While sipping a nice, fragrant cup of tea, I was viewing the winter scene on my windows. There is definitely a beautiful view beyond the windows, but this spectacular view was the frost on the windows. Jack Frost does himself proud in those paintings of feathers, swirls, zigzags and streaks. Each window had such a different painting. Unique, much like us.

When the temperature moderated (it was -21 F) again and the frost melted off the windows I felt a little sad. But, it is still just January and the frost may be back again this winter. Although Jack Frost artwork seems unlikely to be surpassed, we also get to enjoy the aurora borealis during the cold winter’s nights as the sheen of colored streaks dance across the cloudless sky.

What a blessing it is to witness such displays of beauty. I even needed to wear my winter coat for two days every time I ventured out of doors. Had it gotten much colder I would have worn my parka.

A side effect of the very cold temperatures is that the ice becomes harder. My ice grippers were no longer effective. Ice grippers are cleats or wire coils that dig into the ice and snow to prevent falls and are worn on the soles of the shoes. The ice was hard and dry so I really didn’t need them until it warmed up to zero and snowed. Unfortunately, the ice remained hard at that temperature, but the snow was slippery over the ice. It certainly made walking on the ice quite a chore.

The colder weather has prompted me to prepare hot soups, hot cider, and hot teas. I firmly believe that thick and hearty soups are the perfect meals for frigid weather. Now, if only we could have cornbread to go with them.