Splendor in the Grass, December Edition

What though the radiance
which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass,
of glory in the flower,
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind.
~William Wordsworth~

It was morning, and it was cold. I went out for my daily walk, and headed for the Barrens, though I couldn't actually go in again, not yet. This was the last day of the major deer hunting season, and it isn't safe in the gamelands yet. But tomorrow - oh, TOMORROW - all these woods will belong to ME again! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

So I stopped just below the gameland, along the power line and the big electric pylons, to admire the hoar frost on every leaf and twig. I had my tunes box on and I was jammin'. There was a man once who said Heaven is under our feet, and I am always looking down there for it.

For frost like this to form, conditions must be a combination of damp, cold, and still. A nice ice fog will often give you beautiful crystal formations (and often, treacherous road conditions, to boot). On this morning, the hoar frost was limited to objects on the ground. The trees were bare. The roads were fine.

As I stood looking at the splendid ice crystals on the grass, Wordsworth's words came to mind, and I enjoyed a bit of mental poetry there. Especially the ending, which seems so much more relevant and full of wisdom as I grow older:

Grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind.

I need a soundtrack song, and since I've got grass in the title, let's have a song by the Grass Roots. This is a particular favorite, so here it is: the Grass Roots, with Midnight Confessions. I was about four when this song came out, but I had big sisters who adored the Grass Roots, so here we are!

Bonus: Splendor in the Grass, summer edition.