Gremlin's Meadow in Snow

And it was then that winter really began. We had two days in a row of snow last week. And on this weekend, we were anticipating back-to-back winter storms. The first one, which the forecasters initially said was likely to simply graze us, began on Friday night and left us with six inches of new snow by Saturday morning.

The snowy winter world just before dawn is blue, and I like blue. So just before the daylight came, I went out into the yard with my camera and took a bunch of snowy snapshots. (Then we started shoveling out, which I have to admit wasn't quite so fun. But hey, welcome to winter.)

This photo is of our backyard - and in particular Gremlin's Meadow - in snow. I have told the story of how it came to be Gremlin's Meadow, and the beloved huge orange tomcat it was named for, in another Blip. (Warning: the story is a bit sad, so if you're not in the mood for that, please skip it.)

The meadow itself is one of my favorite parts of our property. It is a place where the grass grows tall and the bunnies can safely hide; a place where dandelions bloom and even the tiniest spider's dreams of flight can come true. It is a place where the evening light looks lovely, especially in autumn; and where the moon sometimes bids me good morning through the trees.

One of my life dreams was that once I had a home of my own, I would finally plant a garden. And I have done so. I plant vegetables and flowers every summer. There is a butterfly garden on the sunny south side of the house that in a typical summer attracts more hummingbirds than butterflies. And then of course there is the meadow.

I have planted so many things in this meadow. Some of them have come to fruition, while others have gone by the wayside. I always have plans for what I will be planting next. As they say, gardening does not begin in springtime with the planting; it begins in winter, with the dream.

My latest little scheme is that I saved some milkweed seeds last autumn and I plan to try to plant some in the meadow this year. I want more butterflies to come to the meadow; Gremlin would like that, I think.

Welcome to the meadow in winter. Beneath the blanket of quiet snow, a garden is dreaming of coming into being.

The song to accompany this wintry image is Queen, with A Winter's Tale.