Fall, Winter and the Hope of Spring

A walk through my frozen gardens 

reveals an eternal truth that withstands the test of time...

Fall is always followed by Winter

and Winter is always followed by Spring. 

Autumn Leaf still clinging to the stem adorned by Fresh Snowflakes,
surrounded by the Promise of Spring with buds barely swelling.

Patience Required.

Mother Nature's Winter Design

These fabulous architectural designs are brought to you by 
Mother Nature...

Morning view from my office window 

Down my garden path 

Intricate mosaic patterns only Mother Nature can produce.

Don't you just love her work?

Embracing Winter... *and more!

Caution: You are about to enter THE FREEZING ZONE. 
(You will find no Spring here.)

It's Winter in my gardens...still.
And I am embracing it's beauty! 
(But maybe not so much the frigid air.)

"The name "winter" comes from an old Germanic word meaning "time of water" and refers to the seasonal precipitation. The winter solstice—the moment when the sun's apparent path is farthest south from the equator—is used to officially mark winter's beginning. In the Northern Hemisphere, winter begins on the "shortest day" of the year, which most frequently falls on December 21, but occasionally occurs on December 22. Winter lasts until the vernal, or spring, equinox--equal night--around March 20, thus marking the beginning of spring when day and night are equal in length." 

                                                 From the Library of Congress

Began on December 21st

Ends on March 20th

Yes, it is officially Winter in my part of the world and will be until mid-March. As we get closer, I may get a little giddy about the emerging Spring. Spring tends to do that to us. But for now, it is Winter in my gardens, and I am totally embracing it's beauty.

Spring comes soon enough. Well, in theory it does. I must admit there are years when Old Man Winter wants to linger longer than we'd like and sometimes reappears at the oddest times. Last year, for example, when my gardens were covered by a surprise snowfall in May.  But it only lasted for a day or so as it warmed up again very quickly. Weather in Utah often holds surprises... one of the reasons why I love it here.

So don't expect to see a countdown to Spring mentioned here. We celebrate all the seasons and it's Winter's turn to sparkle and shine.

Here's the *and more!

You may notice a change in my name. Meredehuit has been my screen name since I entered the blogging world. In French it means "Mother of Eight", which I proudly am.  But I've decided it's time to embrace my given name... Carolyn.

Carolyn... that just sounds right to me. 

Deserted...

My Thinking Spot...deserted.

(Picture taken from the warmth of my office window so as not to compromise my body temperature... its so-o-o cold in my gardens in the morning.)

Notice there are no critter tracks... no birds, no deer, no foxes, no neighbor cats or dogs... no thinking going on here today.  Too cold!

Visit Katrina at Roses and Stuff 

to view more posts on the theme Deserted.

The Little Icicle That Could

A law of nature is that energy moves where it is easiest for it to go... 

it takes the path of least resistance.

Apparently someone forgot to tell this little Icicle.

Sometimes we just have to make our own path 

to get where we want to go.

DETERMINATION

Luminescent Winter Whites

.

Luminescent Winter Whites dress my garden landscape.

The frigid freezing air allows the scene to linger, which it has now...

 for many weeks. 

The Winter sky entices an array of shades

 from bright...

to blued...

to dulled gray...

as the sun occasionally peeks out from behind clouds 

which at times spill their moisture

 in forms of snowflakes or ice crystals 

floating softly though the light.

The scene is exquisite, 

hardly captured in its beauty through my lens. 

Imagine, if you will, 

fairy dust sprinkled everywhere 

and then you may see in your mind 

my lovely gardens.

GBBD... Bloomin' in Winter

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day January 2011...

Not much blooming in my gardens in January...

we're still sleeping under a frozen tundra with deep freeze temps.

The view from my office window...

not a bloom in sight.

Oh, but the view in my office window is a blooming delight! 

A stark contrast from the snowy scene below.

A rescued geranium brought in from the garden 

after the first freeze in early November. 

Stems trimmed way back, 

and set in the window to soak up the sunshine.

Catching a few rays...

and bloomin' like crazy.

And giving me hope that Spring is just a few months away. 

Just livin' the good life.

Would you believe this is the same geranium that provided a home for the caterpillar that turned red last Fall. Three more little guys hatched after I brought the plant indoors.  They stayed green.

Be sure to visit Carol at May Dreams Garden. She is the lovely host of GBBD.

“Red Sky in Morning, Sailor’s Warning”

So, is it true?

Shakespeare actually said it a little differently: 

“Like a red morn that ever yet betokened, 

Wreck to the seaman, tempest to the field, 

Sorrow to the shepherds, woe unto the birds, 

Gusts and foul flaws to herdsmen and to herds.”

These pictures were taken from my back porch in the early morning of the week of Winter Solstice. They are in order of their occurrence. This sunrise was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. It came and was over within fifteen minutes. The entire eastern sky was afire crossing over onto the western skies in more subtle shades of pink. It was a glorious sight to behold!

Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning.

Weather lore has been around since people needed to predict the weather and plan their activities. Sailors and farmers relied on it to navigate ships and plant crops. 

But can weather lore truly predict the weather or seasons?

Weather lore concerning the appearance of the sky, the conditions of the atmosphere, the type or movement of the clouds, and the direction of the winds may have a scientific basis and likely can predict the weather.

The colors we see in the sky are due to the rays of sunlight being split into colors of the spectrum as they pass through the atmosphere and ricochet off the water vapor and particles in the atmosphere. The amounts of water vapor and dust particles in the atmosphere are good indicators of weather conditions. They also determine which colors we will see in the sky.

During sunrise and sunset the sun is low in the sky, and it transmits light through the thickest part of the atmosphere. A red sky suggests an atmosphere loaded with dust and moisture particles. We see the red, because red wavelengths (the longest in the color spectrum) are breaking through the atmosphere. The shorter wavelengths, such as blue, are scattered and broken up.

A red sunrise reflects the dust particles of a system that has just passed from the west. This indicates that a storm system may be moving to the east. If the morning sky is a deep fiery red, it means a high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain is on its way.

And... she's up!


Good morning, world.

The information for this post was gathered from Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress.

Through the Woods on Snowshoes...

Deep into the woods and over the river... what wondrous Winter sights will we discover as we snowshoe with the grand-kiddos?  Grab your snowshoes and come with us! You don't want to be left behind. The snow is deep and the air is crisp... 

off we go on our final Liberty adventure.

If you want to experience the first two adventures, click on them!

Royal Winter Procession and Rousing Winter Adventure...Fast and Furious!

Remember to take long wide steps 
so you don't stumble on your feet!

Our snowshoes will keep us from sinking up to our knees
in the deep fluffy snow.

Off we go!

Mark this Magical Pine in your memory 
so we can find our way back.

An old Ash tree greets us.
Can you tell which way the Winter Winds have blown?

The bark of the trunk 
brings a splash of color to our Winter scene.

On the other side we find a village of insect homes
and a Woodpecker's favorite place to dine.

Look ahead!

Listen! 

Can you hear the water as it trips over the stones in it's path?
The sound is soothing and pleasant.

Do we dare cross over this snowy old bridge?

Yes! We dare!

 Walk carefully and don't look down at the water 
or you just might slip.

Surely this is where the Snow Fairies live.

Icicles!
Frozen drips of water at the entrance to their home.

The burgundy seeds of the Birch are the bird's delight.

They seem to dance in the cold Winter air.

The sun peaks out from behind the clouds 
and begins to warm the snow 
into drops.

As the forest brightens we sense we're almost back 
to where we began.

There! The Magical Pine greets us.

Take off our snow shoes... 
let's go get some hot chocolate!




Now wasn't that fun?


Thanks for coming along with us!