Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Goodbye to 2014

After a couple of days cooped up indoors nursing this wretched cold, I decided I needed some fresh air. We're at the cottage, and once you step outside, the only light you get is from the moonlight. It's disconcertingly dark after the bright lights of the city, and so silent you can hear the blood pounding in your ears. Well, silent except for the ice on the lake blindsiding you with a low moan or thunderous crack when you least expect it. 

It is windless tonight, thankfully, but a skin-numbing minus 16C. I armed myself with long underwear, and refused to let this stupid virus, or my fear of the dark, and that damned woo-woo-wooing lake, be the boss of me. (Plus I took Buddy and Doug along.) 

Oddly enough, there is almost no snow on the ground, crazy for this time of year and us being so far north, which meant we were able to walk with ease through the cedars and birch, guided by the moonlight, right down and then on to the lake. 

We hugged the shore and shuffled along the ice, marvelling at the sheer number of stars spread out overhead. The surface of the lake was like glass, the ice reliably thick, perfect conditions for skating literally miles without stopping, or hitting a bump or patch of snow but, as Doug pointed out, terrible for hockey because "if you miss the puck, it'll keep going forever!" 

A beautiful, perfect night and a wonderful way to say goodbye to 2014.


Happy New Year. May you find peace, happiness and joy.

2 comments:

Kim Laird said...

Happy New Year to you too, Pam. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, photos, and observations with us.

nightsmusic said...

Happy New Year Pam! Here's hoping the new year brings you all happiness and wonderful things.

I've been fortunate enough to live a couple places where the dark is almost overwhelming (the house we moved to now is like that) but for me, it's very comforting. I tried to get my husband to not put a light on the back barn, but he doesn't like this kind of dark. I'm just hoping that I'll be able to see the Northern Lights from here. I did as a kid where I grew up, then progress happened and lit everything too much. :(