It has been a curious month, my friends and here in the south hills of Pittsburgh, it has been a snowy one. In fact, we had more consecutive days with snow on the ground since I moved here almost 14 years ago now. And while most of my neighbors have found this phenomenon upsetting, I have loved it deeply.
I have often heard talk of the nostalgia of snow, the way that we always imagine our childhoods to have been snowier than they actually were. — Katherine May, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times
This statement rang profoundly true for myself as I navigated February… and the snowy month helped tremendously! I wandered down the halls of the memories of my Winter’s Past in Holland, Michigan… a place that is much snowier than Pittsburgh will ever be… and I delighted in the brief encounter with winter I could enjoy this year and we even got some snow overnight! I will take a check on the snowiest February in recent Pittsburgh history chart!
But in this deep winter month, I also began to see (and feel) changes… more noticeable daylight, the return of birdsong, I watched the snow from earlier in the month melt, and welcomed new coverings of snow more than once, I saw bulbs begin to sprout, and then over the weekend… I saw snowdrop blossoms opening in the crisp February air… all good things and this latest blanket of snow won’t hurt them at all. I felt very much these outward signs mirrored my inward feelings. Some days I felt lighter and some days did not but all around me the world was helping me move forward.
I also spent some time learning this month… stretching my brain, trying new things that feel awkward and uncomfortable in my hands. I attended a talk by Mark S. Burrows, Ph.D on “The Outward Gaze: Rilke, Rodin and the Conversation Between Poetry and Sculpture.” (this was so incredibly good…I will be jumping at the opportunity to do this again!) I took the Alabama Chanin Beading workshop that MDK offered and was dazzled (or is that bedazzled… HA!) by what I learned. (One brief side note… can I just say that if MDK announced that Natalie Chanin was going to lead a class of her reading the phone book, I’d sign up… honestly, her voice is the most soothing, calming thing ever.)
And yes… I knit almost an entire yoke of a sweater only to have to rip back to start again. But I learned that sometimes row gauge is crucial… and I have “mathed” out the solution and have slowly begun yoke knitting again.
The thing that keeps circling back to me about this month is this… I am not certain I would have done any of these things in any other time. I needed to be immersed in Deep Winter to have the space to contemplate these things… to go deeper with Rilke, to slow down and pick up the thinnest needle, thread it, and begin to… stitch by stitch… add some brilliance to a piece of fabric in a way that is entirely unfamiliar to me. And to have no other distractions to sit down and math out the solution to my “row gauge” issue.
Things that could only be accomplished with no other distractions calling made me see a new value for winter and I am tucking away ideas of things that might be interesting to contemplate next winter!
Finally, I will close with a poem by Nikki Giovanni… it is a poem of hers that was part of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Art in Transit program:
Winter Poem
by Nikki Giovanni
once a snowflake fell
on my brow and i loved
it so much and i kiss
it and it was happy and called its cousins
and brothers and a web
of snow engulfed me
i reached to love them all
and i squeezed them and they became
a spring rain and i stood perfectly
still and was a flower
And that, my friends, is the most perfect way to wrap up winter. Next month begins spring and while there might be some back and forth days as winter gives way and spring takes over… spring will eventually win! I’d also encourage you to check out how Cathy and Carolyn did this month!
I’ll see you all back here on Wednesday!
Such a lovely post Kat! I’m glad to hear that you are enjoying winter, learning and experiencing new things. The poem you shared at the end of your post is beautiful. Thank you.
You have really experienced a lot this winter, and that does seem like the perfect season to burrow in and learn some new and interesting things. Wishing you all the best as you begin the yoke again!
I love winter so very much and I love watching early spring creeping in. The birds singing and more daylight are my favorite things. Beautiful poem.
Your post is the first thing I read this morning. I delight in your delight of the snow and agree fully. Winter Poem is beautiful.
Well. I can’t say I share your sentiments about winter in this particular moment. LOL But I am glad you find a rhythm to it that worked for you and that you got some value out of the time you spent accepting it.
Oh you had snow. I do miss snow.. in theory. I don’t miss the inconvenience of it. Yes the days are noticebly longer here too. Curtains now drawn at 6pm, two months ago at 4pm. That’s two extra hours of daylight. A smashing post.. we have both got through Winter in style.
What a beautiful post! I was in that Natalie Chanin workshop too – isn’t it fun? Except for threading the needle. I am not good at that yet.
I know we all grumble about winter, the cold and the snow and the darkness, but the fact that we are inside and free from some outside distractions does really offer an opportunity to engage in things we might not otherwise! I’m glad you’ve had the chance to take these deep dives and learn new things.
I’m laughing at your comment about Natalie Chanin — I feel the same way! I met her when Kym & I went to Florence for a workshop, and she is as lovely in person as you might imagine. I wasn’t able to attend the live event on Friday, but I’m looking forward to watching the recording. I always learn something. 😉
I often wondered if my snowy childhood in NJ was just my imagination, but apparently it WAS an exceptionally snowy time. Here in MN we have plenty of deep winter left. My sister just recommended Wintering to me, and it’s on my library hold list.
Sometimes winter lasts far longer than it should . . . but it usually has some lessons buried in that “snow.” I’m glad you’re enjoying this season of learning and thoughfulness. And DITTO what Vicki said. It was great to meet her and listen to her talk right there in her studio. Alabama Chanin ANYTHING is a total inspiration! XO
What a wonderful post Kat. I’m glad you’re embracing so many things this winter. We got hit hard here today! 🙂
What a wonderful post about your winter season. Even amidst the tumultuous times we live in, there is a quietness about winter that I have always loved. It is a good time for learning something new. The offerings by that poetry website are so good.
What an absolutely beautiful reflection … on winter and learning and reflection and growth. I share your depth of appreciation here. The insulation of wintertime facilitates deeper dives—and I wonder to myself, When do snowbirds (to Florida. And Arizona) make theirs? This heavy, deep winter has been a gift. As is the pause offered by your post.