Nature Notes

Monday, February 4:

Freezing rain and ice in the night topped yesterday's 4 inches of snow. We awake to a thick blanket of fog, with temperature's in the mid-40s. We head to the woods for a walk. All sounds seem amplified, to the point you want to talk with words as light as a feather, or no words at all. We hear the sound of running water, as water drips from trees. But it seems more than that. The snow pack is melting, settling into what must be a river of water underneath.

When we talked on the phone later, I told Mother what we observed. She said the water was headed to the Mississippi River. To which I responded: "Into the Gulf, the Sea, and then back to me."

Winter is really different here. Things seem very changeable. We wonder if that is normal, since weather patterns seem to be changing everywhere. By mid-afternoon, the temperatures were in the 60s, the fog had burnt away, coats were cast aside and sunglasses were needed. It was absolutely beautiful. The snow was ALL gone. Or was the snow a figment of our imagination? Beginning tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, we are back on winter storm watch until Wednesday morning. Thunder is possible. We did have thunder and lightning yesterday. It wasn't much, but it was the lowest, longest, gentlest rumble of thunder I think I have ever heard.

After the dry spells of the last few seasons, all of Nature seems to celebrate the moisture. We 3 Humans do too.