Cochrane Road - After the Snowfall

“Knowing that you love the earth changes you,

activates you to defend and protect and celebrate.

But when you feel that the earth loves you in return,

that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond.”

Robin Wall Kimmerer

We were given the gift of beauty overnight. I'd done my little bit of snow shovelling and Ted was just about to blow out the driveway. Time to go for a walk down Cochrane Road. Who knows when we will get such a beautiful snowfall again?

Cochrane Road. One of the last roads in the township to be ploughed.

The snow didn't stop wildlife from going about their business.

The township workers cleared out all of the scrubby bushes along the swamp last summer. It gives an unrestricted view of the marshland and woods beyond. At first I thought that I'd accidentally changed my camera settings to black and white.

But no! Dogwood reds, criss-crossing the swampy edge.....

..... and rustic red barns and a slightly blue sky.

It's not cold enough for little streams to be frozen.

Can you see that the barn was spray painted? Little bits of drift on the white window frames.

Today's sponsor almost yelled at me to be noticed: quiet. If quiet can yell, it did. I felt like I was walking in a hug.

It was not easy to get an unobstructed view of the spruce trees. Aren't they majestic? If I were to paint them, I would mostly be painting shadows.... the spaces in between the snow-covered branches.

There was a lot to see this morning on Cochrane Road. I am glad I went out. I even found a second colour: yellow!

And - back at the ranch - snowblower is broken again! Not sure that the quote below applies to snowblowers. But, I think it applies to me.

“...things get broken,

and sometimes they get repaired,

and in most cases,

you realize that no matter what gets damaged,

life rearranges itself to compensate for your loss,

sometimes wonderfully.”

Hanya Yanagihara