A March Snowfall

Amazing what a "now you see it, now you don't" world the natural world is. Yesterday the trails were bordered with the vibrant green mosses, today, they have returned to a frosted white. About 2" of snow fell here, enough to cover each branch, but easy to walk through. It is a delight that needs to be seen quickly, because a March snow "waits for no man" and it will be gone as soon as the sun comes out. But if you got out, or if you have a tree out your window, here is something that delights me. Without checking your Acue weather site you can see which way that wind was blowing last night, and still is, by just seeing which side of the tree is plastered in white. My bit of woods seem to have clearly recorded a NW wind, for that is the side that is masquerading as a birch tree this morning.

Something else that delights this easily amused person, is to walk in the woods, look one way at the trees and their trunks are all brown, flip and look the other way, the way the wind was blowing, and you see a forest of "birch" trees. Beautifully white. And you thought you had to go to the Berkshires for that sort of view. The other most breathtaking spot after a snow is anywhere that their is a tangle of briars. Here on the Cape we have bull briar, cat briar, and greenbriar and maybe others I don't know about,but they make these impenetrable tangles that would surely send a German Forestmeister into a fit, but when it snows, they must gather a full 50% of the snowfall on their branches. You can see why any rabbit or small animalable to get between the briars would find a lovely haven under them. Much less snow there and insulated from the wind.

Where I walk there is a wild tangle of briars on one side of the trail and then an abandoned cranberry bog on the other. This bog has been taken over by high bush blueberry, which with its twisted, zig zagging branches,catches equally as much snow as the briars. And, if I happen to be there when the sun breaks through and each branch turns to diamonds, well it just doesn't get better than that. I am a "Yeah God" person, as so many of you know, and so many times, when I take this walk I am struck by how apt the verse in the Psalms is where David says, "the boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places for me". That's it exactly, the boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places for me indeed, and for many of you too.

So consider this a peptalk to get out today, see what delights you, and than be amazed that, if you found it, it cost you nothing, but gave you so much.

Oh man Pat, are you going to get preachy on us? Perhaps, sometimes I just can't help myself. Perhaps I should give you warning when a Yeah God moment is coming eh?

OK, now I am rambling. Remember this is just for fun, and just because I do think of all of you so often when I am out there.. Oh, I wish they could see this, or, I have to remind them to look for that. So, through this, I can do just that, tell you what I saw and hope you might get out, delight in something, and then tell me about it. I would love to hear from your corner what "glory" you saw today. Oh, I did have another thing, but I know you are saying "Uncle" so I'll save it for another time..has to do with Sweet Fern. Another time.

Pat