It is only early December, as I listen from inside my house to the frigid winds blow and the chimes strike a pentatonic melody
The cold seems to get nastier, yet I see cardinals, sparrows, blue jays, nuthatches, and squirrels appear outside my kitchen window
The howling winds surge, but I clad myself in winter wear and the hat from Peru and walk the little hills of Muskingum’s campus in shivery weather to lift my spirits
Oh, how much I try to find peace in the bleakness of winter!

It is only mid-December and it is snowing outside, but I put my mournful feelings into a poem titled, “my winter blues”
The snow has now settled, and I force myself to play on my piano Debussy’s “footsteps in the snow” belonging to his Book 1 of Preludes
I know the sun will not appear today, yet I decide to go outside and click a plethora of photos of the poignant black and white scenery that I title “photos noir”
Oh, how much I try to find peace in the bleakness of winter!

It is only late December, and as darkness arrives as early as 5:00 p.m., I hang loose over red cabernet and mellow Diana Krall while making a Sri Lankan curry
Night time appears and I eagerly await to hear the train horn in the distance break the stillness of the night
Bed times arrives and I cuddle on the bed in the cold upstairs under four blankets and a comforter in my more than hundred year old house
Oh, how much I try to find peace in the bleakness of winter!

It is only early January, but I try to find solace in recognizing those unique looking pointed, leave-less branches outside the kitchen window
I realize it is time for another morning coffee, so I force myself to brave the frigid air slapping my face and head to Chapman’s Coffee House by the railroad tracks
Soon, inside the coffee house, I hear the rumblings of a freight train, so with coffee in hand, I scamper outside to see the choo-choo train, a special sight in the snow
Oh, how much I try to find peace in the bleakness of winter!

It is only mid-January and the sunset near, so I walk brisky to my favored spot in the frigid weather, the little lake where the geese and one white duck retreat
The sky dons a light red in color and I fully absorb the nature of this attractive ambience counting fifteen birds in total, some making ebullient sounding crackles
I am moved, so I watch them all now elegantly paddle away in the water, in quiet unison, with ease and comfort, implying much content and acceptance
Oh, how much these birds have found peace in the bleakness of winter!