Are those the magic fairy wands glistening on the trees or only winter icicles that I see? (Anonymous)
Every day I take a break from writing and go walking with my two dogs, Frankie and Marley. Dogs are very good motivators for keeping a person moving. They love walking. Well, Frankie loves it more than Marley, but that’s because Marley is going on 13 while Frankie is still a very energetic 7. Changing those to people years by the 7 to 1 theory, Marley is almot 91 and Frankie is 49. I’m somewhere in between those two.
However my years add up, I still love hiking out into the world of nature. Walking is a good time for thinking. You see everything around you, but you don’t have to really think about how you’re moving your feet or which direction to go. Out here on the farm, I just walk. It’s a great time to think about new scenes in my story or a time to pray for those you love or to thank the Lord for your blessings. One of my blessings is the cliff area on our farm that gifts me with beauty in every season. When it snowed a couple of weeks ago, I decided to walk over to the cliff and see how it looked in the snow and icy cold.
I wasn’t surprised to see plenty of icicles on the cliff. Moisture continually seeps out between the limestone layers of the cliff rocks. In the winter that can mean water freezes and makes an icicle that continues to grow longer with each new drip until there are rows of icicles ready to sparkle in the sun.
Another interesting ice formation is when we’ve had a rain then cold. That can sometime makes the icicles cling to the branches hanging down in front of the cliff or to the bushes alongside the path down beside the cliff. That turns the icy bushes into graceful ice birds floating through the air, or when the ice takes on bigger shapes as it did a few years ago when I was at the cliff, it can look like some strange creature that might come to life in the spring thaw.
Ice can be an interesting part of winter, to say the least. More ways ice can capture the beauty of nature is when it freezes over a pond or puddle or makes beautiful patterns on an iced over creek. So many ways to see the beauty of the ice.
The Lord gifts us with many wonders of nature. We can take joy in each season and remember His promise to Noah after the flood.
“While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night
Shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22 (NKJ)
Do you like seeing the wonders of winter?
This is the last post where you can leave a comment to be in a drawing for my Shaker book, The Gifted. See more about that on my last few posts. It’s always fun to see your comments. I’ll share the winner (after I’ve sent that person an email) next post on Wednesday or Thursday.l
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Connie, I love those spring and summer flowers too, but I don’t want to rush them. I need to get a lot of words written before I hit that deadline in the spring. 🙂 I would appreciate a prayer for the right words.
Paula, God does give us beauty in every season. And those icicles out of the cliffsides along the road are always amazing.
Sarah, I’m glad you enjoyed the icicle pictures. The Lord does gift us with beauty in every season.
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Loretta, we need to take time to pause and thank the Lord for our blessings and one of those is the beautiful world we have around us.
Becky, I’m so glad you enjoy my 1st Sunday devotionals. I like sharing pictures of the beauty I see through the seasons. We are so blessed by the natural beauty around us.
Kayla, we do remember to take time to enjoy the sights of the world around us and to be thankful for the beauty of God’s world. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed my 1st Sunday devotionals.
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Birdie, glad you liked the icicle pictures, and most all of us are always ready for spring.
Dana, winter walks can be fun although some of those I took a few weeks ago were very chilly.
Melissa, glad you like the icy pictures. You are so right about the Lord’s amazing creation.
Diana, always good to have you stop by. Glad you enjoyed the pictures.
Thank you sharing the pictures of icicles! We don’t see any of those here in Florida! They are pretty but I cannot say that I miss the ice storms that we had in other places that we have lived!
However, God does a magnificent job of creating all kinds of wonders for our eyes to behold! What a blessing! What a mighty God, He is!
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There are always wonders to see in nature, Betsy. We are blessed with the beauty of God’s creation. I don’t blame you for not missing those ice storms. Even though they can sometimes be beautiful in ways, they are too destructive. So I always would rather see snow than ice falling. But icicles are fine on my cliff. Enjoy your Florida sunshine.
Thank you for the Beautiful pictures I Love seeing the Beautiful icicles God’s wonderful Beauty! Have a Blessed Week!
We were traveling a week ago and there are rock formations on either side of the highway. We saw ice drips coming out of them. They were pretty.
I love ice patterns on windows.
God gives us beauty even when it’s cold!
Yes, the wonders of winter can be very beautiful. I love the wonders of all the seasons, most of all in summer when the flowers are blooming.
Thank you SO much for your Sunday devotionals. Each season has its own special meaning & this devotional reminds me as we enjoy each day, each season, each moment, we need to look around and see once again God’s amazing creations & beauty.
I always enjoy reading your 1st Sunday Devotional. Your pictures are absolutely beautiful and remind me to take a moment each day to thank God for the beautiful works of art that He has placed all around us. Thank you for your lovely post.
I like your Sunday devotionals! Time to pause and think.
Wonderful and beautiful pictures. Thanks.
I love your 1st Sunday devotions, Ann. And those pictures are beautiful! Winter is a beautiful season, but I enjoy it more from my windows. My lake view is quite beautiful when it ices up and the surrounding trees are draped with ice sculptures. But the sun sparkling on the lake this morning is even better. And…I have some eager little crocus buds pushing up that gives me hope for spring.
Have a great week, with lots of warm walks.
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Every season has its beauty, Lavon. I’m with you that sometimes that sunlight is just what we most need. Sounds as if it won’t be long before you’re seeing flowers.
God is so good…such beauty he displays if you just open your eyes and look about you. I love taking pictures of water, ice, clouds, sunrises and sunsets! Thank you for sharing your photos; I loved them.
Have a blessed week Ann! Happy walking and writing!
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God is so good – all the time, Pam. And we do need to open our eyes to see the beauty of our world. I hope you are getting some good pictures of the sunrises and sunsets in this stretch of pretty weather.
I’m gld you like my ice pictures and thanks for the good wishes for my writing this week. I need them.
What a lovely post and great pictures!
Thank you for sharing the beautiful photographs. God’s creations are truly amazing. Have a blessed week! 🙂
I love winter walks especially through the Arboretum woods.
I like your pictures of icicles, but at the same time I am looking forward to spring and warmer weather.
What fabulous ice formations! When we lived in Atlanta, GA, we used to have ice storms where ice built up on power lines and caused them to fall, or limbs of trees broke off because of the weight of the ice and knocked down power lines. Fortunately when that happened the one winter we lived in Atlanta and my husband was out of town on a business trip, Puppy and I snuggled up in the den in front of a fireplace. The power had gone off, and I was depending on that fire in the fireplace to provide some light and heat. What an adventure!
Beautiful picturesque description of your walk Ann. Amazing how God gives His beauty in all things – ice, snow, hot or cold – all in His special timing for us to enjoy.
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Glad you enjoyed the icy walk, Roselyn. We can find beauty in the Lord’s world every season as you say in His timing.
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We have had those ice storms too, Suzanne. One time we were without electricity for a week. I went out and gathered ice off the bushes to put in garbage bags to put in my chest freezer to try to say my food. It worked for almost everything. We did have a woodstove at the time so we were warm and I was able to heat my water for tea and cook some soups. But I was glad when the lights came back on. Definitely an adventure.