Love, Sol

Woke up to snow again on a Maxfield Parrish painting of a morning, with a delicate sky of apricot and whisper-blue, and the sun a softly shining pearl through candy-tuft clouds.

Parrish painting

Then my trusty shovel and I got to work clearing away the snow from the sidewalks. Of course, I took a few photos during rest periods.

 

Right now, the late afternoon sun is shining strongly through my west windows, and snow is dripping from the eaves. I've been feeling quiet and low-energy after days of clouds, so it is good to see my cats lying in the sunspots gilding the floor and to feel the rays warming the northern world today. A special valentine just for us.

On Saturday morning, I stuck my head out the door to sniff the air and was rewarded with a certain damp freshness that said spring, even though to all appearances winter still rules. And then Sunday, I woke to the sounds of freezing rain and the clear, sweet song of a Northern Cardinal, a beauty I haven't heard for months and months. I lay in bed and smiled in the dawn darkness, knowing that however many inches of snow fall now, winter is on the wane.