umber bark and bright snow. If this layer of snow will only stay, the temperatures will seem warmer and the walking less slippery. And the movements of small creatures in our woods will be less ephemeral, better understood.
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tracks in the snow
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Copyright 2014 Jane Tims
Elf on the Shelf
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My Elf on the Shelf has been with me since the 1960s. For many years, she stayed in a back corner in a bag with the other stuffed folk. Then, last year, I learned about the new popularity of the Elf on the Shelf.
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Now, she has a place of honour among my Christmas decorations .. or should I say places? Each day, she pops up in a new place, to make her own commentary on the Christmas season!
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Elf on the Shelf reading her Christmas books …
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Elf on the Shelf is shy but she tries to sing with the other carolers …
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Elf on the Shelf dreams of a white Christmas …
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Copyright 2014 Jane Tims
the worry in weather
On Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Snowman waited on our back deck for the Nor’easter to begin …
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We are coming to the end of the rains associated with this week’s storm, a Nor’easter that brought snow, ice pellets, sleet and a lot of rain. In our area, we had about 45 mm of rain, but some parts of the province had over 100 mm.
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Many people in New Brunswick are coping with flooded basements as a result of all the rain. After our flooded basement experience in 2010, I spent the last couple of days in worry – hoping our drainage issues are fixed and making endless trips to the basement to make sure we had no water on the floor.
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Today I am grateful – we had no problems with flooding. Our space is safe and we are warm and dry.
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Last night, on the back deck in the dark, after all the rain, Mr. Snowman lay on his back. The rain took most of the snow but he is still smiling. He knows more snow will come!
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Copyright 2014 Jane Tims
green flame
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In the afternoon, on a sunny day, the light from the stained glass window in our stairwell finds a place on the wall of our living room. For a few moments, blues, reds and greens create a gorgeous splash of colour. Yesterday afternoon, the spotlight settled behind the curtained door to the library. And a green flame shimmered among the folds of fabric, a reminder of the greenery slumbering out in the yard, beneath the snow.
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Copyright 2014 Jane Tims
snowflakes
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I woke on Saturday morning to the easy fall of snowflakes. A good day to write Christmas cards. Amazing how a frail curtain of flakes can create a personal, comforting space.
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Copyright 2014 Jane Tims
falling snow
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busy snow
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pecks at
the window edge
lays cold feathers
along the glass
builds a humped man
around the backbone
of the mugo pine
startles the
grazing deer
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Copyright 2014 Jane Tims
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strategies for the winter
Although it is only late November, I find myself shuddering at the approach of winter. Perhaps it is the arthritis in my bones. Perhaps the need for a quilt as soon as the thermometer registers less than zero. Perhaps the climbing out of bed while the sun is still asleep.
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So, never daunted, I am making plans. These are my strategies for coping with the coming winter:
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1. hover over a cup of tea each morning – my current favorite is Scottish Breakfast, a gift from my niece.
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2. read, read, read – I read so much I usually feel guilty … but not this winter – I am going to read as much as I can – my current favorites are Elly Griffiths, Ann Cleeves and Ann Granger, all mystery/crime novels from the UK. Just to keep with the spirit of the season, I am also re-reading Edwin Way Teale’s Wandering Through Winter (1965), the Pulitzer-winning book describing his four month, 20,000 mile winter journey through the USA.
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3. watch the birds – I am determined to see a Cardinal at our feeders but, really, anyone will do … Chickadee-dee-dee!
one of the usual visitors to our feeder … the Black-capped Chickadee
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4. bundle up really well and go for a walk each day – I have had my wool coat dry-cleaned and I have cleaned out an old leather suitcase to store our mittens and scarves in easy reach.
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5. Make a couple of small quilts. Working at a quilt is one of the warmest activities I know.
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6. Knit a few pairs of socks, another warm activity. I am a good knitter … I can knit anything. Once, the top to my strawberry cookie jar broke and I knit a new top for it!
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7. Enjoy sitting in front of a fire. This includes my small electric fireplace, our big woodstove, and, outside, our stone fire pit.
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Do you have any strategies for making winter the best season of the year?
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Copyright 2014 Jane Tims
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