A few minutes one way or another when you head out the door for work can make a big difference in how affected you are by the comings and goings of others. Particularly where I live, a small village in rural Ontario, where traffic is never exactly terrific.
On this crisp winter day all aspects of the morning scramble worked for me and I was out the door well ahead of schedule for the walk to work. A light snow had fallen through the evening settling a layer of powder on everything around me. The typically quiet streets were even more silent; few cars passed and not a soul was present for a wave or cheery greeting.
Such solitude gives one time for reflection and to take in all that is. Treading along my route, I became aware of the footprints of those who were out and about before — the firm, solid imprint of the male, the smaller, daintier one of the female or child, the paw prints of a pooch. Perhaps they walked together, perhaps alone, but that they were there was proven in the patterns they created.
It got me thinking about the many ways Mother Nature creates artwork beyond the normal beauty of flora and fauna. The softness of snow on concrete, the sparkle of sunlight on ice, a white landscape broken only by wildlife tracks are her pictures of winter. And perhaps none is more beautiful than when, with the assistance of Jack Frost, she paints a chilly design on a window.
So, inspired by my quiet stroll today, I decided to gather a collection of beautiful photographs depicting the artistic talents of Mother Nature in winter:
