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Monday, January 27, 2014

Living Cold



January here in New England usually delivers the coldest stretch.  This week is true to form.  Tuesday evening, snow arrived while the temps were frigid, Vermont cold, I call it.  I spent four years at school there—think, wet hair clinking after a walk across campus (stupid, I know), moisture prickling as what’s inside your nose freezes, the squeak of boots trekking across frozen earth.  During this storm, flakes feathered down so dry they sparkled under the outside lights.  I am not a skier, but watching that stuff settle into air-pocket layers, I knew what it would feel like to push off a mountain a foot deep into it, to tuck into the spray of powder, the sting of ice frosting my cheek. 

Like much of the country, we are holding in an arctic pattern, but when we brave the outdoors, everything is etched at the edges with a razor, as clear as chandelier pendants scrubbed with ammonia.  Buffed to flawless shine.   In pre-dawn treks to the bottom of the driveway, the air we draw in goes down like distilled ice.  Most mornings, cars traveling the two-line highway a quarter-mile away whisper in the distance, but in this weather the thrum approaches us, moves inside.  Down the road, the wind has scoured our frozen pond. It offers up unblemished sky.  

We tend to hunker in this time of year.  Snuggle under down comforters, move close to the fire. Outside fingertips freeze, eyes water, cheeks burn.  But if we bundle up enough to become a part of it, the cold shatters the dull smog of winter.  It forces us to yawn and stretch, while all that is bright and clear invites us to take part in life.

 

13 comments:

Yvonne Osborne said...

Love the photo! Yes, we are in what they call a polar vortex, a new term for me. All I know is that we don't get in the single digits anymore, but you're right about the invigorating quality, if one can bundle up enough. There is a beautiful silver lining to all this cold. Weather scientists say it is very beneficial to the environment. Hopefully our Great Lakes will regain their traditional depth and some of the larva of invasive species will be killed off.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I'm hunkered down. I've been staying in as much as possible.

Old Kitty said...

Awwwwww! You totally capture winter in all its raw beauty and chilling form! Beautiful, thank you. Take care
x

Kittie Howard said...

Beautifully said . . . we're hunkered in, with even colder temps tomorrow . . .

Unknown said...

I think everyone is freezing. Between the polar vortexes and arctic blast, we are all on the same boat.
I have to say the snow has left you with one amazing photograph. Thank you for sharing.

J.B. Chicoine said...

Oh, the frigid cold! We've been getting wind with our sub-zero temperatures. I don't leave my house if I can help it! But your words and pictures make me wish I could venture out!

Carol Kilgore said...

Lovely. We're even cold in San Antonio - not as cold as you, but cold for us. I love the light when it's really cold like that.

Robin said...

Well said. I don't live up north any longer, but I remember it clearly. As bitter as that cold is, it is also crisp. Everything feels sharper when the temps are LOW LOW LOW.

And that bit about the inside of your nose freezing. Absolutely freakin' true.

Jennifer said...

Beautiful written imagery. I popped over from the IWSG sign-up, and this post was a lovely introduction to your blog. I love the kind of weather you've described here, so long as I can snuggle up and only look at it from indoors.

Bish Denham said...

Oh brrrrrrrr. But that picture is beautiful!

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

You almost make frigid temperatures sound appealing. Almost. That photograph is beautiful... so still and sharp. I do enjoy the exhilaration of walking on a cold crisp sunny day, and the rosy cheek feeling, but you can keep the kind of cold that makes the contents of your nose freeze. I'll stick with Georgia's concept of cold. (Guess you heard how insane it was here earlier this week because of three inches of snow and ice. Sheesh.)

WordsPoeticallyWorth said...

An interesting post that I enjoyed reading. It's been cold here in England!

Thank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.

Robyn Campbell said...

I had to comment on this, Liza. I truly enjoyed reading this. Just beautiful pictures zipped through my mind reading your words. The picture is terrific too. :-) It's cold here in NC too. But I'm glad. I just wish we'd get at least one more snow.