Saturday, November 29, 2014

Winter in the South

To the unaccustomed eye, everything may look the same… 

 
At a first glance things may have the same resonance, the same feel to it, the same color or colorless on the wintry landscape...   
 

Here too, our mornings wake up wrapped in chilly blankets of frosty dew, and our temperatures are hitting the 25’s and 26’s… yet, somehow… 


 ...things are not really the same.  It is a different kind of cold around here—a chill, a cold, a wintry weather all the same, but devoid of the bitterness and austereness of the north.  And how marvelous and utterly wonderful and brilliant the sun shines in the south—always leaving a trail of glitter behind and above and all around... always enfolding my soul in blissful delightfulness...


It puts a new kind of song in my tongue this wintery warmth… and I harbor in my soul blessings that I count in clear blue skies and this astonishing sun of the south; which lets me stand still in this frosty nippiness; eyes closed feeling this miracle in my skin of not being struck by cold.  I can hardly believe this is real—this marvelous warmth of a winter southern sun that knows only how to wrap my soul in pleasantness so sweet. 


How marvelous everything looks to me too… this world devoid of the familiar iciness and winds that cut through bones.  I am at awe—dumbfounded at how I don’t see the need for thicker layers and still feel comfortable being outside on a 25 degree morning.  What is it?


I remember how when living in the great white north back at the house in the roses I used to wait for winter solstice with great anticipation—the wheel of time turning more slowly, night coming earlier each day and that sense of quiet anticipation whispering in my ear.  Those days just before Christmas were too short, too dark and ominous for my sunlight thirsty soul.  And I waited for the shortest day of the year for no other reason than just to see it ended… and witness the miracle of time taking place after solstice—of days progressively getting longer; daylight extending wings like butterflies...


I’m so thankful I don’t have to do that anymore.  I cannot say I miss my loved ones any less; I still do miss them terribly and I don’t think I will ever stop missing them.  But I’d never go back to that cold again if I can have this marvelous sun of the south warming my old bones.  

 
Do you like winter?  I mean the really really cold snowy kind of winters? I love winter images… images like these ones here enchant me... they posses such special kind of magic. They make me dream.  If I watch them too much the scenes would become real, they’d come to life and I will be transported right into them and into their white landscapes.   


 See what I mean?  It’s surreal.  It’s magical.  
 But that just happens only in the mystical sense.   


In real life this kind of winter does not seem that romantic to me.  In fact, I don’t do well in winter when the great sun turns his face away and my little world goes down into a white vale of grief.  That’s how I used to see winter… or think of it back then while living at the house in the roses.

My husband showed me a picture on the internet this morning of our old place up north covered up in snow and I trembled… literally.  All the memories rushing down on me as I was being transported  there; to that white-bluish light of the wintery landscape I knew so well.  But then, I looked outside our window and was brought back to reality by this amazing sun of the south warming up the earth outside.  There are times when I still think I’m dreaming.  Dreaming those dreams I used to dream of a white little cottage wrapped in sunshine and no more bitter cold to stand.  How fortunate I am and how my life has taken this unexpected turn towards the sun—the road that brought us south.  It’s almost unbelievable.  
  

9 comments:

  1. It's hard for me to relate to your old winters of the north. I love the pictures of the snow and winter night sky, awash with a thousand stars. It does seem other worldly. I can remember looking at winter pictures you posted from the house in the roses and how beautiful it looked with you outside in your garden of white. I look at that kind of winter as something lovely and magical, but then I don't have to live in it and I don't think I would want to. My idea of winter is temps in the 60's when its cold enough to build a nice cozy fire but there are days of warmth from the winter sun too.
    Its so good to hear you have found your happiness La Reina del Sol.
    Sherry

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  2. I couldn't agree with you more Cielo. I think winter is beautiful when it's in a Thomas Kinkade painting that you can stare at dreamily for a few moments and think, Oh I wish I could live there! But then you return to reality and are relieved that you live where you live, Having grown up in Southern California I only ever experienced (mild) snow three or four times on camping trips to the mountains. That was enough for me. I guess I'm wimpy when it comes to cold. Where I live now, we have 70-80 degree weather year round and only the occasional 60 something day when I have to make a mad dash for the sweaters and knit scarves before we freeze to death.

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  3. I have always been thrilled whenever we got the least bit of snow here in the south. Would love to visit the north during the winter..but only for a short period. It really must become a struggle to endure the bitter cold day after day. Thank you for the kind words about our beloved South. So happy to have you here .

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  4. While I'm not as north as you were, we had no temps above zero the whole month of January this year. I love winter and snow, but it is danger for my son to drive, misery for my arthritus, obstacles for the elderly, and scary in the double digits below zero!! But your Soutgern cold looks and sounds magical.

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  5. Welcome to the Southern Winter. I once was told by a girl from the North that Southerners didn't know how to dress for the winter. Northerners wore hats, gloves, big coats, etc. Southerners wore sweaters and just ran from the house to the car. I just laughed because it is so true. But oh the joy of a snowfall in the South. Everyone runs to the grocery store to stock up even though we know the snow will be gone the next day.

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  6. I think I have lived in the south too long to like cold, snowy winters. I like the kind of snowy days like we had last winter-beautiful in the morning but melting by afternoon. I took lots of pictures and enjoyed it while it lasted. I like the way a day or two of cold are interrupted by a few days that are warmer. I can't tell you when I have worn my winter coat last. I wear sweatshirts or sweaters. I always laugh because if the temp is over 55 and the sun in shining when you go somewhere you will see someone in shorts.

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    Replies
    1. Today is December 1st and it was 70 degrees in the upstate of South Carolina...and yes, I wore shorts all day! I know what you mean by the southern sun! Glad you are here!

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  7. Oh what magical illustrations!!!!

    Oh please, where did you find them???

    I love, love, love such illustrations...

    Tessa~

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