Happy New Year to all sunrise watchers.
I awoke this morning during that period of pre-dawn light which I have come to love. There is enough light to see everything around you, but not quite enough for color. I love to get up and clamber my way through the lengthy ritual of winter layering in the reduced sensory atmosphere of monochromatic illumination.
It was a lovely, pink and white winter dawn. We have enjoyed a couple of weeks of consistent cold and one or two new installments of snow dusting, so the skiing and snowshoeing remains perfect in the back fields.
Another thing I love about this season is the visible signs of passage on snow. Not only do I see the signs of bird hopping and deer and rodent trails, I can also see the signs of human travel. My two sisters and a brother-in-law made a spontaneous trip to spend New Year's with us, and our ski tracks are still out there to remind me of that wonderful visit.
The holidays were wonderful, family packed, and busy, but I'm ready to get back to business. I have a couple of resolutions to tackle, and I'm ready to get started.
But I felt a little twinge of longing to visit this blog. I actually saw two December mornings with the intention of posting, but life got in the way. So I leave you with a plethora of back yard photos this morning - from today, December 30th after the first snow, and December 22nd, just before the snow.
May you all enjoy a sense of new beginnings, no matter where you are in the world or in your life -
December 30th --- (perhaps a bit beyond dawn, but the morning light on that glorious day was irresistible)
Clara with a dog cousin...
Dec. 22nd - last day of ice perfection before the snow blanket arrived. We had a 3 hour, 5 on 5 hockey game that day, with our Pakistani exchange student in the goal. Another first, for sure.
Guster was leashed to keep his bark away from sleeping guests. Clara discovered what fun it is to play with Guster on a rope ---
