by
Jean Hughes
January 29, 1996
Snow, snow; snow, wind and cold! When I am dressed for it, and there is work to keep me warm, I love wild weather. I wend my way among the snow drifts to fill bird feeders and suet bags. I huff and puff, and laugh a lot at my own weakness, as I drag hay to the mules and keep their water open.

Even in this blizzard, I stand for a short time to look at the beauty. From the inside, I have spent some time during the storm watching the snow through my binoculars. I was trying to identify a bird at the feeder when I noticed how beautiful the snow is when looked at through binoculars. It is like standing out in the middle of a field, with snowflakes falling all around me; like stepping into a winter scene on a picture postcard. Always there are wonderful little extras that hop into my life when I least expect them. One beautiful thing after another is waiting to be seen.


This morning, the sunshine is pale orange where it falls on the shadows of the big drifts. It is difficult to pull myself away to thoughts of baking.

Date Pudding
Place in a large bowl: 1 cup chopped dates and 1 cup brown sugar.
Sift in: 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 t. baking powder and 1/8 t. salt
Mix in: 1 well-beaten egg and 1/2 cup milk.
Pour mixture into a greased 9 by 13 inch pan.
Sprinkle over the top: 1 cup chopped nuts.
Combine and pour over the nuts: 1 1/2 cups boiling water,
1 cup brown sugar and 2 T. butter.
Bake: 40 to 50 minutes in a 375o oven.
Serve topped with whipped cream. Serves  9.

Today, I walk to places that at all other times of year are masses of green or other colors, but now life gets down to basics: earth, bare trees and sky. I am listening for silence, and it is becoming more and more difficult to find. There is always some faint sound from a jet or an automobile, but with persistence a few minutes of natural silence can be enjoyed.

The clear, sweet call of a white-throated sparrow rings above the twitter of woods' edge birds. I am near a spring, where water is trickling over rocks.

I lean against a tree and look across the hills to the far-off purple-gray horizon. It has been cloudy, but as I watch, sunlight breaks through the clouds and lights the snow. Sycamores flash into a white shine. White beauty is everywhere.

* * *
In the barn, we have bales of hay stacked so there are special openings for each dog to have his or her own warm place. My dog, Dottie, never comes in. She does not like it indoors, even when the weather is severe.

As the dogs ran out the door, I was struck by the beauty of the last of night. There was a big golden moon hanging in the blue-black sky. The mounds of snow made deep shadows in the subdued light. If an artist were to try to draw peace, here was his subject.

For a minute I was away from thought and into the realm of joy. There is a delicate thread that runs through life, holding together all the little joys. Although it is fragile and often broken, the ends of the thread are always there ready to be tied together again.

There are also rare and joyous moments that can be shared with another person, or with creatures, or even with flowers. When joy is shared, that is when love is born. I do not always know when I am sharing or who might feel the joy with me.

Seeds Of Love
          I cannot know from seeds of love I sow
          What little flowers of joy will root and grow.
          I may be underneath the living sod
          Before the seeds I planted bloom and nod
          In breezes that my face will never know.
          But in the flowers, my love, my love will show.
Copyright 1995, Jean Hughes.

Jean's book of ramblings and recipes "A Country Mile of Winter" and her book of poetry "The Earth's My Home" are available for $4.95 each plus $1.30 for postage and handling. Ten of Jean's favorite recipes will be included free with each book ordered. Order from...

Country Mile Publications
616 E. Monroe St.
Delphi, Indiana 46923

Return to the Main Page.