Noll on Winter's Progress

My Own and I are as pilgrims, slowly progressing through this journey called winter. Though January's thaw has come, indeed, the progress creeps.

Today, along early evening, the loud cracking of the ice-encrusted snow disturbed the silence causing canines to bark and Tiggy to wake in startled confusion. Melting, freezing, melting, freezing. The sparring dance of earth and sun has begun.

Yes, begun - this ending of the darker days. Morning comes a trace earlier whilst dusk enters a little later. The days grow at either end.

I search out the day lit window. The snow reveals traces of creature comings and goings. Tracks zigzag across the ground. A sparkling white landscape spreads before me, with one change.

Where once the distinct footprints of rabbits, deer and possum resided, now unremarkable spaces pot mark the snow. Melting, freezing, melting. Winter knows its hold is breaking.

And in the trees, the buds that formed last fall seemingly increase in scope and importance. Day by day winter wavers.

Earth's pilgrimage, like ours, is incremental yet we feel earth's progressive tilt back towards the sun. Anticipation is a welcome state. We grasp it like a rail, slowly pulling, leaning ourselves into the blessed sun. The warm, blessed sun.