Christmas morning began in crisp, brisk form, with clear blue skies and a stiff upper wind. Much of the snow had already been driven off by a bout of rain, and the dry cold air that’s currently pulling from the remaining snow cover. There was a clarity that only seems to come at Christmas, but I’ll watch for it on the days to come. Maybe I’ve only ben pricking my senses up on the special days when the magic is there for anyone who takes the time and care to notice.
I only made one quick turn around the edge of the pool, to reach one of the only spots of nearby greenery still green at this time of the year – the juniper bush. Prickly of texture, it’s one of those landscaping feature that wants nothing more than to be left alone, admired from afar, and given water only at the most drought-like stretches of deep summer – and even then it would likely turn its nose up at such efforts.
An austere visage of beauty for the beginning of winter, this juniper stretches high into the sky, having been planted well over a decade ago as something to lift the spirits at just such a point in the season. We have a wider stretch of junipers on the edge of the yard – more difficult to access with the snow, but maybe worth the little trek for a bouquet to ring in the New Year.
