We have had an unusually cold November and December this year. Five or six inches of snow blanketed everything on Sunday, and then again on Tuesday, so even on a dreary overcast Winter day, there is sparkle as far as I can see.

The bird feeders and suet are out for our feathered friends, and they are happily taking refuge in my Overlook Garden close by…I didn’t have time to cut those roses back yet, but I think I’ll leave them as they are for this winter. The visiting birds like to use the canes for perches and for refuge and I love to watch them! So does our big, grey long-haired kitty, Rahjah. He sits in his carpeted tower by the window and watches them for hours, often cackling and chirrupping at them, with much puffing out of his whiskered cheeks!! This is a great Christmas present for him and for our other cat Mistletoes, too!

Winter Roses Covered in Snow

This winter snow makes a wonderful, insulating blanket for my gardens, and I was glad it fell before the mercury sank to six degrees the other morning. It’s awfully early for it to be this cold, but there is some good frost in the ground.

This makes me happy, because the insect pests I hate the most (rose midge and western flower thrips) pupate in the top inch of soil. I am verdantly hoping that they froze to death and will not be around to bother my roses in the spring! Everywhere I look today on this bright, sunny day is clean, pristine, and sparkling white!! There are bird tracks all over that make delicate patterns in the very surface of the snow, and squirrel tracks, too. I spotted some fox prints (good! They eat voles!) and some chipmunk skitters, too.

Full Moon

Last night, the full moon rose around 6:30. It was a huge balloon rising in the sky that turned the whole white, snowy world blue under its moonbeams. Long black shadows from the naked trees stretched out under the Cold Winter Moon’s brilliant bidding, and the rose canes also delicately shadowed the snowy garden beds. I went out on the porch for just a moment to breathe it all in and there wasn’t a single sound. The birds had long gone home to their perches and the little creatures of the day were also at rest. Ice in the tree branches glistened and December’s moon became Queen of the Garden.

There is plenty of beauty to be found in the garden at any time of the year…even now. I would like to wish everyone a perfect Christmas and Holiday season with family and friends. Enjoy the comfort of loved ones, a warm fire, and pastimes that you enjoy. This is the season of love and light! And that is my winter dream for all of you. See you in the new year!

(thanks to John Mattia for the incredible photo…love you, Rose Bud!)