Tuesday, December 10, 2013

The Tinkling Wood

One of those fine, sunny and very blue winter mornings which seldom makes an appearance in December, and is always accompanied by paralyzing cold. . . .

It has been cold enough in the last few days that at times we are unable to break through the ice crust when we are walking along deer trails in Lanark - crunchy going all the way. The forest is a noisy place to be in such weather, a wide realm of breaking glass in which sturdy boots and protective head gear are imperative.

A bitter wind goes dancing among the ice-coated trees, and it performs a symphony as it goes along. The instruments are organic, and the principal notes tinkles and chimes, rattles and creaks, groans and falling ice. Mama Gaia (the Old Wild Mother) is the original scribe, the primal composer of all musics, cosmic, refulgent and terrestrial.

This morning, a small cameo appearance from the doddering scribe/photographer of this patchwork realm.  Near the end of a calendar year, there is something reckless, daring and rather appealing about the idea of showing up here, but as just a patch of strong blue shadow in my favorite landscape, an antiquated abstraction in which no visual details of the gnarly old metabolism are revealed. Call it a birthday image of sorts.

6 comments:

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Beautiful text. Mother Nature serenades me on many a quiet morning.

Barbara Rogers said...

A wish for happiness, in case it truly is the anniversary of your birth. I'm glad you were born!

kerrdelune said...

Tomorrow is the day, my friend!

Sara said...

It's that wind that is the worst here. But it is so hard to stay inside.

Marcie said...

Your photo is like music... soul stirring, breathtaking.

Mystic Meandering said...

You always bring me into the forest with your writings, and photos. I can hear it, and sense it all... We finally broke through our week-long deep freeze today.

Happy Birth Day to you! You share the same day as my brother! :) May you have another year of wonderful meanderings, photographing, and writings, and many, many blessings. :)