the last big snow
porcupine today
going
out on a limb,
s/he's moving keeping balance
my walk was short and very very cold
i could hardly see past the balaclava and my glasses frosted up
shadows were all kinds of indigo
and purple.
new years eve and i sit home with a candle lit,
babysitting this old house as the thermometer creeps ever lower.
i am alone, not lonely, still missing the new place.
jude wrote about shelter, what porcupine seeks (between meals)
and what i must have or i would die (also between meals).
i have no quills to defend myself, or ability to climb agiley up, eating bark and buds
out on limbs that challenge balance,
and my language is a conversation with friends, not repelling enemies.
thank you for being along on the journey.
happy to have your company.
ReplyDeletemichelle, thank you!
ReplyDeletethere is such beauty in the blue shadows of your cold winter day & I never knew that porcupines can climb trees!
ReplyDeleteOh, my goodness, wishing for a blanket just looking at your world on the screen. Do love the icy blue sky & light. Wishing you cozy, ox.
ReplyDeletemo, the spend most of their time in trees! out back we had a couple huge old sugar maples we called porcupine trees, full of years worth of feces (picture a two foot high pile below a big split trunk). yep, they likes them trees!
ReplyDeletehazel, i have been known to wrap up in one and walk around queen-like. until i trip on the trailing ends, that is.
stay warm, I know you love the snow but this is too much. It looks beautiful but too extreme, hoping for an early Spring for you and the critters.
ReplyDeleteOh Velma that is so cold. Good luck with all your vigilance for water pipes and heaters. It is stunningly beautiful; but would be good if it drifted back to slightly warmer temps!
ReplyDeletejean, i wouldn't mind for it to stay around 0, but this morning's -24 was a bit rough. and i do want the kitchen tap to thaw.
ReplyDeletefiona, yep. the forecast, while a bit milder says it's going back down to minus 20 later this week. holy moly!
The porcupine photos (and in your last post) are absolutely wonderful! (Apologies if this posted several times.)
ReplyDeletestephanie jo, it seems that blogger is still misbehaving, i don't know why. glad you like porcupine!
ReplyDeleteFun to see the porcupine! Where I grew up in Maine, we had one living between the house and the outhouse. She had 2 little babies. I was able to stroke one of the small ones on the nose. Their quills are still quite soft.
ReplyDeleteAfter I came to England, I got a curious little wrapped bit of paper from my dad. It was the quills he had recently got out of my dog's nose! I must still have it somewhere, I had forgotten about it!
Sandy in the UK
sandy, i've never seen baby porcupines, only almost-grown ones. so lucky that you got to touch one! dogs seem so fascinated by porcupines, unfortunately!
ReplyDeletewonderful photos wish I had fur on my body, it is-16 here
ReplyDeletesusan, fur would be nice, maybe... except, hot flashes and summer...
ReplyDelete