Ma Nature is Listening

Two mornings of
defrosting the horse waterers with my hair dryer,
coaxing the water pump to work,
walking the dogs in the cold, biting wind,
breaking ice out of the water buckets,
and carrying extra hay to sheep,
had me questioning my love of winter.

Then, the wind died down last night,
the stars came out,
the almost-full moon illuminated the ice crystals on the ground,
I was surrounded by thousands of twinkling lights,
and I loved winter once again.

Noticing the Absence

When traveling to Wyoming, I remember seeing rock that wind wore and carved over the years. For the past six days, I've felt like those rocks. The wind has gone non-stop, never howling, just a steady 10 or 20 mph that makes me scrunch my shoulders and hide my face, that makes me want to escape to the indoors, only to find there is no escape. The wind pushes the cold into the farmhouse. The wood burning stove, which usually keeps the house warm, can't keep up with the wind and freezing temperatures. The furnace kicks on frequently day and night. I never feel warm. Until this morning, when the wind stopped. I walked outside and threw my shoulders back and held my head up and enjoyed the snow and stillness that surrounded me.