In the abstract—just thinking about it, that is—winter doesn’t have the appeal for me that it used to have. Driving is harder, for one thing. David tells me our secondary roads in the county are only going to be plowed one lane wide this winter. It's a cost-savings measure and probably makes sense. Still--. [NEXT DAY'S NOTE: The Enterprise reports that plowing will NOT be reduced in Leelanau County this winter.] Everything seems more expensive or more difficult or both in winter. But that’s in the abstract. Getting outdoors, even on a cold, windy, gloomy winter day, usually brings about a change in my attitude, and it doesn’t take much to do the trick. Snow on pine branches can be sufficient. 
To find color in the landscape, one must look harder. Hidden away at the back of a field, on the edge of a small wetland, these Michigan holly berries are bright on the darkest day. Sarah is a bright spot for me, too, both emotionally and visually. Seeing her run happily lifts my heart and makes me laugh, and her orange shirt (or, more often, simple red neck scarf) makes her easy to spot against the dun and white scenery.
Winter as reading time is hardly my personal discovery. It’s so satisfying to be cozy with a book in this season of long nights and short days. Villette is holding my interest, but having left it at home on Tuesday I had to pick up something else, and my hand fell upon Art Spiegelman’s Maus: A Survivor's Tale. Am I the last person in the Western world to read this already classic graphic novel? I wonder how fast other people read this sort of book and how much time they spend looking at the pictures. I find I’m reading pretty fast and not paying attention to each panel (correct term?), but from time to time I’ll look back at the entire page and “catch up,” as it were, with the images that are as much a part of the text as the words.
Note to anyone who wants to look: “Down Autumn Roads,” “Glorious Day,” and “Day After” are all posts to which I’ve added images after the fact. Generally, it feels good to be able to post pictures here again, as well as to update my Dog Ears Books welcome page. None too soon, either, with holidays speeding towards us. December 6 at 6pm, has been set as the day and hour of the Christmas tree lighting in Northport. Many of us will stay open late that night, offering refreshments and holiday sales. We can only hope the open house evening does not close with a blizzard of last year's proportions!
1 comment:
OK, so I had to go look at all the newly-illustrated previous posts, too, and by the time I got back I see there's a whole NEW post. It's hard to keep up with you. But that Sarah--she of the bright and extensive wardrobe, the leaping run, the perpetual laugh of joy--that Sarah probably manages!
Post a Comment