Shadows on the Snow

For Marigold, who lamented the lack of a shadow shot in my last scenic post....

Sunday's walk was cold. After a week of zero and sub-zero temps, a Saturday of teasing warmth (30 degrees!) had coaxed the snow into softening a bit, but overnight the mercury crashed back into negative numbers. The snow showed its displeasure by turning crusty on top, and repeatedly giving way underfoot just when our blogger least expected it. (Which made for a very good workout.)

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A bright sun shines from a cloudless sky, casting sharp blue shadows across the wintry afternoon. Shadow of a blogger:

And a turtle:

Shadows of grass:

And trees (and again the blogger):

How the blogger stays warm when wind chills are well below zero:

 The most beautiful shadows are cast by the simplest shapes, I find.

Someone has walked this trail before me - someone with a dog. The human footsteps trudge straight down the center of the path, while the doggy prints swerve joyously from left to right. I can see the dog in my mind's eye, meandering happily, making sudden rushes from grass clump to grass clump to follow a fascinating scent. I wonder which enjoyed the walk more, the human or the dog....

I've turned off the path proper onto the snowmobile trail. A leaf has sunk into the snow, carving a perfect image of itself:

Shadows of trees fall aslant the trail as it curves through a bit of wood:

Tallulah poses on a wind-carved ledge:

We look back at our own footprints...

...then turn our faces to the wind and to home.

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Usually, by late February, I'm desperate for spring and warmth. This year is different. I don't mind the cold; I wish we had more snow; I view with faint alarm the relentless march of the days. Time is moving too quickly, and I have too many projects to finish before winter ends. Is this a sign of age, or merely of overcommitment?

How about you? Are you longing for spring, or are you willing for winter to hang on a bit longer?

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