I was leaving my daughter’s farm early one morning to head back home to Saskatoon. The sun was just coming up, as is happening now that spring has arrived! The hoar frost had visited, and the trees were coated in a gorgeous, sparkling magic of snow dust. It was so beautiful in the yard that I lingered for a while, walking around and taking it all in. Every where the hoar frost had lit was glistening in the morning sunrise.
I am a photographer – I love taking photos of nature! This was a great opportunity. I took several photos as the sun rose in the east behind the trees that line the drive to their house. Unfortunately, the camera didn’t pick up the sparkling frost, but the photographs are still lovely. I decided, after taking – probably 12 to 15 photos – trying to catch some sparkle, that I would just have to view it with my eyes and put this wonderful experience in my memory. I was blessed with the sparkling hoar frost for over an hour as I drove east toward Saskatoon. Once I hit Highway 16, it was warmer, and the frost had melted. Lucky for me, I still carry the memories of that gorgeous drive in my memory. It was lovely.
Whenever I visit my grandkids, one thing they love to do is play outside in their yard. We always make sure to get outside, even if it is really cold. I always say, if you live in Saskatchewan, you need to appreciate nature in every season! My son-in-law pushes the snow into huge mountains of snowSome years, the mountains of snow really begin to look like mountains! The kids love to slide down them on toboggans, sleds, GTs and their snowsuits. They also love to dig in the snow, roll in the snow and just have fun outside.
We walk around the yard, too, looking at animal tracks. Deer tracks are very common and I am sure we have seen the odd large moose prints. We often hear the owl, and have seen it a few times, when we are lucky. We also see the tracks of prairie chickens. One morning I looked up to see the deer prance through the yard and the nearby field and across the gravel road into the next field. Being outside in winter is a wonderful opportunity to help the children appreciate and learn about nature and just have fun in the snow!