Slip Slidin’ Away
John Clark says Welcome to the Winter of our Disco Tent
While cold might shovel easier, the increasingly scant levels of snow have many outdoor enthusiasts scrambling for alternate ways to stay sane. Some are fortunate enough to spot the migrating Beluga whales as they cross country ski on their annual migration to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Others are eagerly awaiting the first annual Hieronymus Bosch ice sculpture contest up at Wyman Lake in Bingham. Then there’s the ‘how many musty newspapers can you read before sneezing to death’ competition over in Mechanic Falls.
The one I’m looking forward to the most is the ‘My paranoia can top yours’ tournament. I’ll have more details if the promoters ever decide they can trust me.
Kait Carson: Well, John, I actually live in the frozen northern reaches of our great state – think Canada My Canada a mere ten miles and a bridge away. When winter is unkind and snow fails to bring the normal compliment of genuine snowbirds, we revert to our roots and read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Evangeline – in the original. Let’s hear it for Acadian French. Spring will spring by the time I finish. Seriously, though. I am longing for the glorious landscape of prior winters. Especially that blue, blue sky.
Kaitlyn Dunnett/Kathy Lynn Emerson: In common with John and Kait, I have tons of winter pics. In fact, I’m thinking of continuing this theme in my next post (Feb.3). But for now, here is a typical shot from inside my kitchen, this one from 2022. If you look closely, you can see my husband just starting to plow out the dooryard. Dead center is our snow-covered sidewalk.
Do I love winter in Maine? Mostly. Especially since we’re retired and don’t have to go out.
Matt Cost doesn’t mind the ice-olation brought on by winter so much. It is a break from life, a chance to curl up at home and write. The cold is enjoyable, just as long as you dress for it, and if the snow is not too deep or the ice too slick for my two woods walks a day with the dogs–well, then, everything is just peachy keen. I have begun the process of setting up COST TALKS for when the roads thaw, so soon enough I will be back ramming the roads, but not before a good morning of writing. As in phases of life, the seasons are something that we should live in the present and enjoy what is being offered.
Kate Flora: I used to spend plenty of winter time outside but in recent years, I’ve found I am a happy hibernator. I find, though, that I don’t actually hibernate. Instead, I do a lot of writing, rewriting, and playing around with ideas. But I also force myself to go outside, especially after a big snow or an ice storm. There is little more beautiful than a snow-covered world, or one where every single branch is coated in ice and the sun is shining. Winter is great for noticing the shapes of trees. For black and white photography. For trying to find all the letters of the alphabet in the tree trunks, fallen logs, and twisted vines.
Of course, I confess that one thing that makes it easier to the get through the winter is taking trips in January. This month (I’m actually just back and still jet lagged) it was a trip to South India. By the time we were done with crowds and traffic, I was more than ready to be back at my desk, editing a book.
