There is so much beauty to be found in Wisconsin.  It is easy to take this beauty for granted when we live in it on a day to to day basis.  All we have to do is stop and open our eyes and pay attention.  Yesterday while I was driving to the grocery store I suddenly stopped and paid attention to this river that I had driven past many times.  Here is a little bit of history about this river:  "The Straight River flows through the Straight River Tunnel Channel, a well-preserved glacial tunnel flanked by the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. This tunnel channel was formed between 15,000-18,000 years ago, near the end of the most recent Ice Age. During this time, melt water from deep beneath the layer of ice on the glacier's surface was forced under extreme pressure towards the glacier's margin. The Straight River Tunnel Channel is considered to be the finest example of this rare glacial phenomenon in Wisconsin."  ~ Wikipedia 1.29.2020

It's been 18 days since my last post in this part of my blog.  Winter is still with us here in the Northwoods.  Again today I gaze out the window at a world of white snow, gray sky and leafless trees.  Wild canaries hungrily feed at the bird feeder which I always keep full for them.  Squirrels dash everywhere thru the yard of snow looking for treasured acorns they buries last fall.  Lastly, I sit here with a mug of coffee at hand...it is growing cold right now and that is ok.

On a day such as this it easy to imagine a warm summer morning filled with birdsong...yet at the same time it is hard to grasp that memory...that feeling.  Yet I know that eventually winter will give away to spring and summer will soon follow.

​That is enough for me today.  Truly it is enough.

As I sit here gazing out the window...cup of coffee in hand...at a winterscape, I find myself pondering two things:  winter and how quickly the time has flown.  I've now owned this house wince 2015, and I've actually lived in this house (my forever home) since 2017.  Here in the Northwoods winter is a reality that has to be dealt with this time of the year.  It is beautiful in its bleakness.  It's also good to have a good furnace that keeps the home warm and comfortable. 

Spring is a distant season now in January...but it will soon be here.  Thank you Universe for all of the prosperity in my life...for life itself, for love, for friends and family...and for the wee cottage in the woods.