It’s a tradition, so they say, if you do something more than once. Absolutely—if you repeat it for 11 years! For the past more than a decade that I have been posting on my blog, as winter approached I shared the following of my collection of Winter Poems when we had our first snow. Well, big flakes are coming down as I write and I can hardly see my car in the driveway. For my cyber friends who live in the Southern climes—curb your envy. Just confess that you miss the delightful change of seasons!
The poem is excerpted from my book PSALMS OF MY HARVEST on p. 117. I can’t break tradition this year:
Winter in My Valley
The wind whines in a minor key
blowing its icy breath
through cracks in our doors
feeling with frigid fingers
for gaps 'neath window sills.
The gust heralds a blizzard that lurks
in the somber gray stretch of sky
and advances with threatening certainty.
As if to toll a frantic warning bell
the wind tugs at the oak tops
shaking the nearly naked branches
showering the ground beneath
with a flurry of faded leaves.
Sniffing the scent of winter
small prepper creatures scurry about
furtively preparing shelters
vying with burrowing insects
to stockpile their larders
in the seasonal struggle for survival
while pond life retreats to deepest waters
and puts vital signs "on hold" till Spring.
Sudden dusk descends on The Valley.
A hush settles over the silhouetted landscape
the gusty gale subsides, its announcement dispatched.
The first few flakes of snow soon merge
into sifting, swirling powdered sugar
swiftly frosting peaks of pointed frozen grass
into stiff meringue on neighboring field and hill
until a silver coverlet obliterates the familiar.
Accept my invitation, friend
to welcome the appointed storm
by enjoying the polar panorama together
before the warmth of our crackling hearth.
Join me in retreat behind our Jack-Frost windows
to view the outdoor bluster silently
in snug pleasure and the treasure
of good company as we toast our toes
and drink a toast to the impending snows.
So let us celebrate the manifest cycle of seasons
and winter's measured approach
in the Shenandoah Valley.
The Rest of The Way
LORD, MOVE MY MOUNTAIN!
10/13/2019 3:11:00 PM by: Leona Choy
ANOTHER WAITING ROOM
10/11/2019 9:36:00 AM by: Leona Choy
DON'T BE SHEEPISH
10/10/2019 12:33:00 PM by: Leona Choy
THE VALUE OF SELF-TALK
9/28/2019 3:59:00 PM by: Leona Choy
LASER PRAYER
9/27/2019 12:35:00 PM by: Leona Choy
THANKS FOR THE MEMORY
9/12/2019 1:39:00 PM by: Leona Choy
CARRY ME, FATHER
9/5/2019 3:11:00 PM by: Leona Choy
MY PERSONAL SPIRITUAL WORKOUT
9/4/2019 10:55:00 AM by: Leona Choy
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS?
9/1/2019 12:08:00 PM by: Leona Choy
Lessons from My Cup
8/20/2019 3:33:00 PM by: Leona Choy
STRAW & THE CAMEL'S BACK
8/7/2019 12:38:00 PM by: Leona Choy
BECOMING MORE "FRUITY"
7/10/2019 5:17:00 PM by: Leona Choy
CREATIVE ENCOUNTERS
7/3/2019 2:27:00 PM by: Leona Choy
PITCHING IT RIGHT
6/30/2019 11:46:00 AM by: Leona Choy
“WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GROW UP?”
6/25/2019 3:01:00 PM by: Leona Choy
34580 and COUNTING
6/18/2019 2:11:00 PM by: Leona Choy
MOUNTAINS AND MOLEHILLS
6/14/2019 9:54:00 AM by: Leona Choy
CHEERLEADING
6/6/2019 9:52:00 AM by: Leona Choy
HANDS ON THE PLOW
5/22/2019 11:38:00 AM by: Leona Choy
WAITING FOR GRADUATION DAY
5/17/2019 3:46:00 PM by: Leona Choy
I THINK BOOKS
5/13/2019 12:06:00 PM by: Leona Choy
ONLY TALK WITH YOUR MOUTH FULL!
5/4/2019 8:35:00 PM by: Leona Choy
HO-HUM FAITH
4/18/2019 12:47:00 PM by: Leona Choy
BREATHTAKING THOUGHTS
4/7/2019 1:47:00 PM by: Leona Choy
TOO MUCH ON MY PLATE?
3/31/2019 5:23:00 PM by: Leona Choy
EARTH SUIT vs SPACE SUIT: Increasing Tension
3/4/2019 3:37:00 PM by: Leona Choy
AVOIDING A SPIRITUAL "OOPS!"
3/1/2019 12:06:00 PM by: Leona Choy
PURSUING WISDOM
2/19/2019 1:29:00 PM by: Leona Choy
A THORNY MATTER
2/15/2019 10:42:00 AM by: Leona Choy
A SOMEWHAT GRUMPY CHAT WITH GOD
2/12/2019 9:54:00 AM by: Leona Choy
A FISH STORY
2/8/2019 3:40:00 PM by: Leona Choy
LET'S EAT NOODLES TOGETHER!
1/21/2019 3:07:00 PM by: Leona Choy
SATISFIED--A SECRET TO SHARE
1/11/2019 7:22:00 PM by: Leona Choy
STILL RUNNING
12/29/2018 7:22:00 PM by: Leona Choy
RESISTANCE TO ASSISTANCE
12/6/2018 5:17:00 PM by: Leona Choy
CHALLENGE OF THE FOURTH QUARTER
11/26/2018 3:19:00 PM by: Leona Choy
KEEPING A TRADITION
11/15/2018 9:14:00 AM by: Leona Choy
PUBLISHING FUND PROGRESS
11/5/2018 8:58:00 AM by: Leona Choy
"GOING STEADY" WITH MY "SUGAR CANE"
11/3/2018 2:02:00 PM by: Leona Choy
A SHOUT-OUT FOR A NEW BUTTERFLY
10/31/2018 3:24:00 PM by: Leona Choy
THANKSGIVING IN OCTOBER
10/7/2018 5:53:00 PM by: Leona Choy
REPEAT OFFENDERS
9/30/2018 3:16:00 PM by: Leona Choy
SHINING WHEN YOUR BATTERY IS LOW
9/21/2018 5:32:00 PM by: Leona Choy
I DESERVE IT...DESERVE IT NOT....
9/13/2018 7:54:00 PM by: Leona Choy
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
9/10/2018 12:35:00 PM by: Leona Choy
WAITING FOR GOD'S DUE TIME
9/3/2018 7:29:00 PM by: Leona Choy
STONES AND COVERUPS AND HOLY EARS
8/31/2018 10:44:00 AM by: Leona Choy
IT'S ALL ABOUT SHOES
8/29/2018 9:30:00 AM by: Leona Choy
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS MY CELL TOWER
8/27/2018 3:47:00 PM by: Leona Choy
REJUVENATION GOD'S WAY
8/17/2018 8:49:00 AM by: Leona Choy
STUCK IN THE MUD?
8/13/2018 7:22:00 PM by: Leona Choy
TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR
8/8/2018 2:07:00 PM by: Leona Choy
WHEN'S A GOOD TIME TO "EXULT"?
7/30/2018 3:00:00 PM by: Leona Choy
Survey For the Calendar-Challenged
7/25/2018 2:42:00 PM by: Leona Choy
Destiny Decisions
7/19/2018 10:25:00 AM by: Leona Choy
BEDROOM SLIPPERS OR HIKING BOOTS?
7/18/2018 10:44:00 AM by: Leona Choy
Hurrah for the Prepper Bridesmaids!
7/13/2018 6:01:00 PM by: Leona Choy
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS?
7/10/2018 5:35:00 PM by: Leona Choy
BARNACLES
6/5/2018 2:01:00 PM by: Leona Choy
