Rural

When you look outside... ...at the barren cold landscape do you see the beauty in Winter? Or do you strain to hear snatches of the blackbird calling from the months ahead to herald spring ? Do you see the diamond hard sparkle of winter light on bare branches crusted with ice Or do you only dream of the yellow song of the daffodil? Do you hear the sounds The branches make as they scrape past the trunks of the trees while showers of snow fall to earth? If you believe in the beauty of winter you will hear a tune that whistles between the sleeping trees of the forest, one that echoes past the mountains feet. Do you know that the creatures deep in the forest who sleep tucked under a blanket of winter snow snoozing until spring are missing out on all the spectacular sights while the crystals and ice line the streams. So stop for a moment and listen to the silence that slides over the snowy fields while flakes form skyward before coating the roads. And know in