I’ve taken a few photos during our snowy December here. I’ve paired them with words from an essay Hal Borland wrote in 1961, from his essay collection Sundial of the Seasons (1964):
One of the penalties of modern life is the loss of appreciation of snow… To travelers everywhere snow is a blinding, slippery hazard to foot and wheel and wing.
Yet the snowflake, of itself, is a thing of fragile, evanescent beauty. it is a delicate water crystal, one of the most transient of all natural forms, a wisp of mist that has briefly acquired tangible shape. A snowfall can transform a woodland into a place of magic, a meadow into a shimmering wonderland. A snowdrift is the frozen grace of the wind, perfection of line and curve and form.
Snow can temporarily restore the lost innocence to a scarred and naughty world of disillusionment and folly.
We know these things. We can believe in them for a little while at the beginning of any Winter.
David Fisher, Carving Explorations 
Having just returned to Central Texas from a hunting trip to South Dakota, I can better appreciate your post and my memories of snow from my childhood in the Midwest. Thanks for the poetry and the pictures.
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Dog angels on snow. I love it. Thanks Dave and Hal for the invitation to set toward the gifts in snow. We all could benefit from closer attention and more frequent rolls in it. Peace.
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David..A timely piece. My carving club painted our carved chickadees this past Saturday. And yesterday, we woke up to 6 inches of beautiful snow here in West Virginia. Like raking leaves in the fall, I’ve always enjoyed shoveling snow in winter.
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I like shoveling snow this time of year, too, Patrick. But in late March…
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David…Mr. Borland’s book is available for reading on the Internet Archive. I read a few pages and love it. I am old school. I found a copy online and should receive it soon. The pleasure of reading, at least for me, is holding the physical book in my hand, and then, when finished, placing it within my library to read again. Thanks for sharing this book. Patrick
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Glad to hear it, Patrick. I agree.
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oh no another Transcendentalist
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Not familiar with that one, re-read “Beyond Your Doorstep” regularly.
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It’s a compilation from essays that originally appeared in The New York Times. Borland wrote a regular column for them.
Thanks for the reminder about “Beyond Your Doorstep.” I’ve been meaning to read that one.
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Thank you David, you just made my day 🙂
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