This year, winter in St. Louis has been unexceptional. It has been cold, but not frigid. Snowfall has been rare, but we have had more than our share of cloudy days. Gloomy is a word that comes to mind. More than a few times in the past months I have found myself wondering if Fenrir The Wolf had finally succeeded in killing the gods.
Midwest Ragnarok with Train Window (2013)
The Spring Equinox came and went in much the same manner. While we waited for daffodils to unfold their golden faces, our consternation grew. We are hardy Midwestern people, but we have been ready to plant our gardens for several weeks now. The undergraduates at my university have been yearning to run barefooted through the quad, tossing frisbees and shouting, "COLLEGE!" But just when we had reached our collective breaking points, when we could wait no more, the weather gods came back to life, and produced a "bloom" of snow ...
... Proving that even the cruelest deities have a sense of humor. I might be in the minority opinion here, but I find this springtime snowfall to be magical. (Full disclosure: I like a cold snowy winter as much as I like a balmy summer.) For a few days, at least, the seasons fight back against the homogeneous empty time of the calendar, letting their frozen freak flag fly, so to speak. Two years ago we were graced with a similar late March snowstorm. It was amazing. I tell everyone about it. It was one of my favorite days of all time.
March Snow with Crab Apple Blossoms (2011)
Snow and ice clinging to those desperate blossoms is a rare sight, one
that I dream about. It was such a delight to photograph them Also, and less poetically perhaps, I built a zombie
snowman. Which is just plain awesome.
Night of the Living Dead Snowman (2011)
