Through The Lens
Winter’s Beauty
24vHISVOICEvJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
vBy Angella and Ryan Byykkonen
Most of us dread the season of winter each year. We cringe at the
very thought of subzero temperatures, shoveling snow from our
driveways and sidewalks, and driving on icy roads and streets. I will
be the first to admit that I am not fond of the cold and the relentless
winds that seem to blow forever here in the Midwest of South Dakota.
But I will admit there is something calming and magical about the first
snowfall of the year.
The season brings a newness to our landscapes, blanketing what
remains of fall with a crisp coat of white. Wintertime transforms
landscapes and locations into dreamlike scenes different from any
other time of year. Snow, frost and ice have a way of making every day
mundane things look amazing. Yet most will never truly stop to see
the beauty that Mother Nature has provided in this season. We get lost
in the responsibilities of adult life, our jobs, homes, spouses, children,
grandchildren and aging parents consume our time and our thoughts
every day. We move through each moment in life so fast paced that it
becomes a blur of images. We look around at the routine of our day as
we hurry out the door for work or to rush our children to their many
activities, to take our senior parents or grandparents to their multiple
doctor appointments. To the grocery store, the post office, the school,
our jobs and back home again and never pause to truly see the beauty
that Mother Nature has presented to us like a gift wrapped present
waiting to be unwrapped.
That fence post and barbed wire now coated with a heavy layer of
frost or ice, becomes glistening jewels. The dried weeds and plant pods
have captured the frost crystals changing their very existence into a
natural wonder. The trees are held suspended in time, every branch
embracing each snow flake and it becomes alive once again. The
pastures and fields, tree lines, ponds and lakes seem to glow as the sun
shines anew off that blanket of snow or ice that winter has laid before
us. Wildlife once camouflaged and hidden in the lush green of trees
or thick prairie grass of the fields, are now visible, their natural colors
even more striking against the iced ponds and creeks. Even the crisp
cold air brings out the most vibrant blueness in the sky.
Most will wander aimlessly lost and obtuse to the beauties in life,