Thursday, January 7, 2010

Do Not Disturb!

Snow...................
gently falling inch by inch, transforming the dreary, bare landscape into a magical place
where any moment now, the Ice Queen will make a frosty appearance.
Wreaking havoc, polar bears and all, on the purity of the driven snow.
Stop this nonsense immediately Ice Queen, so we can enjoy this pristine blanket of snow that has turned our dull and drab winter world into something sparkling and new.
But no, even if you would put up notices saying: Keep Off the Snow, would anybody pay a blind bit of notice?
Of course not. There is a veritable army out there just chomping at the bit to spoil the utter sublimeness that is the driven and untrodden snow.
With their humongous sized feet they trample all over the place, leaving not a bit of snow unscathed. This rather uncouth behaviour is displayed by the usual suspects:
Snow is, rather regrettably, magically pretty for only a very limited period of time, before you know it it has been crushed, bruised and pounded all over and turned into a rather unsightly mush.
So whatever you do, do NOT disturb the snow, keep off it, especially with that giant sized pair of feet of yours. Just stay indoors and simply look at it and be blown away by its breathtaking beauty.

Also not to be disturbed are the plants, trees and bulbs in your garden. Let them gently slumber under their cozy blanket of snow dreaming about the arrival of Spring.

In my cupboard there are 3 hyacinth bulbs who also do not want to be disturbed. When I first put them on water they looked like this.
Now, after a long sleep in the dark, they look like this.
Soon it will be time to disturb them and move them to the living room where they can flower their hearts out and their socks off with gay and fragrant abandon.

copyright 2010 Y.E.W. Heuzen

For those of you who were expressing concern for stray kitty Jeeves:
Jeeves is doing great. Here he is (on the right) with his arch nemesis Merlin in a rare moment of truce on the living room couch. Now that it is so cold outside Jeeves is popped into the utility room every evening just before dinner and turfed out again, on his request, every morning after breakfast.

People who don't like cats, simply haven't met the right one yet.

22 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I love cats and snow. A delightful post here YE. I think you need a regular snow shovel though. It would make it easier to move off paths. Gorgeous photos too.

Phoenix C. said...

How lovely! Your enjoyment of the snow shines through and is transferred to the reader. I love unspoilt snow too, and it makes such lovely shapes over all the shrubs in the garden.

Barbee' said...

A lovely, lovely post! I agree with you. Thank you for showing me The Netherlands in snow. Such a pretty place where the tulips sleep.

HappyMouffetard said...

I love the footprints in the snow. Glad to see Jeeves all cwtched* up in the warm.
(cwtch is a welsh word, pronounced something like "cutch" and means to be snuggled up).

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

I so agree about the footprints in the snow. My side yard looks like a caribou crossing with all the deer tracks. I was just thinking yesterday that we needed new snow to make it look pretty again. Another thing about old snow is that it tends to shrink down, which also is not as attractive as newly fallen snow.

Glo said...

Snowy scenes at their finest ~ magical indeed with your special visitors and delightful presentation. Here I sit on the west coast of Canada with nary a flake in sight!

*Ulrike* said...

The sparkle of snow with its beauty, sigh, how I wish we had some too!! Footprints in the snow like footprints in the sand, you always wonder who has been there.
Ulrike

Unknown said...

Isn't it fun to see arch-nemesiseseses getting along, even if temporarily? SimonQ and Spunky Boomerang don't get along at all well (it's a jealousy thing over me) and yet will hang around quietly together until they discover that the other is sharing air in the same spot. Then it's hiss-spit-snarl and one of them takes off.
I'm not surprised that you've still snow there...watching the reports on the news, I grow concerned for my gardening friends in southern US and in Europe. A weird, weird winter.

Anonymous said...

Hello! I haven't visited you in such a long time....love the snow photos! We just got our first snow here but alas, I'm working overtime so I only see it in the dark. Can't wait to see your garden in the spring.

inka en andre said...

Ondanks onze blogpauze wilde ik toch even reageren.
allereerst nog de allerbeste wensen voor het nieuwe jaar en,wat ontzettend leuk dat je een bezoekje hebt gebracht aan onze blog.
Ik heb meteen even naar jouw blog gekeken en,hij is ontzettend leuk.
Wat een leuke dieren en mooie foto’s van de sneeuwlandschappen en een onwijs gave grote klok,prachtig.
Ik meld me meteen ons als volger van jouw blog aan.

Alvast een heel fijn weekend en groetjes van inka en andre

Anonymous said...

Just like here! As you'll know there's plenty of snow here as well.
I think that your sofa flying cats have the right idea!
I have some indoor hyacinths, planted rather than in water, than are at a similar stage. I'm looking forward to them flowering!
Take care! Flighty xx

Anna said...

mooie foto's zeg!!!
en die foto van die film heb je die film ook gezien?
die is zoooo mooi!
ken je ook de Golden Compass?
ook in de sneeuw met ijsberen...prachtig gewoon!!!
Gr. Anna

http://enchantedadventures.blogspot.com/2009/03/golden-compass.html

Matron said...

I just love that Winter sunshine, just beautiful on that white snow!

Gail said...

I would take Jeeves in a NY minute YE!...and a day or two of snow! We are instead visited by a big bird (Priscilla F Peahen) and extremely frigid weather! Hoping you are all well! gail Snow is so pretty before men and beast mess it up!

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

The wildlife turns my whole backyard into tracks soon after every snowfall! Also, that quote also applies to dogs. I've only had one real dog friend in my lifetime, but now have a few more. So long as they don't lick me, sniff my personal areas, or jump on me, they're OK (but that rules a lot out!). :)

Chookie said...

I am sure a lot of people are starting to get tired of it (especially the Eurostar customers!) but for a person who sees snow rarely, it is indeed magic to see the pictures on TV and the internet.

easygardener said...

Our snow is staying white and crisp which is a great novelty as it usually turns to slush and disappears the next day. Magical is the right word.
The cats are not impressed at all.

em said...

i love the paw prints! you've got more snow than we do! say, tis that a witch hazel blooming under the snow?

theanalyst said...

It's not that I dislike cats and most certainly not that I haven't met the right cat.

I am required by law and common sense to keep my dogs, lizards, chickens, snakes, ferrets, mice and rats under control and within the boundaries of my property (yes, they do all live on the same property approx 800m^2!) .

I have no problem with cats. I have a problem with cat owners. None of my animals singly or working together could do as much environmental damage as just one cat and yet cat owners think that it's just fine to let their cats run wild.

If cat owners would accept that they have the same responsibility to keep their animals enclosed as I have with my animals there would be no more fights.

I don't hate or dislike cats. I like cats. Cats are magnificent animals and have my utmost respect.

Cat owners OTOH ... ummm ... well, let's just leave it there shall we?

Helen said...

Love cats especially Jeeves who reminds me so much of a cat we had once, called Maceo. But I don't love snow. OK I concede it's pretty but I had more than enough of it in Alberta. So happy that for now we have no snow in Victoria on Vancouver Island. Give me rain instead of snow, please.

Reflection Through The Seasons said...

Hello Yolanda....

There’s a kind of ‘hush’ on the landscape when its covered in snow..... but as you say, its magic is short lived.

This morning we have heavy rain here in Wales and our winter wonderland is quickly being washed away. I have to admit that its novelty has worn thin in recent days when its beauty faded into a grey slushy scene. I am now eager to get out into the garden and tidy up the winter debris that has lain hidden for almost a month.

I admire your hyacinths Yolanda... like you I grew some in glass vases and water, but what a disappointment they are this year.... I shall have to buy a couple of pots already started.

Keep warm and stay safe. Oh! and for me.... ‘A home is not a home without a cat’ Blessings - Marion

EA said...

Nice pictures! I like the flowers. I'm I the only one who found the ice queen in Chronicles of Narnia to be kind of sexy?