Winter Storm Inga

Winter Storm Inga from the Ridge Near My House

The storms have been coming one after another spreading snow and/or ice, bringing with them howling winds and dark skies.  There is a moodiness to the landscape. It doesn't feel quite as hospitable as usual, but it is also more mysterious and it is possible to see vistas that aren't usually accessible with all the leaves. 

The Road Not Taken

When I saw this when I was out walking my dog, it immediately made me think of the Robert Frost poem–only there were yellow weeds and the weather was not fair.  The choice of whether to stay on the road or follow this path was easy to make, unlike it often is in life.  It was so bitter cold that I actually didn't actually choose either and turned around and went home.

One Leaf Remaining

There I was greeted by a wintry scape the snow-lined branches and a grey mountain peak in the distance.  Suddenly I noticed one reddish dead leaf hanging on. How had it managed this is in such high winds and so late in the season. There are always the hangers on in nature, the ones that don't give up, the underdogs that somehow persist and I love them.

Snow Clinging to Bark Crevices and Vines

It is funny how snow finds areas to cling on in high winds.  It created such beautiful patterns with the vines and lichen.  In winter I notice the trunks more as the leaves aren't there to distract me.  The world is somehow more solid in winter, demonstrating its stalwart objective to survive and endure until spring comes again.  .