Winter Wonderland

Winter is amazing. Skies turn silver, wind barrels through the pines, hollies and cedars in the forest here. Big snow is rare because New Jersey is even tempered in it's weather only acting up once in a while.   

When the bay freezes over though, you know it's cold and it has frozen over this year.  

The silver skies of winter are a wonder!

Fallen trees make a home for the little ones of the forest

Come with me into the snowy wonderland....

In the dark of night, falling stars of snow

Photos taken on my property.. my own hundred acre wood.

Winter Musing

Hi.   We are still shivering here along the coast.  Drones are still hovering over day and night and with the destruction of Maui and now California, we have our suspicions.   Maui.. Carolina and etc. ...California. Not good, not good.

By the way, these drones are not little. They are as big as a large SUV.  

Winter Musings

 Hello and welcome once again to Toni's Tuesday 4. 

It's cold in these United States.  Everyone seems to be chilly and some have blizzard conditions to contend with.

But I think winter is a time for us, as well as animals, to hibernate and takes things slow and easy.  I think many find themselves a bit more sleepy than usual and maybe we are supposed to take the time to rest... Let's talk it over okay?

1. Do you find yourself a bit more lazy or tired as the nights get longer or does it not seem to do much to you? In general how are you doing this winter?   Yes.  I find I want to sleep a lot more and the cold makes me want to be warm in my little bed. I go to sleep earlier and get up later.    In general I  have had more pain in my spine this winter so far.  I am hoping the low barometer will inch up a bit.  That seems to help.

2. Do you appreciate the extra hours of dark that allow for more sleep, more leisure, less travel and hurry or not?  Yes I do. In fact, I love it.  I feel more relaxed at night, less pushed to do things and I feel its good to just rest up from the rest of the year.  I do really believe we are to slow down during the 90 days of winter. 

3. I know I love a hot drink on a chilly evening and the quiet of the streets outside as people stay inside more on cold nights.  I feel more relaxed in the winter.  How about you?  Well, there are two things I like about winter.  One is that the tap water is as icy cold as if it had a million ice cutes in it! Very clean and refreshing in winter.  I do love the quiet. No one is out really. Houses look all warm and cozy, smoke ascends from fire places and it's nice to sit and watch some YouTube with a cup of tea or hot coffee.

4. Do you ever gaze out of your window like Miss Kitty in the picture just watching the world go by? How do you find yourself relaxing on a chilly evening?    Yes! I like to watch the natural world go by.  There is no traffic where I am, just really nature to watch. The forest out back is quiet in winter as animals hibernate but still there is the changing landscape, light reflecting off snow and water.. Its a lovely time to watch.

Smithville, New Jersey on a snowy evening

I relax on a chilly evening with some popcorn and something hot to drink. Sometimes I paint but mostly I hibernate in winter.