WINTER IS HERE!

I forgot how it feels to trudge through seven inches of fresh snow.  Guess it's been a while and I'm getting older as I find myself waddling slowly through the woods with my winter boots and snow pants on this afternoon, the third to the last day of December.

Today is the day after the first real snow storm of the season, and I think our woods needs a visit.  I make my way along the trail to Tom's Creek and then over to the northwest passage where I plunk myself down under an old red oak tree near the edge of the tamaracks and pull out my journal and pencil, with camera on call.

The most striking thing that I notice while sitting here is the sheer calmness that accompanies this new blanket of pure white snow resting on the ground and the evergreen trees.  A few tiny snow flurries land on my coat and amaze me with their intricacies, but the storm has been over for several hours.

I spotted one set of fresh deer tracks and one place where a squirrel had been scratching for acorns in the snow on my way to the creek, but this is undoubtedly a day when most critters are yet bracing themselves for an adventure in the new fallen snow.

Three partridges take flight as I frighten them from nearby spruce trees while I make my way back home toward the cabin.  I look forward to the day when I can capture an elusive partridge on camera.

Bits of blue sky reveal themselves above the thin layer of gray December clouds.  If all goes as planned, there will be a beautiful sunset this evening, at least that's my plan... and I'll be ready for it.

 Although the whole sky didn't light up, I wasn't disappointed this evening with the sunset, a nice way to end a winter's day!

Happy New Year Everyone!

DECEMBER SURPRISE!

I spent a good deal of time today reflecting on the passing of a friend, Angel Gnau, from Portland, Oregon, who lost her battle with cancer yesterday.  She was my mentor for three years since my own cancer diagnosis.  I was sent her way by a group that she volunteered with called "Breast Friends", based in Oregon, through my local clinic here in Wisconsin.

Angel was a nine year survivor of ovarian cancer.  I never met her in person, but we corresponded with email and she was always upbeat and ready to answer my questions and give me tips on how to cope.  You never would have known how she was suffering if you didn't ask her, as she never complained and was always full of hope.

On my way home from a walk down the road this morning, after watching the water trickle through the culverts, I was thinking how empty the world seemed, no squirrels, no deer, no birds singing or in flight.  It seemed too quiet, but I guess that's the way it is in December in Wisconsin. 

This year with the mild temperatures and lack of snowfall it's a little different though, and if you really open your eyes you might be surprised at what you see.  Just after feeling overwhelmed with emptiness on my walk, I spotted a robin in a neighbor's yard!  It was the first time I have ever seen a robin here in December.  I suppose this poor bird never migrated, but then again we can imagine that it did, and since it has now returned, winter is just about over.  How fun is that!

After taking a few photos of the lone robin, I spotted a banded woolly bear caterpillar crawling down the road not far from my driveway.  I picked it up carefully, watching it coil up in the palm of my hand, and placed it in the road ditch so it wouldn't get run over.

Seeing the robin, just five days before Christmas, gave me new hope.  Although December can be a quiet time, this year it is different than any I remember.  I am thankful for the chance to observe the little things in nature around me this month, and I'm thankful that I had the chance to know Angel.  She not only helped me in my struggles with cancer, but so many others as well, and I won't forget her, or the December robin.

Indian Fall in December

I asked for ideas on my Facebook page the other day on what to call the mild weather we are having in Wisconsin this December.  It's been milder than I can ever remember this late in the year.

Earlier in the fall, after a hard frost, when nice weather comes upon us for a brief visit once again, we call it Indian Summer.  It's surely too late for that now, and although fall hasn't officially ended, for the most part it would have been long gone by now here where I live.  This resurgence of mild weather, the kind that makes you feel good in spirits, needs another name as it is also certainly too early for spring fever.  Eric, our friend and neighbor, was the winner when he suggested calling this weather, Indian Fall.  I feel as if we've had a second chance at fall this year for sure.


Our pond is once again completely open, we had thunderstorms last night, and the grass is green;  it's been such odd weather for mid December in Central Wisconsin.  I keep looking for a blooming May Flower in my yard, but I haven't found one quite yet!

Today I thought it would be nice to take a road trip and visit a river somewhere so we headed to Black River Falls.  We stopped at the Bruce Cormican Memorial Canoe Landing on the south edge of town and walked along the Black River for a spell between the rain drops.  The first site my hubby and I encountered when we walked down to the river was a man extending his landing net at the shore to retrieve a walleye, just border line legal at 15".  He released it, but he was smiling.  We asked if he'd ever remembered fishing open water this late in the season and of course he said no, but the weather was just what prompted him to come here and fish today.

I noticed so many green plants along the river bank and kept my eye out for blooming wild flowers but I didn't find any.  Some tree branches had buds that were slightly swelled.


We also ventured over to Perry Creek to a county park that bares its name just south of town.  There is a swinging footbridge there that leads to a waterfall along the beautiful Perry Creek near where it runs into the Black River.   The creek bank is dotted with large white and red pines and river birch.

The rain held off long enough for us to get a short walk in and enjoy the greenery along Perry Creek.  Ferns and moss on the logs and rocky outcroppings along the river were just what I needed to see.  The damp misty cool air reminded me of a trip I took to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State a few years ago in the month of February.  There were not many tourists out and about at that time of the year, but oh was it green and beautiful there!

I don't know if we'll ever see another December like this one in 2015, but it's been grand.  The rain and the cloudy days don't bother me as long as the temps are mild.  Winter will be so much shorter this year, thanks to our Indian Fall!

Me looking for rocks at Perry Creek