Wow! It is hard to believe it is the end of fall. The Grove continues to not disappoint me. The frost has taken most all the fresh vegies and snow has blanketed the ground a few times. The much needed and welcomed rain has begun to make its presence known.
Reminicing back to my days of childhood, I find myself thinking about how much I loved to examine snowflakes on my gloves when I was a child. If anyone was watching me today, I would still be caught catching snowflakes as they fall from the sky. Each individually unique formation hand crafted from the water droplets in the air. Who could pass up the quiet moment to examine the fascinating shapes in fine detail.
This year I was blessed to discover a new freezing phenomenon. Have you ever seen an ice or frost flower? What an amazing wonderment of nature. The ground is all brown around this incredible ice feature. This standalone beauty cannot be beat. This crystal ice flower is formed when moisture freezes and vertically splits the stems of plants. All the conditions have to be just right. So, don’t be expecting these guys to show up all the time. To spot them, your eyes will need to be looking for what might appear to be little puffs of cotton thrown amidst the left over stems of summer. Upon closer examination, your eyes will be feasting on swirling ice patterns shaped like delicate rose pedals. Hands off these magnificent formations. They are so delicate that the second your warm finger touches it, poof, it is gone. How wonderful it is to have a blooming flower when all around the ground is dormant. Another great miracle reveals itself to my eyes as I stop to take in the beautiful clean air that I am so blessed to experience.