So Cold It Glitters

It is a winter in which I just can't seem to stop talking about the weather! We've had a pretty respectable amount of snowfall this winter (which is to say that I have not seen bare ground for months now). But the recent big story is the record-breaking cold weather that has been lingering these past few weeks.

On this particular morning, it was as cold as I can ever remember. It was minus 10 degrees F (around minus 23 C) on our front porch when I left for work; even a few degrees colder than last Friday, and it seemed mighty cold then. (But can a body actually tell the difference between minus seven and minus 10? I'm not sure that it can.)

My car is 17 years old, and we are doing our best to make it last as long as possible. So my husband had given me a stern speech the night before about my need to show some common sense and not put my car and possibly myself in jeopardy by making any unnecessary stops during the day, in these mind-numbingly cold temperatures.

"But I know that no matter what I say, you'll do whatever you want anyway," he finished up. Does he know me or what? (And no, I can't argue with his main point; it's generally best to minimize extra trips in such cold weather, as nobody wants to end up stranded in the cold.)

Drat! Busted! Of course, I had been thinking up places to stop on my way in to work where I might spot some awesome cold-weather sights. How I have become this way, I am honestly not sure. But there it is. This cold-weather photography thing is who I am now. Or at least PART of who I am.

So I did compromise a bit. I had more ambitious plans in mind, of course. But I only made one quick stop, and I left the car running for the few minutes that I was out, with all of the doors unlocked so they wouldn't freeze shut. I parked in the parking lot of the Spring Creek Madonna and walked briskly down along the creek to check things out.

It's been rather windy at times, as various weather fronts have moved through. There has not been enough stillness at night to create the really spectacular morning hoar frost shows I have sometimes seen at these kinds of temperatures. But still, it was plenty beautiful, and really, really cold, of course.

The mist was rising off the creek, and there was ice everywhere. The surface of the creek was trying to freeze over, in fact, but failing, at least for now. The sun was trying to come out - to grace us with light, but little heat. A bit of golden yellow sunlight was reflected on the water, and everything was so cold that it glittered.

The song . . . I wanted to use a song about glitter, and this is one of my favorites. It's by Stevie Nicks, from her first solo album, Bella Donna, which was released in the summer of 1981. This particular song was written in the early to mid 1970s: After the Glitter Fades. I'm including both a studio version and a live version from the 1998 Woodstock event. (I do highly recommend the album, by the way; every song on it is good.) Enjoy!