SANS SNOW

Winter is not my favorite time of year. It often seems to hang around for too long and I dislike having to tread carefully on icy paths and through sludge and grit of melting snow on city streets. Then there are times when I am mesmerized by the  transformation of buildings, piles of garbage and vehicles as they carefully balance mountains of snowflakes that are altered with each gust of wind or snowball toss. The snow covered rural landscape affords beauty that often takes this Afro-Caribbean native by surprise. These photographs were taken in western Massachusetts in 2017.

Vajra Hall

Going downhill from Vajra Hall

The very mild winter of 2020 is coming to an end; uneventful maybe for northeast landscapes but not so for human health across the globe, with the scare of the Coronavirus epidemic. There was almost no snow in New York City. I actually really missed it. It will be interesting to see how landscapes and gardens fare without the moisture that thawing snow usually provide. I also wonder how the lack of snow affects the tick population as I observed many deer deer on a recent trip to the Hudson Valley. 

Landscapes such as these are inspiring and I venture out for walks even during the coldest of days. Snow becomes the canvas on which linear marks of trees and other vegetation are etched. Slopes and vegetation are both simplified and amplified in contrasting hues and dramatic sketches with hints of color. Our planet is truly beautiful. I have come to appreciate winter, the snow and this period of dormancy and the benefits of snow cover to plants, pest and disease control. Some, I included, may often gripe about the cold and wish for warmer days or more comfortable temperatures all year round. But living in the Northeast is imaginable without snow. The absence of snow may teach us some humility, patience and awareness that we are privileged to inhabit this space.  May we do more to preserve it as it means also preserving our own futures.