arboretum winter walk

1.27.10 ~ New London, Connecticut
1.27.10 ~ New London, Connecticut

Here we go again! Following the repeated urgings of the local weather forecasters, yesterday I shoveled about two feet of packed layers of snow and ice off of our balcony. It was so pretty but roofs and decks all over Connecticut have given way under the weight of these record snow falls. And cold temperatures. We haven’t even had our typical January thaw!

And the forecast? Snowstorm tomorrow, ice storm Wednesday, snow storm Saturday…

1.27.10 ~ New London, Connecticut
1.27.10 ~ New London, Connecticut

These pictures are more from January a year ago, a different day when my sister and I took an early morning walk through the arboretum. Notice there is no snow on the ground, and you can see how drab Connecticut usually is for a good part of the winter. Which is probably why I love snow storms so much! But not this much!!!

1.27.10 ~ New London, Connecticut
1.27.10 ~ New London, Connecticut

But I have enjoyed curling up with my new Kindle, a birthday gift from Tim. πŸ™‚ The feature about it that delights me the most is that I can adjust the size of the print to make reading a breeze, no matter what mood my eyes are in. I think in the long run this will be cheaper than buying new reading glasses every time my middle-aged eyes begin to get persnickety. And maybe I can get the size of my physical library under control, while my cyber library grows.

1.27.10 ~ New London, Connecticut
1.27.10 ~ New London, Connecticut

And the day climbs down from its blue loft-bed on a slanting ladder of sunbeams,
pauses a moment between the trees, airy-light, young.

~ Hans BΓΈrli
(The Quiet Room)

I noticed two of my Facebook friends talking favorably about an author named Mary Oliver, and so selected one of her books as my first choice. I found out that she has been called the Bard of Provincetown. Already I’m enjoying all the connections the poet and author has to one of my refuges on Cape Cod. πŸ™‚

1.27.10 ~ New London, Connecticut
1.27.10 ~ New London, Connecticut

Batten down the hatches! Are we ready for more of this unbelievable winter?

10 thoughts on “arboretum winter walk”

  1. It is nice to compare years with your photos, than you can remember! Yet being in the moment is important.
    Yes we usually don’t have this much snow still either and we are expected to get the rain and ice storm too… Hmm?
    I am glad you have found Mary Oliver, I was introduced to her from one of the men at Easton who was from Boston. I have sought her words out a few times but poetry has to hit me at the right time and used in a way that expresses a moment of now…
    Books, books and more books. I usually get stuff from the Library or at yard sales so as not to buy new … but I still like the feel and texture of a book!

    Have a great day, stay warm and cozy!

    I am Love, Jeff

    1. Being in this moment, a very snowy moment… πŸ™‚ They say this “monster” storm stretches from New England to New Mexico…

      Because of the season I chose Mary Oliver’s “Winter Hours,” which has her thoughts about the works of other authors, like Robert Frost and Walt Whitman. Poetry does have a way of focusing on the moment of now, especially haiku.

      If you ever come up this way I will have to take you to the Book Barn. A used book paradise for bookworms!

      My hands still love the feel of a book, but my eyes have been uncooperative in recent years and it’s a pleasure to read again without squinting or fussing with the irritation of glasses!

      Hope you stay safe and warm inside for the duration – don’t let Muffin and Riley drag you out there too often!

  2. These are beautiful photos, Barbara and I too love Mary Oliver’s poetry. Her connection with nature and the way she communicates it is so inspiring. Keep safe and warm over these next couple of stormy days!

  3. I like the photo of that tree and the way it moves upward with two main trunks. Saw that you mentioned Mary Oliver on Facebook today (yesterday? the day before?) and wanted to say something. I finished the Christmas present from my son that was lost and finally found its way to the U.P. It is called “Swan.”

    Here is a Mary Oliver poem for you:

    What Can I Say

    What can I say that I have not said before?
    So I’ll it again.
    The leaf has a song in it.
    Stone is the face of patience.
    Inside the river there is an unfinishable story
    and you are somewhere in it
    and it will never end until all ends.

    Take your busyheart to the art museum and the
    chamber of commerce
    but take it also to the forest.
    The song you heard singing in the leaf when you
    were a child
    is singing still.
    I am of years lived, so far, seventy-four,
    and the leaf is singing still.

    1. Oh Kathy, the poem is so beautiful, every word of it! Thank you so much for sharing it! Art museums and forests, places of transcendence, and how comforting and inspiring to know the leaves from childhood journeys into the woods are singing still…

  4. Lovely images, Barbara! I’ve been reading about your winter in the news pages recently! Sounds astonishing, much like the work of Mary Oliver, who really is a delightful observer of the world and its moods. A terrific poet for the season. Enjoy and stay warm!
    Best wishes, Julian

    1. Thank you, Julian! I was even more astonished last night when a satellite picture of this storm was shown on the evening news. A huge blob of white clouds covering most of the nation, 30 states.

      Somehow I’m not surprised to learn that you are a Mary Oliver fan, too. πŸ™‚ I finished reading “Winter Hours” this morning and will now have to decide which book to pick next!

      Hope you’re having a mild winter and keeping yourself warm, too!

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