Monday, February 25, 2008

Footsteps


There is a thin crust of ice covering the 2 to 3 inches of day-old snow.
The birds feeding on the ground out back seem to enjoy it—hopping and sliding to a stop with each bounce, their toes splayed on the glossy surface.
Such feather-weights, leaving not a trace.


I am a different story.
Thumping along the trails, each step resounding as it breaks through the surface and drops.
It’s an unusual irony—
my noisy, plodding, hollow steps spoiling the quiet stillness,
as I trod along seeking the delicately iced remnants of the fields.
Leaving in my wake, large, irregular holes.
It seems I've taken more than pictures.


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13 comments:

Mungo said...

Great photos today!

Cheers,

Mungo

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Yes, I am more apprciative of the no ice factor now. After seeing my Sister's garden encased in ice. It looks as though you didn't get much either. Lovely photos.

Mary said...

We do break the silence on snow and ice, don't we :o) Crack, crunch, slush. Can't sneak up on a bird that way!

Sandpiper (Lin) said...

Great pictures today. I love the delicate, ice encrusted flowers. Your area looks a lot like here now.

kate said...

Those are beautiful photographs ... your post reminded me of my exuberant dog breaking through the crusty snow ... it looks as if a band of wild dogs were chasing each other, but alas, no it's just one dog.

Beth said...

What beautiful pictures!
Beth

Crayons said...

Hi Nina,
I've been away from BlogLand for a week or two. I've finally caught up on your blog and others. These are stunning photos. I like the close cropping. My world looked so much like this all of last week.

bobbie said...

Truly beautiful pictures today! thank you so much.

Anonymous said...

Ice can be scary but in this case it is beautiful.

Cathy said...

Cute image of the birds, splayed-legged, enjoying the skating.

I've not walked in ice/snow like that for a couple years. I know exactly what you mean. You can't help but hope with every step that perhaps this one won't break noisily through the crust. We'd like to maintain the illusion that we aren't the lumbering bipeds that we are.

Very pretty pictures, Nina.

Dave Coulter said...

That teasel is beautiful...and is that a Queen Anne's lace above it? We're getting another storm tonight...I should get the camera ready for tomorrow, lol....

pineyflatwoodsgirl said...

Water is so beautiful as ice...lovely photos, Nina...

Mel said...

Beautiful pictures!
I wonder if I'll ever see something like that. There's no rain or snow in Lima, Peru, and it's making me really curious, after spending most of summer (your winter!) reading about snow, weather, cold, etc in posts from my favorite bloggers!
Thank you for the amazing pictures (all new and fascinating for me!)
Love,
Mel