Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Rainy Winter Day

Rainy Winter Day by linfrye
Rainy Winter Day, a photo by linfrye on Flickr.

1/4 Sheet
Arches 140#CP

In the denser air of grey, brooding clouds
I smell the coming rain.
Muted autumn colors are saturated, yet
Dulled without sunlight’s bright touch.
There’s a somberness to this winter's day,
A foreshadowing of the season's advance, creeping
ever toward us
As the earth slides away from center.

We've seven days of rain predicted for this last of the pre-holiday weeks. It's warmed up again, with temperatures in the mid 60s - and tomorrow, we're to reach 70F! Though I welcome the warmth - I really dislike being cold - there's something un-Christmasy about it.

Each Christmas when I was a girl, my father, who also disliked the cold, used to take our family from the frigid, damp New York suburbs to the sunny, warm sands of Florida. We'd wake up Christmas morning to swim in the Atlantic, while we bathed ourselves in bright sunlight. After a week, we'd return with our holiday 'tans' ...

While it was fun and felt good to be warm in the middle of winter, the palm trees and Santas in airplanes instead of sleighs somehow made us long for snow and cold even more! (go figure! LOL)

I suppose I am still that little girl longing for 'chestnuts roasting, sleighbells and white Christmases' .... and if it's going to be damp and wet and grey, it'd be more enjoyable if it were white and snow! LOL Guess I'll be painting my own, this year!

Today is my last day at work before holiday break. Already the students have left for a couple of weeks and most of the staff and faculty will leave after this evening. The campus is quiet, and it's a good time to get a few of those 'never can get to' things accomplished.

Hope your day is terrific!

4 comments:

Lorraine said...

A perfect painting of what we are experiencing here too -- several days of rain in the forecast -- right up until Christmas day when there is supposed to be sun. You did a great job with capturing the somber feel of the rainy weather.

I didn't realize you spent Christmas in FL. No wonder you still pine for snow at Christmas!! As we are driving to Louisville I will be happy for the sun and dry roads.

I also thought you were already finished at work so enjoy the quiet while it lasts and thank you for a lovely poem and prose today too!
Hugs,
Lorraine

Capt Elaine Magliacane said...

Sunny and warm here in Charleston today, but that rain should be here Christmas Eve.. I'm a Southern girl born and raised, never lived North of Atlanta Georgia... so snow, don't miss it, at Christmas or any other time. Merry Christmas Lin... hope you get a bit of snow soon.

Katiejane said...

I love your poem. It's gray and rainy here, too. Not very Christmas-y, I'll admit. But it's still better than several feet of snow. That would have been neat to spend Cmas in Florida and then come back to snow. Your beautiful painting says it all.

Joan Tavolott said...

Nice moody, rainy feel to this. Yes, we have a damp day with showers today, but luckily the forecast improves after today. Enjoy your time off! Have a great day!!!