And then it was white....

With fresh brewed coffee I made my way to the couch this morning... And as is my habit, I looked out to see what the lake was offering today. To my surprise the blue water had been stolen by the Old Man of the North during the night! There was just a small area about midway across this end of the lake that was still open... The rest was frozen and with a dusting of snow that made it white. The "frozen tundra" time has begun. And with temps not predicted to go above freezing for the next week, it's likely that I won't see a lot of open water out there again until late Winter.


The waterfowl were either crowding into the open water or flying off to find something more hospitable. As the day unfolded and I went off to do my errands I saw that many flocks had formed and were, no doubt, going to journey further to the South before another freezing night. There will be those who stay as long as possible; as long as they have "control" over the open areas and can keep them open. And, sadly, there will be those who because of some injury will not be able to leave the lake and will, in time, be trapped by the water freezing around them. It happens every year  and every year those living in the vicinity must watch, helpless to do anything because the ice has not yet thickened enough to be safe for humans.


I love Nature and Mother Earth... As a child I had the good fortune to be able to wander aimlessly with my dog through woods and farm fields, through hills and swampy lowlands, through creeks and all sorts of bodies of water, through conversations with people and critters all along my way. I got up close and personal with the tiniest of flowers and bugs and snails and baby animals... and I learned so much about so many things. Most important, I learned about the cycles of life and the symbiotic relationships we all share.


From the Bible comes a bit of wisdom that seems to have been inborn in me, and one I've never left behind as I moved through life and into the older years... 

Job 12:7-8 (New International Version)

 ⁷ "But ask the animals, and they will teach you, 

       Or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;

 ⁸ or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, 

       Or let the fish of the sea inform you."

But now it is night, and I "have miles to go before I sleep"... Christmas Eve is tomorrow and I have much yet to do. Things are cooking as I write, and gifts are waiting to be wrapped and tagged. It's good to know that we have snow cover and will have intermitted light snow through tomorrow and Christmas Day... It will be a white Christmas again this year and that always seems to make things just a little better!