Tuesday, March 10, 2009

INFINITE WORLDS


It's been raining off and on all morning. I had some errands to run, so I pocketed my camera and headed out in the van, accompanied by one of my favorite rainy day CDs - "Glacier Journey" by Christine (Quiet Paths) and Matthew. It's beautiful music to play in any weather, but on misty days with fog enveloping your senses, it's the perfect finishing touch. The road into town passes by canals and a small private marina, some drainage ditches, all full-to-bursting after a few heavy rains and the melting snow.


I stopped several places along the way just to watch the drops splash down, the circles spread, and the reflections of trees dance in a harmless wind. All the bushes were hung with fat raindrops that shone, despite the dull light, like tiny universes all their own. When I arrived back home, I noticed the one remaining drift in my yard - the one that was so huge when it was new that you could have hidden a mid-sized car under it with room to spare - had shrunk to reveal part of a tunnel, a runway, used by some mouse or vole to travel in relative warmth and safety while during the coldest days.

We had a hearty snow storm last April, so perhaps all of us will need to make our way through yet more drifts before summer comes to stay, but today, this was a day of peering into infinite worlds not seen when the road is dry, the canals are low, and the voles go about their business in tunnels underground.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing your wonderful reflective thoughts and superb photos you've captured to highlight them with-

YourFireAnt said...

A wonderful post, Deborah, and the photos are enchanting.

And thanks for your kind words on my post about Carrie.

We had rain here too up until today. I went out to the snow hump at the end of the driveway [from the plow] and hacked it in pieces so it would melt faster.

;-)

FA

Kat said...

That rain reflection is an amazing picture! Thanks so much for you and the rain!

Shelley said...

I love the reflection of the tree in the rain. More pretty than the rain I'm looking at right now outside my window!

Anonymous said...

Okay, I'll be the third people telling you that the tree is the best photo in this entry! I'm SO original sometimes.... :D
hope you're having a nice day, see you tomorrow! :)

Great Grandma Lin said...

lovely thoughts and great photos...

Rose said...

Would you love to know what used that tunnel! I know we have had snow as late as May, not much of course, but still snow. So I am trying to not get my heart set on spring being here to stay.

Unknown said...

I was trapped in an April blizzard (April Fools Day to be exact) back in 1997. That was not joke!

Ruth said...

Your words and pictures made the rainy day beautiful indeed, although I would prefer a somewhat warmer rain!

Quiet Paths said...

That rain looks pretty inviting to me right now; it's only 6 above outside with lots of snow still and ice everywhere. Rain, ah.... the idea of it is bliss.
Thanks for the mention, friend. So happy that GJ still makes you smile after all these years. I smile deeply thinking about it.

magiceye said...

....lovely post....

Squirrel said...

I'm picturing voles with tiny briefcases. I walked a long way from home today, the sky began to look like it would rain for certain, any minute now and yet it held back all day--it never stopped it's "any second now" look for hours and hours!

What do you call those skies that look like that? Fat plump juicy grey clouds swirling, hovering low...

Cloudia said...

"like tiny universes all their own"
and mysterious tunnels too.
A wonderous post. Your blog has fed my imagination. at night I hear the lake ice groan....Aloha & thanks!

Indrani said...

It is always a pleasure reading your thoughts and well taken shots. :)

Kim said...

Wonderful writing on the beauty of raindrops! I am so glad you are getting rain and not snow!

david mcmahon said...

Ah, the poetry of Nature.