In Living Color December Challenge
The Quietness of Snow
A peaceful winter wonderland

We don’t get a lot of snow in Texas, so when we do I always love to capture the fresh, soft snow before anyone steps on it. I took this looking out the front door onto our walkway. It always amazes me how cold it can be, yet I feel warm inside just looking at snow.

My mother gave us this light-up penguin yard decoration years ago. It was one of my favorite decorations to set up, and even better covered in snow. Not sure what happened to him. I think he stopped working. Maybe he retired somewhere colder.

As much as I like fresh, undisturbed snow, it makes me smile when I see the little paw prints that our dogs make when they go out in the back yard.
We rescued Bear, our shepherd/retriever mix in November 2014. I don’t recall it ever snowing in November before then, but we had a light snow the first weekend Bear was with us. He didn’t want to go outside and definitely didn’t want to step on that wet, white stuff falling from the sky. He sat right down on my sneakers and wouldn’t move. I had to carry him back inside until he decided much later that he was ready to try again.

Here’s Bear and his partner in crime, Star. Bear obviously got over being afraid of snow. Since they see snow so infrequently, there’s always that initial what the heck is this, but then they run around and play and have the best time.

This fountain stands outside our favorite Mexican food restaurant. I’ve taken many photos of it over the years — with blackbirds sitting on it, a sunset in the background, my granddaughter throwing a penny in and making a wish. The frozen-over-fountain is one of my favorites.

What’s better than candy on Valentine’s Day? A winter wonderland. We’ve had snow/ice more times in February (especially, the 14th) than I can remember.
A couple years ago, we drove to a nearby lake so I could get some photos of the snow and ice. I was bundled up with coat, hat, and gloves, sometimes getting right next to the frigid water’s edge. I liked the contrast of the white against the colorful paddleboards. It was like summer was waiting patiently to kick in again, and it was the best gift.
Thank you JoAnn Ryan for the wintery challenge.
