Here Comes the Sun (and my son, too)

Oh gosh, I don't think I've ever gone a whole week without posting an entry, not since starting this blog on January 1, 2009.  But it's been hard to get outdoors this week, what with holiday preparations and a houseful of wonderful guests, namely, my son Peter and his beautiful family.  But as these photos show, we did get out on one sunny day for a walk along the shore of Moreau Lake, where the children discovered the delightful chirps a pebble will make when bouncing across thin ice.

I had imagined we might walk as far as the back bay, where the children could see the big beaver lodges back there (and maybe a beaver, too!). But it was cold and the kids' shoes and mittens had gotten wet playing along the shore, so we soon headed back to the warmth of our car before the discomforts could amplify into agonies for all concerned.  But we sure did have fun!

The coldest part of the year is yet to come, but at least we can now hail the lengthening of days, now that the Solstice has passed.  I certainly rejoice in the light and warmth of the sun, but I also cherish the dark and the cold of winter,  believe it or not.  Nature also needs her sleep, her time to rest and regenerate beneath the earth's blanket of snow.

With the noisy bustle of holiday celebrations now upon us, I look forward to when I might walk again through the silent snowy woods, the only sounds the sighing of pines, the cheerful chatter of chickadees,  and the almost un-hearable high-pitched peeps of kinglets high in the hemlocks.