hoarfrost on a willow branch
Winter solstice.
3:22 in the afternoon and the sun slips behind the mountain to the south and west of the ranch. How late will it rise this morning, as I sit here in the deep blackness of the star sprinkled sky, in company with the dog and cats and a cup of coffee.
Yesterday I watched as the line of darkness slowly moved up the pasture, beginning with the giant shadow that remains forever all winter on the north facing slope across river, where the snow does not recede amongst the big black timber and the hoarfrost blossoms along the fine branches of the willows. I watched as the shadow moved and grew, not so rapid that I could see the movement, but swift enough that each time I took a conscious note, the shade had progressed closer and closer still. Now down by the river, then the lower fence line, then the corrals, now me
I am in darkness, a relative darkness of the season. Cold and still and silent. The fleeting warmth of the sun has left us. Soft light lingers still. It is the time we bury deep within ourselves, and celebrate the darkness without. A time of reflection. The frozen mountain echoes our quiet inner thoughts and dreams. Listen. The black sky is a mirror of that which we keep ourselves to busy to see.
Enjoy the longest nights, the sweetest hours allowing us time together, time to read aloud, remain just a little longer at the dinner table, there is nothing pressing, nothing to hurry off to now. The chickens are in, the horses are fed. Put another log on the fire and pour another cup of hot tea and sit back down… there is no rush. We have months of the chill brought on by this darkness to intensify, to endure. We shall revel in the stark, simple beauty.
Now we descend into darkness. Now winter begins. Enjoy the dance of the darkness, the sway of the drifting snow, the bite of the morning air, the faint warmth of the low sun, a welcomed touch on the rare glimpse of exposed pale flesh, and the shadows long, so long and blue across the clean white snow.
diamonds in the rough (hoarfrost chrystals)