Looking At Winter Through The Window

We live epic moments, we live unique moments and our life is not boring at all because it's not as predictable as it used to be. Although my words sound like a sentence, they should not be understood that way. This is just my humble opinion and my limited life experience.

Because we are here to share life experiences I come with a small example.

Lately, I have experienced a worrying lack of inspiration and lack of ease in finding post topics. I have now received unexpected help from... nature! Amazing Nature.

On the other hand, even if nature and climate are equally unpredictable, we now have much more information and, at least in terms of climate, we are harder to surprise.

We are now warned daily about weather changes. We know, quite precisely, when it will rain, when it will be too hot... This useful information sometimes spoils the beauty and mystery of life.

Like the first snow!

One of the most anticipated and miraculous moments of my childhood was the first snowfall. When we reached late fall, around mid-November, the wait for the first snow began.

I don't know how it happens in other places but where I spent my childhood, in a small house in a small village, at my grandparents', the first snow always fell at night! That's how I remember it now and I know that statistically, it can't be like that, but I have stuck with this perception and this habit of checking out the window every morning for the first snow.

This year the first snow also started at night. It was just as miraculous as when I was a kid, more than 60 years ago, but with one big difference.

Now I knew when it would snow...

Looking at winter through the window

The TV news and weather apps announced the day before that snow was coming.

Although I knew I would see snow in the morning I was still surprised by the amount of snow on my trees.

With my eyes "glued" to the window, like when I was very small, so small that I am very surprised I still remember!

I seem to hear and feel what the flowers are thinking as they are privileged and can get through the winter in the warmth of home. I think they are worried about their friends outside.

Here I must also express my concern for these plants outside at -11 degrees Celsius. Many of them are used to cold and frost. Roses and hydrangeas won't suffer, but...

... I'm an admirer of Mediterranean climate plants. I have planted in my small yard also such plants: leaders, olive tree, plumbago, laurel, pomegranate, fig, and passion flower. Some of these might not survive the frost if it lasts too many days.

For now, passionflower seems to be doing fine!

Enough with looking out the window. From the house outwards. I think we need to see what it looks like from outside the house too. Also through the window.

The garden that three days ago seemed to be getting ready for spring is now overrun with snow. Looked at up close, the snow is even more beautiful! First heavy and still untouched snow!

Apart from the Mediterranean plants I mentioned earlier, I have something else that is not characteristic of where I live. Something that I like a lot, but something that is very invasive, and for this reason I have "expelled" it to the street. Bamboo!

Here you can see one of the branches looking longingly at the "heaven" from which it was banished.

Bamboo is very strong and very elastic. It has no problems with winter and cold. The only problem that occurs in winter is when it snows heavily.

The weight of the snow makes the bamboo fall to the ground. I tried to tie and anchor it myself but to no avail.

There was something useful in that too. The bamboo arched so that it made a kind of roof for the car...

I think this was the first bigger snow in seven years. It took us by surprise with its intensity. I understand that it was a kind of cyclone across Europe and it touched us a little bit in Romania, in Bucharest. The wonder remains, you can see it in the dog's eyes.

My granddaughter Ilinca, who is only four years old, has never seen a winter like this. She sends you all her love, even if her hands are frozen.

This impetuous, capricious, and very beautiful winter reminds us again how amazing nature can be. It still shows us its splendor, a splendor increasingly mixed with sorrow. A sorrow that we humans must take into account.