march arrives and mother nature sits undecided
—
“the seasons change their manner,
as the year had found some months asleep and leapt them over.”
-william shakespeare
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ann arbor, mi, usa – march 2023 – mlive photo credit
Mar1
Category Archives: winter
Feb23
thunder ice.
*the thunder ice cometh.
—
“thou art all ice. thy kindness freezes.”
-william shakespeare
—
*Yes, Thunder Ice is a real thing.
Thundersnow is so last year.
This week in the U.S. there have been a few reports of “thunder ice” or “thunder-freezing rain.” It’s basically a thunderstorm during freezing rain or sleet.
“It’s not something we see very often, but it does happen from time to time and that’s what we experienced across the country,” said Chris Bowman, a National Weather Service meteorologist. “It’s fairly unusual,” he said. “You get pretty heavy rainfall rates and obviously with temperatures below freezing it happens.”
How does all of this happen? Convection — upward motion of air — helps produce thunderstorms. But it’s fairly rare to have convection within a winter storm. Thunder and lightning are much more common in warm-season thunderstorms. When there’s strong enough convection, along with plenty of moisture available, a winter storm can produce thundersnow. And when there’s a layer of warm air above a colder surface layer, freezing rain and sleet falls while the thunder is booming – thunder ice.
Feb12
*yoopers.
I
It took a month to make some of the incredible snow sculptures that were part of the annual Michigan Technological University Winter Carnival. Phi Kappa Tau extended its winning streak to five years with a huge rendition of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. (Photo: Daniel Staelgraeve | Michigan Technological University)
—
what you do in the winter (and sometimes in may),
when you go to college in the upper peninsula of michigan
* yooper – a native or inhabitant of the upper peninsula of michigan
—
“i wrote, and sometimes, when i was stuck, i hit the road.
i ate pasties in the upper peninsula and hush puppies in cairo.
i did my best not to write about any place i had not been.”
– neil gaiman
Feb5
rien ne vaut son chez-soi. (there’s no place like home).
here’s to staying warm and safe during these, the coldest days.
—
“i don’t take naps, i accidentally hibernate.”
-wordporn
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image credit: ‘martha rabbit and tabitha cat,’ by shirley barber
Feb1
mo’ snow.
downtown snowman, safe and sound
—
“snowfall rouses your inner child to dream and play once more.”
-angie weiland-crosby
Dec30
in the dark of december.
“i heard a bird sing in the dark of december.
a magical thing.
and sweet to remember.
we are nearer to spring than we were in september.
i heard a bird sing in the dark of december.”
-oliver herford
—
art credit: “Winter Moon”, photograph by Ginette Brosseau
This dark winter landscape photo was taken not far from her home
along the shores of the St. Lawrence river in Quebec.
Dec21
essence of life.
picture from a past solstice celebration
—
every year
one of my favorite things to teach and share with my class
is the story and traditions of the winter solstice
i get to play the sun
the children play the tilting earth and the seasons
who spin and dance and throw snow
as the season changes
the sun stays in the middle
offering extra light
to the other side of the earth now tilting toward it
knowing it will always return to them
even as our days grow shorter
they quietly rest on the ground
waiting, waiting
only to emerge
when the time is right
happy to dance once more
in the light of the warm spring sun.
—
*notes: here is my recipe for the winter solstice, and many thanks to all for your low-tech special effects support of this performance: torn paper snowflakes made by the children, many smiles, a bit of dizziness, a sun doing an interpretive dance, a person to turn off and on the classroom lights at just the right moment, a flashlight, a yellow paper sun, a dj to play the music (‘carol of the bells’ by george winston, and ‘here comes the sun’ by the beatles) at just the right time, and a class full of kinder/whirling twirling planets throwing snow, lying down, and awakening as emerging new life in the spring when the sun returns. somehow it all falls into place, each year a bit differently, as is the way of the world.
—
“spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. joy is the essence of life.”
-agnivesh
Nov27
snowlandia.
Snowlandia Śnieżny Labirynt in ZakɔˈPanɛ
the biggest snow labyrinth in the world
perhaps the perfect place
for when you want to be lost and cold at the same time
smack dab in the middle of somewhere beautiful
—
“winter, through your hoary frost, I travel on, longing to be lost.”
angie weiland-crosby
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Piłsudskiego 38 (nieopodal Wielkiej Krokwi im. Stanisława Marusarza), Zakopane, Poland
Mar7
walking sleeping bags.
aren’t these just adult snowsuits?
—
“let’s spend the weekend pulling out winter clothes we put into storage last weekend.”
-author unknown, could be anyone from michigan
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link for walking sleeping bags: https://amzn.to/3s1FXCA
Mar3
frozen.
that moment when you discover
your sandbox has turned into a frozen lake
you understand the difference between liquid and solid
and realize your toys are not going anywhere until spring.
—
“it’s a moment that I’m after, a fleeting moment, but not a frozen moment.”
-andrew wyeth
I have my glasses on.... 