The weather turned cold this week (you’d think it was winter). Snow forecast this weekend. Cold turns my mind inward. Even when walking in the cold, my focus turns toward minutia. I tend to look down instead of up. Today’s stroll along the W&OD revealed beautiful patterns in the frozen puddles. What makes the ice freeze in such different ways? Why does water freeze in alternating sections of clear and cloudy? I’d like to think nature does it for our own viewing pleasure.

When I called Mom this morning, she couldn’t stop talking about how stunning her amaryllis is. A pair of red blossoms, with another pair coming on, finally emerged. Like the effects of cold, being stuck in your apartment mostly alone for ten months also focuses your attention. In praise of cold and loneliness, at least they force us to look at the subtle beauty around us.