In winter, the trees winnow down to stick figures, and their branches — accustomed to the filigree of petals and leafwork — bear the burden of ice and snow.
What might it be like, to exercise that conservationist strength?
To lean one’s roped and weary shoulders against the cracking white?
To carry the heaviest load when stripped bare?
I think we all know. We have all stood in Skaði’s* icy company.
And yet we forget —
“Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible,” as Kate May put it. From winter’s austere offices emerges the tenderest green. And after the longest and darkest day of December, dawn opens the door a few minutes earlier: come in, come in. You must be freezing out there.
Post Scripts.
*Skaði is the Norse goddess of winter. She was considered austere but not necessarily cruel or retributive.
+Some musings from a few years ago on Kate May’s concept of wintering: “Our movements in times of adversity need not always be so frictional and against the grain. Maybe there are seasons designed for fallowness. Maybe we learn important things there, in the quiet and bare.”
+The sandpiper.
+Comparison is the thief of joy.
+Living life in the interrogative.
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Shopping Break.
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+My kind of dress (swoon). Especially with this clutch. Extra extra extra!
+Intrigued by this bronzing primer. It’s actually sold out everywhere else I’ve looked in this bronze color, but available in a rose glow color here, too.
+A couple of really fun statement sweaters: Clare Vivier, J. Crew, and Lingua Franca.
+The classiest black leather gloves from a family-run French business.
+For those Magpies asking for ski attire: HalfDays is another great place to check! I love the colors of these fleeces and base layers.
+Just ordered a few new holiday books for my children, including this and this.
+Zara has some seriously cute finds for children — love this bow sweatshirt and this fair isle sweater. More recent Zara finds here.
+The first thing I ever bought my son (a few weeks into his pregnancy) was a De Buci bear that I had personalized with his name on it. Such a treasure to me.
+Increasingly drawn to Tod’s classic leather handbags. She’s timeless!
+These ornament organizers make life so much easier.
+These hand-painted personalized children’s chairs are so darling. Her hand-painted ornaments for baby’s first Christmas would also make a sweet gift for new parents.