First Snow Magic

The first snow of winter is always magical. This year, the snow fell during the time of a fat full moon and soft pink sunrises. It cheered Squirrelboy even though he was kept indoors with a nasty cough. Faerygirl collected some in a bowl. Some years, November comes on gray and grumpy, but this winter has arrived gently and full of sweet promise. We are enjoying cocoa, the warmth of our woodburning stove, and the playfulness of our new kitten, Honey. She is a wee black furball full of fierceness. She intimidates our old one-eyed dog, Tabby and climbs up on my shoulders to take a nap. Faerygirl decided that the Lord of Dragonwood needed a kitten for his birthday, and so little Honey is now a part of our family. Squirrelboy was fit enough to return to school this morning, and he delighted in finding thin ice covering the driveway puddles. This morning's snow cover looked like a thin coating of powdered sugar over the florest floor, dry and granular. I'm happy for Squirrelboy, headed back to school. Yesterday he missed his teacher and his friends so much! He said, "school is the awesomest place on the planet, even better than McDonald's." Today the Lord of Dragonwood is taking a day off and I have not been called in to substitute teach, so I look forward to an enchanting day of welcoming the beautiful season of winter.

Misty Moisty Morning

Snow on the ground.
Rain comes down.
Fog rises.
Misty, moisty morning with steam in the air.

Squirrelboy and Faerygirl squelched through the slush on this mysterious, creepy morning. Faerygirl remembered a Stephen King story she'd read about an evil fog. I forbade her to speak of it, since it was truly dark and foggy, and I could imagine my own shadowy horrors lurking in the mist. At one point, I saw electric blue sparks somewhere in the woods (could it have been static electricity from the hair falling over my eyes?). Instead, I recalled a charming story I'd read as a girl about a village that only appeared in the fog. Faerygirl thought that was a nice idea. Squirrelboy enjoyed kicking the slush, and Faerygirl remembered how she used to enjoy doing the same. Too soon, the bus loomed up out of the fog, blinking and twinkling its safety lights, to take my daughter away. Squirrelboy's mitten found my hand and we went to fill the woodburner for the day's heat.

The Sacrament of the Woodburner

The Lord of Dragonwood and Faerygirl performing the Sacrament of the Woodburner in February

It is early when you find yourself at the top of the stairs, adorning yourself in thick layers. Chilly air hits your face outdoors, but the daily pilgrimage must be made. Perhaps you don't really want to go, but the sacrifice is important to keep your family warm. The dark lies heavy on the world, even though you know the glint of sunrise is not far from coming. The woodburner must be approached with solemnity and caution; after all, you don't know yet what you will find inside. Some mornings, the open door belches forth hot smoke that could singe the unwary, and some mornings there are merely warm ash and coals. Reach in with the broken garden rake, stir the ashes to find the still burning coals. Go forth, and hunt fuel. Sometimes, you must dig through the snow to find it. Bring the fire to life with sticks and scraps of wood from the Manor construction. Lay on great logs, to sustain the fire as it burns all day. Dust it, perhaps, with the creosote preventer. Then close the great door. Listen as the machinery clacks and whirrs its power, moving hot water through the house. By this time, you can tell the day is coming. The morning rush surges in your blood, and you are now ready for tea and breakfast.

Every morning, I have honored this time. It is my daily time to contemplate, and to sense the changing of the seasons. But last night, we let the woodburner go out. Although we may keep it going a little longer, the sky is no longer dark in the morning, nor are the temperatures so cold. Another morning ritual must replace this daily visit to the source of our warmth. Perhaps it is time to turn to greeting the sun! It's quite nice to take a cup of tea on the deck and toast the sunrise.

A Winter Picnic

When Faerygirl was wee, I used to take her out for winter picnics. Sometimes we would slip into the kayak and paddle down the creek to an island. There we would find a log to sit on and have a snack. This was when we lived along the Wildcat Creek, so it was only a short trip...but always exciting. Today, I felt gloomy being stuck in the house for so long by winter weather and illnesses. So I decided to seek adventure. I put on my flashy earrings, bought last summer at the farmer's market, a jingly-jangly bracelet made for me by my girlfriends and some outrageous costume jewelry. I bundled up Squirrelboy and packed my dad's old army backpack with surprises. Then I donned my favorite leather jacket and my cloak. We set out into the snow. Squirrelboy is not very fond of the snow and the cold, and truthfully, neither am I. But sometimes you have to face discomfort to find what you need. We explored a little, worked through a tantrum (sigh), and then found a destination worthy of our expedition. In the woods, Faerygirl has built many "hollows". This particular one, her latest, is woven of branches and still-living trees bent over. It looks like an igloo. Being a grown-up, I had to dig into the snow just to create an entrance I could slither through on my knees and forearms. Squirrelboy enthusiastically followed. Once inside, I could sit upright, bundled in my cloak. Then I opened the bag and shared the clandestine treats I had packed. Oh, I did it right! Peanut-butter crackers, dried fruit and nuts, marshmallows, and kool-aid mini-packets to dump in water bottles (from last year's birthday parties). It was wonderful to sit in a woven shelter looking out at the snow and enjoying a forbidden treat (yeah, we don't eat a lot of sugary snacks here in Dragonwood). But it was so appropriate, and we were happy. As we finished up, we left a nut for the squirrels and marshmallows on sticks for any snow sprites that might be around. The moment I mentioned "snow sprites", a bunch of snow fell down right on my head!! I hope they like their marshmallows. Fingers burning from the cold, I managed to follow Squirrelboy out of the igloo and wander towards home. It was a short outing, but a merry one. I highly recommend a winter picnic to anyone who is feeling the winter blues.

Hoarfrost

It's been a snowy week. Three out of five school days were cancelled due to weather. I start feeling a bit isolated when we are snowed in for so long, but the heated floors and prudential grocery shopping (before the winter storm) certainly help. Unfortunately, the Lady, Faerygirl, and Squirrelboy have all been "under the weather" with sore throats and nasty energy-sapping colds. Still, nothing can mar the beauty of this day! As the sun started its way up the sky, the branches of the trees swiftly turned white. At first, a bare glisten graced the branches, but as we watched, a thick coat of hoarfrost formed. The woods became utterly enchanting. Every surface outdoors is now covered with perfect crystalline structures. It makes the forest look fuzzy. Above, the skies are blue and the sun shines. The tops of the trees are brilliant. Our family went out doors for a while to enjoy the bizarre cold beauty.

TreetopsBeehives

Dragonwood Manse

Window View

Blue (Da Ba Dee)

Blue is the color of the morning and evening this snowy February. Not the pale blue of a summer sky, nor the inky velvet of a starry night, but a bright cobalt you expect only in a painter's box or a child's plastic toys. And it's not just the sky. The snow also reflects, resonates, radiates this color blue. It's like being enveloped in slow bluesy jazz, smooth and vibrant. These mysterious sensuous blues don't exist very long, only in the moments before sunrise and after sunset. Stark trees stripe the landscape with their black silhouettes. It's ineffably beautiful and almost impossible to capture with words. Not even photos can do it justice.

Owl Eyes

A lonely screech owl wails in the dark woods. The air is still. There are no stars shining, nor moon. As Faerygirl and I stride down the driveway, our pupils dilate to monstrous sizes. The rapidity of the iris movement is almost painful as our eyes adjust to the dimness of the light. We have owl eyes now, and if we look at each other, we see huge dark eyes in pale faces. This darkness makes us look even more elven in our heavy cloaks. We started having owl eyes earlier in the year, broken by a brief respite as daylight savings time came, but now it is December. The days only get shorter. Sometimes, we have a sparkling diamond sky with a luminous moon, sparkling off snow. But this morning is warmer, and there is a lot of cloud cover. It's really time to be in bed, this darkness tells us. Winter is a time to cuddle in warm blankets, sleeping and dreaming until the sun's light returns. But schoolbuses and schedules do not respect the rhythm of the seasons, so here we are, standing in the dark, with our owl eyes opened.

And Then There Was One

Unfortunately, we lost one of our beehives over the winter. A few days ago, they were fine. But the lack of honey in the hive led to starvation. It's not uncommon, in our area, for people to lose hives this way. Still, it's sad to see the evidence of their last moments. All the bees are as deep into the comb as they can be, where they plunged in order to scrape out the last bits of honey. And then the cold got them, since they could not keep up enough energy to stay warm. We are feeding our other hive with sugar water, hoping to nurse them along until the first nectar flow. Fortunately, that comes early in the woods with the trees producing flowers and pollen long before the last of the frost season. Until then, we will hover like nervous parents, hoping that our little ladies can hang on one more year.

The sun is watery and pale,

less yellow than the small patch at the end of the driveway,

left by some dog, no doubt.

I feel clean,

cleaner than the snow scattered with leaf detritus

shaken from the quiet trees.

My cheeks hurt,

much more than a tingle because ten degrees is cold

halfway through the morning till noon.

Dragonwood in Winter

Dragonwood is a very pretty place in the winter. Last week, I took these pictures. Forgive me if the pictures are not as gorgeous as they could be. I make no claims of photographic excellence.

This first picture shows the driveway. It circles around this clump of trees and brush and grapevines. Some of the smaller trees are pawpaws. We eat the fruit, which tastes of apple custard, in September.

Let's head out to the back yard. We're following a rabbit trail through the deep snow. Look at how much snow is mounded up on the torches and the birdhouses!

Weeds. Call them what you like, but I call them beautiful.

Faerygirl and Squirrelboy enjoy playing together on a Snow Day!

Here's a little story for those that can read it. On the top is a close up of some interesting marks I found in the snow. On the bottom is a broader picture. The tracks start in the tree shadow and culminate in the marks that are featured in the closeup. See if you can tell what happened! I'll answer your guesses in the "comments" on this post.

Finally, here is a picture of Dragonwood from the back yard. You can catch a little peek at the Manor, which is currently under construction. I am purposely not posting pictures of the Manor House yet, because I intend to post Dispatches about the earlier stages first.

Current Dispatch

Drip, drip, drip...That's the sound of snow melting here in Dragonwood. It's warm, comparatively, at about 40 degrees Fahrenheit this afternoon. Squirrelboy had fun jumping in puddles. Although it is hard midwinter, I am always amazed by the amount of green just hiding under the snow. It seems flax rather likes the cool weather, as it appears to be thriving. Many of the "weedy" broadleafed plants in the yard also turn green at the slightest provocation. The insects are still sleeping, though, and I miss them. I hope the bees are all right. Faerygirl has been fighting a fever, but is slowly recuperating. The Lord of Dragonwood is working on the roof, clambering about and finishing the last tasks needed to enclose the Manor.

Current Dispatch - Greyness

Grey settles over Dragonwood today. The leaves have coated the ground, leaving most of the trees bare and ominous. Your narrator feels the dullness of grey, the urge to leave for warmer climes, the desire to huddle in warmth and semi-consciousness. Not to mention fighting a wearisome cold. I shall continue the story of Dragonwood in future posts, but my writing also falls flat as well on a day like this.

Squirrelboy had discovered the joy of writing, and festoons all the scrap paper and cardboard boxes he can find with his "letters". Far be it from him to be conquered by such a day!