39. Instant Winter 2.0 (About Deer, Birds, Foxes, Winter, Snow & Hoar Frost) 8

Dugging up the Mittens

Formerly, our winters used to be constructed with care.
Some freezing, some thawing.
As soon as you had finally dusted your ice skates and dug up your mittens, thaw had already set in.
The first ice scraping from your car window, a hopeful little snowman and some modest ski-fever, interspersed with a daunting little thaw attack.
And so, the winter would build up by fits and starts and in the end you could look back satisfied and ascertain that it had really been winter.

But that was before the invention of Instant Winter!
These endless long and ruthlessly cold winters are sooo nineteen-hundred-something.

New & Improved

New & improved winters easily fit in one morning. Theoretically, they would fit neatly between the morning and evening rush hours, without causing the slightest inconvenience.

Efficiency is key; some freezing, a bit of frost and a touch of white and here’s your winter scene.
It might look like someone hastily emptied a huge bag of Styrofoam balls, but hey: white is white, isn’t it?!

White Magic

White: check, snow: check, frost: check. Anything else?
But mind you, if you blink twice, your winter world will be gone.
Those days of calmly leaking and thawing are over.
Snow free within no time.

While my left foot still lands on crispy snow, my right foot already touches de-wintered ground.
Behind me the white magic merrily twinkles, while in front of me, the dull swampiness already wriggles itself through the white.
The fairytale in which I was facing Bambi’s in winter wonderland less than an hour ago, has turned into a desolately looking muddy deer camp.

Photo or it Didn’t Happen

The last snow-flake has been erased, like it has never been winter at all and the sun seems to be mocking me.
There I am, all sweaty and totally overdressed, with my padded moon boots and woollen beanie.
The décor has fallen and the last bits of evidence have been cleared.
Perhaps you are familiar with the saying “Photo or it did not happen …”?
I’m glad I have my photos, otherwise I wouldn’t believe myself that we actually did have a little bit of winter this year…!

Hoar frost fox

Another fox in a hoar frost setting