Winter Is Near

Golden and red trees nod to the soft breeze,

As it whispers, "Winter is near;"

And the brown nuts fall at the wind's loud call,

For this is the Fall of the year.

Good-by, sweet flowers! Through bright Summer hours

You have filled our hearts with cheer

We shall miss you so, and yet you must go,

For this is the Fall of the year.

Now the days grow cold, as the year grows old,

And the meadows are brown and sere;

Brave robin redbreast has gone from his nest,

For this is the Fall of the year.

Poem by

Ellen Robena Field, 

USA, 1894

Frozen Necklace

            Water drops have become frozen after the recent rain and light frost.

They have not fallen on the ground; they hang on the spider webs, on the ends of pines and spruce needles, on grass.

Those on the spider web didn’t tear it; the web was strong enough to withstand the shiny necklaces.

My thujas and pines were covered with frozen raindrops and did not suffer frost and ice.

I looked at my roses covered from rain, ice and frost, and was happy. I hope they will winter well.

Aronia berries were frozen too. The birds pecked them yesterday. If the weather is warmer the birds will eat Aronia again. 

    

I have noticed near the gazebo an insect. It was frozen but moved his leg, maybe it survives.

Some Spirea bushes grow near the garden fence; many frozen drops on flowers sparkle looked like little lights.

The bittersweet berries with seeds were ready to fall into the soil. Their color will slowly fade throughout the winter, I liked this colorful contrast to gray sky and clouds.

In the evening when I was leaving spirea looked clearly and graphically against the darkening sky.

'The Hunters in the Snow'

Winter has come. Snow fell and melted. Slush, air is moist. Darkness is longer and too early in the evening. And how had been winter 550 years ago? 

                                                         

 The famous Dutch artist Pieter Brueghel (1526 -1569) showed winter in his painting ‘The Hunters in the Snow’

 I love watching how fun winter days were 550 years ago. People went to ice fishing, skated on the frozen lake. 

  They went to the church too in Sunday morning.

and drove in a sleigh for some wood and food, they stoked ovens to warm their houses.

  and they went to hunt to feed their families. 

The photo 'The Hunters in the Snow' was taken by me in the Kunsthistorischen Museums, Vienna.
Sept 2012