Surveying the Aftermath - The Beauty of Destruction

I finally ventured outdoors today to tend to the birds as well as to see the gifts that old man winter left me.  As I walked across the yard, it sounded as if I were walking across an icy lake that had been covered with snow.  The layer of ice we received at the beginning of our storm cracked beneath my feet as I made way through the ample layer of snow we received.  There was such a beautiful silence.  I could not help but love the sights and sounds around me.  I know that mother nature comes at times with such fury and leaves in her wake distruction, yet still there is such beauty in it also. 

The sun did not come out today as we had hoped it would, maybe tomorrow.  There was some melting yet it is very little.  I tended the birds with more food and some talk as I always do when I feed them.  The downy woodpeckers were glad to see me and the fresh suet cakes.  As well were the cardinals.  Their brillant red was such a beautiful contrast against the white of the snow and the crystal of the ice.   

I will light a candle tonight in preperation of Imbolc as well as full moon.  The cold moon they call it and rightly so.  It is living up to its name this year that is for sure.  I briefly saw it through the clouds last eve and its brillance shown across the snow on the ground.  Its light made the night look as day with the help of the snows reflective powers.... I love the nights after snow for that very reason.. Coupled with a full moon it is that much more brillant.   As the day winds down to the night, the sun in finally deciding to peek itself out briefly before slipping back under the western horizon.  Maybe I will see the moon this evening after all.  One can always hope.