brilliant sunshine, temps minus 12
A stunning winter day. After all the snow we had it's still in the trees and on the branches and piled on top of our stone walls and birdfeeders. And now comes the first cloudless day. It just looks like heaven. Sets the heart to thumping it's so beautiful. And peaceful. I think there's no peace on earth like a still, calm winter day. Every sound is muffled. The snow is undisturbed by tracks.
The only thing moving are those flying pigs mascerading as birds.
Last night it was a clear, clear night. And if not a full moon then almost. You should have seen the gleam. On the midnight snow it was almost daylight. And the moonshadows? Bold, clear.
What a world.
Today I'm looking after odds and ends. Lise (as part of her taking charge of Michael's area) needs storage boxes so we're consulting over that. Some photocopying necessary. Some emails and phone calls. Details. I hate details. But I generally have a day when that's all I do, and it's amazing how much can be done in very little time. Classic, isn't it? I dread it for days then get it all done in half an hour.
Be well - and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
8 comments:
Dear Louise, thank you for sharing a mind-picture of your world with us. Yes, isn't the full (or almost full) moon making such a glorious show this month! And with snow, it's fairly close to magical...quiet, stunning, true beauty. We have ugly brown/faded green ground, no snow right now here, so seeing your beauty took my mind to a better view. :-)
And yes, the pigs masquerading as birds! HA! We feed birds here, too, in our back area, and our window by our eating table is high up from the ground out back. So years ago, my husband sunk and concrete-ed a 30-foot high pole with an arm the feeder hangs from,(feeder is sort of built like a house, with a slanting roof, with glass sides on the longer walls, and seeds come out below the glass onto a tray, both sides, the birds perch and grab a seed to take elsewhere, or sit there and eat seeds), and we sit at our table wand watch. It's up and down by a pulley, yes, it's a chore, and cold...but with that, we can watch what we call "Bird TV", always fun and always interesting, and always beautiful, these bird-pigs. :-) It's an ongoing great time for us, and the birds too, in winter. :-)
In summer, since we live in a VERY rural area, where people still family-farm, there are a lot of natural seeds and feeds in the fields and woods all around; plus in summmer, the ones that fall to the ground draw critters and bad stuff we don't want, so they feed themselves. In harder times for them, we are the bounty and we love watching them, so it's a great trade-off.
The bookmark of Three Pines sounds wonderful! And making order out of a mess....have you seen her? or is she amongst all that stuff? :-)
Congrats on the mammogram, and on not worrying about it.
Also, big congrats on how your books are being lauded and applauded! I am so proud of you, and so proud that others are acknowledging good writing! :-) Yay! (that's me cheering)
Have a great day, and thanks for sharing with us, Louise.
I enjoyed reading your blog today. I live in Vancouver which is a still a bit snowbound although it is raining now, but grew up in the Eastern Townships. This summer I found out about your mystery series (I remembered hearing you on CBC radio when I was back east) and when I read the first mystery, wondered what town could be Three Pines so was led to your blog. I am looking forward to reading your latest as I am very familiar with Honey Manor and North Hatley and could also totally relate to your treacherous drive through the Townships. Take care!
The only thing to compare with a crisp January day, the sun shining on the snow,flashing sparkles of ever colour captured there, is a still January night under the glow of a full moon -- a frozen world, clean, pure, intoxicating.
Summer, with its lazy days and long August shadows, is lovely, but cannot compare.
None of it -- visual as it may be -- contains the power of the words that describe it: You took me back to another time with just two words: moonshadow, moonshadow.
I forgot to say, thank you for that.
Dear Bobbie,
What a beautiful description - of being the 'bounty' - and loved the Bird TV. Will have to tell Michael. Sometimes it turns into quite a drama when Mr. Squirrel shows up.
Dear Meredyth,
such fun hearing from someone intimately familiar with this area - yes isn't that a terrible stretch of highway? Though we were very envious of your snow over Christmast - we had rain.
Dear Hilary,
I wonder if we're of the same vintage, since we seem to share so many of the same experiences. And how beautifully you describe those amazing shadows. Thank you.
Not quite of the same vintage. Close enough, but I've been aging somewhat longer than you -- which I think allows me to lay claim to being full-bodied, oakey, with traces of the sixties or somesuch.
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