Sunday, January 3, 2010

Just Beneath The Surface


Or out freezing your t-hinder off in the morning
when the thermometer is reading 5 degrees and
the wind chill is below zero.
Nothing will wake you up any faster making the old
sleepy eyes pop open.
What a rush. LOL!





" Hope "

As I went to open the blinds this morning all the signs
of a very cold night were written all over the windows.
Jack Frost had been busy working with his paint brush
while we slept.





The patterns made the windows look like lace
curtains were fastened to them.





Then when the sun begin to rise and shine through
the window panes the patterns were decorated with
clear crystal quartz.





After seeing the pictures the caption I would give
to them if they needed one would be 'Hope'.
Just beneath the stark cold surface of life,
hope shines through to brighten our lives.





After breakfast I ventured out to refill the bird
feeders and to check on the water in the bird bath.
I keep a small heater in it to provide water for
them throughout the winter.
It was just about empty so the birds have been using
it and by the tracks so are the raccoons and stray
cats. I hope they can stay clear of one another
and they all make it through this winter.





While doing these chores I could not help but to
once again go back in to get the camera.
The sun shining upon the snow was an array of
diamonds and colored prisms.
I tried to catch the colored specks of red and blues
but my camera just would not pick them up plain
enough to show up on the pictures but the glistening
snow came through.




The lavender plant seems to be taking all of the cold
thus far with the sparkling snow around it.





Jack Frost
"Someone painted pictures on my
Windowpane last night --
Willow trees with trailing boughs
And flowers, frosty white,

And lovely crystal butterflies;
But when the morning sun
Touched them with its golden beams,
They vanished one by one."

- Helen Bayley Davis -





Gardening Gone Wild is sponsoring a January
picture contest and the title is "Winter's
Beauty" chosen by Alan Detrick, who will be this
months judge. What a fun way to start off the New
Year and give us garden and camera enthusiasts
an escape from the cabin fever of winter and
looking into the beauty of a winter day instead.
Everyone get those beautiful Winter pictures
entered in.
I think I will enter ' Hope ' into the contest
to look for hope into this New Year ahead and
toward the hope of a new Spring.
It certainly will not be the best picture because I
have seen more beautiful ones already entered
but it will
be fun to participate.
Good Luck to all the entries and....

Happy Winter Gardening Everyone!





35 comments:

Darla said...

What a beautiful way to embrace winter....HOPE...I love it!

Unknown said...

Gosh, I'm glad I'm not trying to pick which of your photos to enter, because they're all fabulous! I do love 'Hope', though. Good luck!

Helen said...

I loved all your pictures. The one you are entering in Gardening Gone Wild is outstanding. Helen

Carol said...

Lovely photos Lona! At least winter gives us beauty in its frigid touch. I love those tiny prisms on the sun lit snow too! By the thousands ... I guess it would take us lying on our bellies to capture them ... but your words recreate them for me. I like your caption ... of hope beneath "... the stark cold surface of life." Good luck with the photo contest. Carol

Noelle Johnson said...

Isn't it wonderful that something so cold can be so beautiful?

Christine B. said...

Wishing you a hot cup of cocoa after that post! Hope it warms up for you soon. We are freezing up here in Anchorage at 18F right now. Here's to warmer weather!!

Christine in Alaska

Anonymous said...

Oh Lona, Brrrr! It looks like Jack Frost visited and brought along a bus load of kin as well. Yet the sun's rays are a beacon of hope very well illustrated on your photos and prose. This might be TMI but I've been having hot flashes lately and the cold air is so nice. But in your neck of the woods, we're talking cold! I don't think my hormones need quite that much help. LOL

Stay warm, dear friend. Oh and good luck with the photo contest. I'll have to check it out. Not too many winter photos in my collection, even fewer that are prize worthy....

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

Now that looks cold!!!! Brrrrrrr
Beautiful pictures though(-:

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

oh Lona, your pictures are just beautiful and amazing.
Molly

Amy said...

That is a great photo to enter. Your post made me cold...brrrr! Stay warm... -Amy

Bangchik and Kakdah said...

a beautiful walk through winter, snow, and crystalized H2O.... ~bangchik

Balisha said...

Beautiful pictures..Your picture "hope" is perfect for the contest. Good luck.
Balisha

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

What pretty pictures! It makes me cold just looking at all the frost. I know all the wildlife is glad you're braving the weather to give them fresh water :)

Lona said...

Catherine, those poor little birds look so cold out there in the cold and snow with their feathers all puffed up.I don't know how they stand it.Brrrr.

Lona said...

Balisha; thanks hon.It is fun to enter them whether you win or not.

Lona said...

Bangchik: That old H2Odoen't have a chance in this cold.Thanks for dropping by.

Amy: Hey girl I am trying to stay warm. I do not tarry too long out there LOL.

Molly: Thank you so much. I am so glad you dropped by.

Cindee: Have you got those snow men done yet? LOL. They are going to be sooo cute.

Grace; oh, friend I know what you mean, been there done that. The rushing out doors to cool of or wet towels thing. Red in the face, sweating, PMS everyday of the week. Just ask my grown children.LOL! Poor things. Yes, Grace get in your pictures too. The more the better the contest and the more pictures to look at on a cold day.

Christine: I was ready for warm weather before winter got here. ;-) I am just not a winter person at all. I have hot chocolate often. It take care of the warming me up and my chocolate cravings ;-)

Noelle: It is amazing to see what different patterns are in the crystal frost. I just wish I could have caught the colored prisms reflecting in the snow too.

Carol: I even thought about lying in the snow to catch the colors but waiting for a warmer day had its merits LOL.

Helen: Hey girl I want to see some of your great pictures in the contest!

Jodi: Thank you. These picture contests are so fun whether they win or not.There are so many beautiful and clever pictures I would hate to be in Alan's place to pick one of them.

Darla: Hope you are well once again. We cannot have you ill.

healingmagichands said...

I love the contests too, even though I never win. I keep hoping. . .

Your images are beautiful, I love the sun through the frost.

Jane Doe said...

We are of like mind...aren't the frozen etchings on a window gorgeous? All the photos carry a story of their own, but I love the one you're entering into GGW's photo contest. Best of luck!

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

I am so glad you are entering your picture into the contest. As I read the posting I kept thinking, she needs to submit this!!! That last picture is a good one too.
And good for you to brave the cold and get some water for the birds.

Victoria said...

Truly a magical and beautiful post!!Wonderful!!!

Kathy Green said...

Beautiful ice crystals, Lona. Good luck with the photo contest - it is a great subject to try and portray! Kathy

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

If it were up to me, you'd win the Gardening Gone Wild photo contest easily. I try, but usually fail, at capturing the beauty of frosty window panes. These are lovely. :)

Lona said...

Healingmagichands: Thank you and thanks so much for dropping by. Come back again.

Thank you T! It is an awful day here today. Glad I got the shots when I did :-)

Janet: Thank you! I feel sorry for the little things this time of year.

KiKI: Thanks lady! I would be hard pressed to find any sun today and snowing sideways. LOL.

Kathy: Thank you and so glad you dropped by!

Kate: I had tried some other angles and they were awful but the sun did the trick. I need your snow shoes today girl! LOL

Becca's Dirt said...

Great post. Beautiful sparkles in the pretty white stuff. Ya'll must be freezing your buns off. We're very cold here for us. We'll be seeing the teens tonight. Stay warm and drink hot chocolate.

Meems said...

Brrr, Lona. Those pretty icey photos make me glad we are only in the 30's tonight. No ice here please! This photo contest has me completely stumped since I don't have any options for winter snow photos. Hmmmm... I'll keep thinking of something I can enter.

Anonymous said...

Your frozen window panes are gorgeous, but yikes, what a heating bill you must pay! LOL We had frost covered windows at our old house, even had a bit of "snow" form inside the window ledge. Brrrrr! My Michelangelo rose bloomed all summer, even into December and it smells fabulous! But I have to battle the JP beetles for it, they love it too. I think it's worth it. It grew 8 feet tall at the end.

Anonymous said...

Hope it is, Lona, a lovely sentiment to go with the equally lovely photo. Good luck with the contest and do stay warm and cozy! Filling the feeders requires us to go out into sub freezing temps here as well, they birds are so thankful, they gather right away. We do love watching them. May your 2010 be the best ever for you and yours. :-)
Frances

Lona said...

Becca: It is cold all over now and even worse in the more northern states so I shouldn't complain. Maybe it will kill a lot of insects.

Meems: I have confidence that you will come up with something fantastic.

Robin: Sounds like a wonderful rose. I will be checking into it. The beetles try to get my roses too so that won't deter me.
I am just glad the frost was between the storm windows!

Frances: Thank you so much.I love watching the birds and feel so sorry for them in the cold wind.

Happy@Home said...

Thanks for your recent visit and kind comments. I enjoy discovering new blogs and I can tell that I am going to love yours. The photos are beautiful.
I spent most of my life not too far from you in Michigan. The scenes you are showing in this post remind me of the winters there. I always thought that the ice crystals on the windows were gorgeous. I don't get to see those anymore in NC, so I will enjoy yours.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Great cold shots, I'm shivering just looking at them.

Anonymous said...

A very interesting approach, Lona! You deal with cold I can not imagine! Good luck for the competition! Jack

Annie said...

Your photographs are simply beautiful, with such incredible colours!

Melody said...

Hope is just what I need to get me through a cold winter - the high today was in the 40s before daylight. Its in the 30s now. Too cold for this North Florida girl:)
Melody

D said...

Lona, your photos of the ice crystal formations are absolutely stunning!

Anonymous said...

Glorious photos!!