One of my favorite things about winter in the Appalachians is the juxtaposition of green against white. Whether moss, lichen, rhododendron, or fern, there is something hopeful about green vegetation pushed up against a fresh white snow. It reminds me of the persistence of life, despite harsh conditions. I also love winter in Appalachia for … Continue reading Nature as ice sculptor
We sat at the dining room table last night, eating an appropriately collegiate dinner of burritos, and watched a winter scene unfold through our townhouse windows. Out our back window, I watched quarter-sized snowflakes fall straight down in the black night, sticking to snow stacks in the trees, lending their wet weight to already laden … Continue reading Sledding at Night (Or: Life in a College Town. With Kids. Part 2)
After three years in Minnesota, I keep wondering when winter will arrive in Blacksburg. It’s January now. Shouldn’t I be warming my mug so its cold, greedy clay won’t suck all the heat from my coffee? Or pulling our down comforter up to my ears rather than kicking it off in the middle of the … Continue reading Waiting for Winter
Butterfly Mind 