Dreamscape Jewelry Design

December 6, 2020: Standing in the Cold

it was the snowflakes that fascinated me most”.

— Wilson Alwyn Bentley. 

The first blizzard of the season has hit us here in New Hampshire. Weather newscasters offer warnings of the danger of going out as well as dire predictions of snow falls from 10 to 24 inches. Yet despite, the challenges of dealing with all this snow, there is an element of delight that glimmers through the dismay.

When the landscape is covered in shimmering snow, it almost seems magical how the grays and brown of November, are transformed into a sparkling Winter Wonderland. While gazing at the roads, fields, and forests covered with snow, it is even harder to fathom the concept of how each one of the millions of snowflakes, is unique.

Years ago, on January 15, 1885, a curious farmer from Vermont, Wilson Bentley, became the first person to photograph a single snow crystal. Spending hours out in the cold, he pioneered the art of photomicrography and would go on to photograph well over 5000 snow crystals. He discovered that no two snowflakes, like human beings, were ever exactly the same. https://snowflakebentley.com

Snow provokes responses that reach right back to childhood.

Andy Goldsworthy

While the adult inside of us laments at the trials of a winter storm, the artist and child inside of us marvels at the beauty and possibilities found in fresh, fluffy snow. I don’t remember the cold as a child, but I do remember the delight of making snow angels, snowmen, building snow forts and sledding. We couldn’t wait to go out and play.

Challenging Winter weather also gives us an excuse to put aside all the errands on our to-do list. We can take the time to savor the the quiet of falling snow, snuggle down under a quilt, drink a cup of tea and watch through our windows as the landscape is transformed.

Or we can, like Wilson Bentley, a.k.a Snowflake Bentley, go out, stand in the cold and let the gentle kisses of snowflakes whisk away the concerns of the modern world.

Thank you as always for taking the time to read our blog. We would love to hear your thoughts on how you feel about Winter, in particular, the impact of a fresh snowfall. Please feel free to share this with someone who might find it meaningful.

In the meantime, here are some quotes that celebrate this season of change.

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”

– John Steinbeck

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, ‘Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.'”

Lewis Carroll

“The color of springtime is flowers; the color of winter is in our imagination.”

– Terri Guillemets

“Winter forms our character and brings out our best.”

Tom Allen

“It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it.”

John Burroughs

“We cannot stop the winter or the summer from coming. We cannot stop the spring or the fall or make them other than they are. They are gifts from the universe that we cannot refuse. But we can choose what we will contribute to life when each arrives.”

– Gary Zukhav

“In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.”

– William Blake