Ep 191. Welcoming Winter Sights and Silence

Relishing nature and our gardens goes beyond Spring, Summer, and Fall. Our Garden of Life is Winter, too. Mary Stone shares the beauty and stillness in a walk around the Winter Season of Sights, Sounds, and Silence, encouraging listeners to do the same, comparing it to the silence between notes that enriches a song's melody.

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Ep 142. Berries for Winter Beauty and Wildlife

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Thank you for sharing the Garden of Life,
Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer
                                        AskMaryStone.com

More about the Podcast and Column:

Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
Direct Link to Podcast Page

Transcript

Ep 191  Welcoming Winter Sights and Silence

Sat, Jan 25, 2025 10:26AM • 10:05
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
winter wonderland, garden art, ice crystals, tree trunks, seed pods, overwintering pots, frostbite risk, hydrangea blooms, nature walk, frozen nose hairs, silent beauty, Tao Te Ching, screen porch, garden delights
SPEAKERS
Mary Stone

Mary Stone  00:00
Mary, Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone and welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries. It's not only about gardens. It's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learn from Mother Nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So let's jump in, the spirit of learning from each other, we have lots to talk about. 

Mary Stone  00:23
Hello there. It's Mary Stone on a very, very, very cold screened porch. I think it's eight degrees this morning, which is a bit better than the negative one it was yesterday. I want to thank those of you who wrote back after the past episode Joy of Self Seeding and Seed Shopping sure to delight us as we look forward to the new season of growth come spring, but enjoy the season of now. The Deep Freeze here in New Jersey and friends in Texas had a dusting of snow too. Weather is unpredictable, yet there are patterns to enjoy and count on. Speaking of thinking of spring, I have an ornament. It's not a Holiday Ornament, but it's a metal piece of art of a gardener given to me by my college roommate and lifelong friend Linda long ago. The denim dressed gardener with flowers on her skirt looks like she's flying, carrying a pole with dangling garden tools, and today, the window with the shade from which she hangs is laced with a feathery garden of ice crystals, almost like a flower border decorating a backdrop of trees in the distance. So lovely. As I was admiring her, I noticed a tag saying, veggies, shrubs, flowers and trees. A day in the garden is all my soul needs. But the garden is beyond spring, summer and fall, and our Garden of Life is winter too. And I look forward to sharing a walk around the wonder of winter unfolding and it starts like this.

Mary Stone  01:58
 Hello, fellow lovers of all things green yesterday, in the early morning hours, as the sun was soon to rise, it began lightening the sky. The snow had a cast of blue, and the moon was still visible in the sky above the foot bridge over the pond. The Hemlock trees looked like black lace against the dark blue sky. Once the sun rose, long shadows striped the snowy, sloped front yard leading to the brook. As I tried to wrestle on Jolee's boots, she curled her paws, just like a toddler would do when you're trying to put on her shoes. I wanted her to join me in the yard skiing. I got them on, and the poor dear girl walked as if she was on hot coals, lifting her feet. Last winter we didn't use boots at all, so I wonder if she forgot that they help her. Anyway after tending to business, she sat in the rock garden as if humiliated by her footed wardrobe. So back inside she went, losing one shoe on the way. 

Mary Stone  02:58
And so I skied solo, enjoying the sights and sound of winter, and as I did, I marveled over the shapes of tree trunks, not always straight as they grow to reach for the sunlight. One trunk looked like a bent knee, the kneecap and calf frosted in snow. The dry, reddish flower heads of the Pieris japonica cascade over the snowy clumps. And the dry, feathery seed heads of a still be spike like flags above the blanket. Looking from above at a set of Black Eyed Susan seed pods are eyeballs in reverse, with pupils of white instead of black. The whorled needles of the umbrella pine hold onto the fluff like white decorations evenly spaced from top to toe. 

Mary Stone  03:43
So I invite you to join me for a walk around the yard. I am putting on my gloves, very big, beefy gloves, because it is in the single digits this morning. I am in the garage. I'm gonna head out with Jolee. Come on. Come on. Jolee, I have a huge moving blanket here to keep the draft from coming in the garage, where I have some overwintering pots of perennials. It is so cold in there that the snow is not melting on my boots. 

Mary Stone  04:20
I'm walking underneath the covered bridge that goes over the pond. I love the sticky sound of snow and frozen nose hairs. I'm known for. People think that's silly, but it's an invigorating feeling when you're in this kind of cold weather. Oh, I think she's looking for her boyfriend. Boohickles goes up the hill, but I don't think he's out. Jolee, so let's go on down by the brook.

Mary Stone  04:58
This morning, I was considering walking her on the road, but I learned that even if there's not snow and the road is dry, they still can get frost bite from the road. So I want to stay close to home in case I need to go inside. And I am grateful that I have this beautiful world around me to enjoy. No matter where you are in your world, there are things to enjoy, little bits of nature that you can find, even with your house plants. I just saw a bluebird flying by. Don't freeze your little beak. 

Mary Stone  05:35
The sound of water is so soothing. It always amazes me how water can freeze while it moves, and there are ripples in the ice from the movement; such a beautiful sound. As I'm walking with her and she's running, I'm thinking, is the snow warmer because of the sun being on it? I did a little research and learned that it's not true. In fact, the snow, because of its whiteness, reflects the sun, and so actually, the snow can actually remain colder than the air.

Mary Stone  06:24
 I'm at the front of the house, where I have many hydrangeas, and the flowers dry are just so lovely. And there's one formation of a cluster of dry blooms, and two above it that have a white cap. It almost looks like a moose head. Maybe it's just me, but I'll put a picture in the column post, and you tell me what you see. That's one of the things about walking in nature, is you can look at things like clouds and see formations. I don't know. Maybe it's the kid in me. I think we all should have some kid in us. 

Mary Stone  07:01
I have to say, when I take my gloves off, it is very cold, so I don't think I'm gonna keep you out here much longer my dear girl,. She's no got drop butt -- Come on, Jolee. Come on. She's running crazy. Get rid of some energy. Come on. Come on. Come on. 

Mary Stone  07:20
There's such beauty in the world, and amongst it is the silence. When you think of music, it's the silence between the notes that really makes the melody. It's the silence in our hearts that makes the love. Take time to be silent and marvel over the beauty of the world around you and the miracle that goes on in the unseen. 

Mary Stone  07:53
Here she comes. Here she comes. Oh, she's heading to the door. Maybe she's had enough. Think she has had enough. Okay? She told me, there you go. We'll keep you safe, my dear girl,.

Mary Stone  08:09
I'm back on the screen porch after our walk around. Thank you again for joining me. Maybe you're not a fan of winter or the frigid cold or the etchings of crystals on your windows or frozen nose hairs and squeaking snow, but enjoy the stillness and the peaceful space of silence. I reflect on the last lines of verse 45 of the Tao Te Ching, activity conquers cold, inactivity conquers heat. Stillness and tranquility set things in order in the universe. Yes, indeed, a perfect unfolding. So, thanks for coming by. I appreciate you joining me on this very cold screen porch. I literally have frozen fingertips, and that is why, if you have a dog or a cat, be very aware that it only takes 15 minutes to get frostbite when it's in the single digits, sometimes 30 minutes, but you really have to be careful. I wish I could get Jolee to wear boots. I hope you enjoyed the podcast, and if so, please share it with a friend or two so more of us can continue meeting together each week and learning and growing together. All of your input back and emails just light up my heart. And I encourage more of you to email me at askmarystone@gmail.com. Thank you again, and I look forward to the next time on the screen porch. Have a great day. 

Mary Stone  09:34
You can follow garden dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden dilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag Mary Elaine Stone. Garden dilemmas, delights and discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch and always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.