First Hello of Winter

Well the first hello of winter came, welcome back cold north wind, snow and rain. Stepping out outside I am aware that my insect friends are gone for the season, the ladybugs who have been extremely present the last couple of days are no long hanging around on the post outside the backdoor, grasshoppers, crickets and beetles that I would see while smoking have moved on also. No more spiders and their glossy webs to admire, gone for a few months waiting for rebirth come spring. My bird friends are still around for a bit though, doves, sparrows, killdeer’s, swallow’s and the occasional meadowlark, soon some of these will be moving on also. Shortly the sound of Canadian geese will fill the air along with the huge flocks of sandhill cranes making their way south. When the cranes and geese return it will be time to get in the car with a thermos of coffee, drive along the river roads and admire them feeding in the freshly harvested bean, corn and alfalfa fields.

Not a fan of winter but it is a fact of life in the Midwest, the land doesn’t have enough trees to block the wind completely. Don’t mind the snow but the ice is annoying, mainly because it is the pits to drive on and you have to be extra careful of other drivers. I have a bit of a different mindset this year so I wonder will I be more aware of the season and will my eyes see more than before, or as the months move along will I become more blinded and just get anxious for spring? Time will tell, time to put more focus on seeing beauty all around me. It is easy to see beauty in nature during spring, summer and fall, but the sleep of winter with the cold is another thing. Like everything else it is mine to hold or throw away, to be open or closed. Live in the moment, the now, the seen and unseen.