A nice light fresh snowfall along the Poudre River and cold
“Don’t think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It’s quiet, but the roots are down there riotous.”
Rumi
Maybe 2 inches of snow fell yesterday. I made a drive north of town on Larimer County Road 19 and stopped at the North Shields Natural Ponds where I took this image of the Poudre River. I continued north and one more of the trees. It is snowing in the mountains and the reason you cannot see them in either image. It was clear blue skies a couple miles north of this image. As I returned to town so did the cloudy skies and snow. One reason I headed north was to find the quiet. And I did.
… but the good news is we’re suppose to reach a high of 23 degrees to day. After seeing this on my phone app, I bundled up and headed for the bus. There was no desire to scrape ice and snow off the windshield of my car and deal with traffic or parking. This storm brought us 4 inches of snow, making everything have that beautiful winter scene. But, dang the cold! Anyway….
I felt a strong emotion rise to the surface while on my bus ride this morning. Tears welled up in my eyes, not from sadness or pain but more along the lines of some feeling of love. What is strange about this feeling of love is because of an incident of anger that happened 15 minutes earlier while leaving the condo. I was running a couple minutes late and if I didn’t hustle I would miss the bus which would cause me to have to wait a half hour for the next bus. As I grabbed the doorknob I remembered I needed to get my renewed bus pass out of the pocket of my backpack and felt the anxiety within. As I took the backpack off I got tangled up with the straps and my anxiety burst into anger and choice words (#@&!). Almost immediately after hearing the words come out of my mouth and noticed my increased emotions, I took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. I ask myself what was I really angry at? It was sure not the backpacks fault. This led to a few moments of reflection. While walking to the bus stop I became aware of how much I wanted the world to run smoothly all the time, especially for me. But, the reality is life is not like that.
Then while on the bus I observed these students solemnly heading to class and wondered what they may be going through. I could see some to be stressed out with school or worried about some relationship that is struggling. Maybe there are health problems in their life, theirs or family. No one’s life runs smoothly all the time nor is there a reason to expect it. The real question is how we face and deal with life. For me the feeling of love on the bus was for those who may be going through much more than getting tangled up their backpack. I have much to learn. Sigh! If you read this far, thanks for listening.
“Let’s work to enjoy every sunrise and every sunset to the maximum degree possible, soaking it all in, mindfully.” Beth Frates
I believe each day is a chance for gratitude, not that I do that each morning. It’s progress I’m after. This morning started out with a red sky in the east but has been cold and overcast with a chance of snow. So that red sky offered a moment of gratitude. I am also grateful for this small little condo I have. It is a cozy one bedroom, one bath place of about 760 square feet. It’s just right for a slothful bachelor to keep “sorta” clean. I am grateful for the wicker rocker I’m sitting in that looks out from my bedroom bay window. This window faces south/southeast so with morning sun coming in I have a place for quiet time in the sun. Yes, feeling some gratitude this morning. Stay warm!
Fellow photographer, Mark Graf, posted a very interesting and well written post that has been preoccupying my mind lately. He addresses the effects humans are making on nature and in my opinion does a great job. He has definitely done his homework. I suggest you check it out and even reread it. After all he has spent some time writing it, and re-writing it.
As for myself and as a photographer, I have posted images where I needed to drive out of town with intentions of getting my head straightened out, distance myself from the noise of the city in order to listen to the wind and meadowlarks song. In doing this I burn fossil fuel and make my own impact on the environment. When I get home and snack on a few cashews, one of my weaknesses, I am also making an impact on the environment. When I sit in a favorite coffee shop drinking my mocha latte, I am also making an impact. Mark says it well in his final paragraph, stating “We are going to leave footprints no matter what we do.”
I have personally been altering my lifestyle and its impact to the environment for several years. I also know that some of our society is making changes to decrease our impact. But, the real question is what impact do I make and how do I change that? Maybe it’s about writing my own ethics statement as a photographer and a resident on this plant.
It’s still cold here as can bee seen in the above image. Most ponds and slow moving streams are still thick with ice. However we are predicted to have three days of temperatures in the high 40’s with clouds. I needed to have my emissions tested yesterday so I stopped at the Riverbend ponds because of the look those clouds were giving me.
I took this image on the bus ride the other morning. The sunrise was a pretty red and pink so I shot towards the east and included one of the riders. I like how it came out as it made it an abstract image. We have been cold ever since the Thanksgiving snowstorm that left us with 15 inches of snow. We’ve had a couple of days reach above 50 degrees but most days hoover around 40 degrees. Due to the cold and the amount of snow it is taking time to melt the snow, which is not the norm for Colorado. There are still piles of plowed snow along the campus that are still 6 feet tall. I confess I’m looking forward to warmer weather.
