Category Archives: Winter

Peekaboo Pepe

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Sylvia and I were sitting at the table eating lunch. Sylvia said, “Look it’s Pepe.” Pepe is the bashful one, but there he sat atop the railing looking at us. I went for my camera, and as I returned Pepe, the rascal, took cover behind the posts. I was not happy. I wanted a shot of the shy one.

It’s usually easy to make eye contact with Pepe, and this was no exception. It became a game. We were playing peekaboo. What fun!



Too soon it was over. Pepe left with mama (aka Chubby). We had the memory and the photos to remind us of that February afternoon.

Unfortuantely, the camera focused on the post and not on Pepe. Please forgive me for posting this anyway.

Where Does Love Go When It Dies?

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Valentine’s Day is swiftly approaching. We like to the positive side of this fantastic pheomenon, but it isn’t always that. On a dreary winter day as I sat alone, I began to wonder about the end of love. Perhaps it was a change of heart. Or perhaps a heart stopped beating. Either way it begs the question.

Where does love go when it dies?

Where do the summer breezes go,
when ice and snow prevail?
Why do my spirits droop so low,
when days are short and pale?
These are some questions that I ask,
myself upon some winter days.
When northern winds blast through my coat,
and freeze me here in place.

Sometimes I think of spring time,
when all the world was green.
Warmth of sunshine filled the air,
and robins could be seen.
I found the joy of deep blue skies,
and of the gentle breeze.
And now it seems ’twas but a dream,
that only my heart sees.

Where do the summer breezes go,
when ice and snow prevail?
Why do my spirits droop so low,
when days are short and pale?
There are many things in this old world,
I cannot understand.
And where does love go when it dies?

Oh, the heat of summer stillness,
I long to feel again.
The sight of growing things,
and birds upon the wing.
And looking back I now can see,
it was so dear to me.
I feel so sad I want to cry,
for it’s just a memory.

Where do the summer breezes go,
when ice and snow prevail?
Why do my spirits droop so low,
when days are short and pale?
There are many things in this old world,
I cannot understand.
And where does love go when it dies?

January Thaw in February

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Winter came early this time around,
The air too soon was frosty,
And I walked on frozen ground.

January brought no joy no thaw,
As winter clamped us in its vice,
But now it’s February and we stand in Awe.

The winter has eased its grip,
the snow and ice just melt away,
No gripes, I’ll just zip my lip.

The other day brought the first of blessed relief from the bitter cold. Unfortunately, the camera cannot handle the high contrast ratio. Reflections on the rivulets looked like sparkling diamonds. I’ll have to get a refraction grating for my camera. (If I can save some money.)


As I turned to take the mail back to the house, I heard the sound of my neighbor’s tractor. It was headed my way. Here came neighbor, Bob, and he was carrying hay.



So soon he passed with food for his cattle (aka: steak on the hoof). It’s a common sight to see this hard-working older fellow. A good man, and a fine neighbor.

How many days to spring?

Life on Bliss Road ~ A Tale of Two Houses

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Do you like my new banner? I took that photo shortly after lunch on Wednesday (Feb 4). While standing at the end of our drive way, I tuned right (north), twisted the camera and took this shot:

Later, I used Paint Shop Pro to crop and resize the image. West-Michigan winter days that bring glorious sunshine and blue skies are going to be cold! And it was bitter cold. But the light was right. It was the perfect day for my photographic project. Except for the cold. Did I mention that it was bitter cold?

After taking the above shot, I turned and walked south along the road about an eighth of a mile (0.2 km) to the site of an abandoned house. It still stands (sort of) on the east side of the road. As you can see, it is falling apart. Every year, some more of it falls down. It’s very sad to see. Very sad to watch the process of deterioration.


According to a friend and neighborhood farmer, the fellow who used to live there had been known for the way he lived and the company he kept. Not the kind of guy you’d want your son to adopt as a role model.

Eventually his wife refused to live with him. (At least according to my friend.) She may have been a bit of a nag. The story is that he built a small house for her across the road from the farm house.


See how this one is falling into ruins as well. It is an unhappy story indeed. And if the story is true, these houses are in the winter of their existence. Perhaps one day spring will come and the old will be replaced with new homes. Dwellings for happy families. At least I hope it works out that way. Some day.

I took my pictures and started to return home. My right hand was freezing cold and was aching. I opened my coat and put my bare hand under an arm so that it could warm. I was glad to return to the warmth of our home.

Footnote: The farm land is still being used to produce food for our tables. Hats off to those who till the soil, plant the seed, harvest and deliver the crops.

Winter Doesn’t Last Forever

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Winter doesn’t last forever — it just seems that way.

Thursday’s trip to Grand Rapids involved driving on slippery roads. Not everyone was driving with enough care, and we saw evidence of that. The [Ionia] Sentinel Standard carried this story. As you can see it was not a great day. Jill, do you still want some of this snow? We have another four inches in today’s forecast.

It’s time to change the topic before it becomes “Sad Saturday” or “Morose Monday.” Think spring. Better yet, think summer with warm gentle breezes and blue cloudless skies. Don’t think about the snow clogged driveway. Think about a relaxing scene.


Summer

Verdant pasture land,
Cattle lay and graze upon,
Your grassy carpet.

_____________________

Winter Blues?

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On Thursday, Sylvia and I met our older son, Bryant, for lunch. It was another of the days that are so typical of winter in West Michigan. The skies were lead gray. Snow was falling, and it was bone-chilling cold!

We used to meet in a pizzeria and sandwich shop, but it was never very comfortable and it was a bit dark. Not a place in which you would want to sit on a dreary, snowy, winter day! Lately, we’ve been meeting at a Steak & Shake, where there is lot of light and it is always comfortable.

I had this conversation with the waitress:

W: How are you folks today?

Me: Happy.

W (not pausing to hear my reply): I don’t know how anyone could be happy on a gloomy day like this . . . Huh? . . .

Me: It’s a choice I make. Every day.

W: Uh . . . Yeah, I guess you’re right. What would you like today?

I can’t tell you how many times that conversation (or it’s first cousins) have taken place. I get some interesting responses. You might try it for yourself.

I thought again of Ida’s posting at Losing Myself on Wednesday. She talked about SAD (seasonal affective disorder). If you get the winter blues, you ought to check it out.

Another source for help is CarePages. Yes, I know. That site is for folks with bad diseases and allows us to follow the progression of their maladies. I first went there to follow the story of a youngster with heart problems. Since then, I’ve followed others — youngsters and adults.

CarePages does more than that. They also offer help to the (mostly) healthy. They have a good article on five ways to deal with the winter blues. Check it out here. See — there are advantages to getting older. 🙂

I hope you don’t have a SAD problem.

A Frigid Saturday ~ For Horses & Cats

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Yesterday, was supposed to be the Annual Sleigh Ride, Chili Dinner, and Silent Auction at the West Berlin Church. Friday had started well, but ended with a cold front moving into our area. For that reason, the horse masters called Saturday morning to cancel the appearance of their magnificent animals.

Despite the frigid air, the horses would have worked up a sweat as they pulled their sleigh. When they stopped to rest they could take a chill that could result in pneumonia, which could be fatal. The horses stayed home.

We missed the appearance of this team of Belgian beauties.

And this powerful pair of Percherons.

Plenty of folks turned out for the food and fun. Some of them were unhappy that the horses didn’t come. (There was even speculation if it was the horses or the horse men that couldn’t take the cold.) There was plenty of very good food and enough tabasco sauce to bring the chili up to a good taste.

It was a good day. Okay, it would have been better with the horses. Let’s hope they’ll come next year when we try again.

Corporal Continues to Strike Out


Our cat, Corporal, continues to fail in her attempts to catch a bird. As I watched the other day, she came gliding in as low to the ground as she could get. She came up the path where the tractor tire had packed down the snow as I pushed it out of the way to make a people path to reload the feeders. This gave her fair cover and she quickly was within striking distance.

Our feathered friends have discovered her tricks and they are not fooled. As before they left. Corporal tired in a few minutes. This is not working! She went over to the post and sharpened claws, stretched and they walked gracefully away. You can’t let defeat show. She will try again.

Corporal Strikes Out ~ Again!

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Corporal has done it again! She severely wounded her feline pride by doing a face plant in a snow bank while missing the birds she was going for. So for the following two days she would regularly visit the area, crouching behind the snow. Unfortunately for our gal, the birds were on to her tricks — they stayed away.


When I first saw her she was crouching, but she became tired. By the time I had retrieved the camera she was sitting up — still waiting, but not crouching. The day before, one junco and one gold finch fed on fallen seeds upon the ground. They always stayed out of range — mostly on the other side of the post. Poor frustrated Corporal.

Both days she eventually tired enough to give up on her hunt. Within minutes our feathered friends returned to continue feeding on sunflower seeds.
Will Corporal ever be successful? Only time will tell. I don’t expect that she’s ready to entirely abandon her quest.
Who do you cheer for? Corporal? Or the birds?