1.18.2011

Snow ~ Clean Canvas

Last week was a bit of a treat and surprise. We had our second snow of the season. The first snow was a lovely Christmas morning gift and the second was just in time for my birthday. This area of Tennessee is already a very picturesque place but add the rare covering of snow and it becomes simply storybook!

Not all places around here are always a gorgeous postcard though. Case in point, my house....it is darling sitting atop the snow covered with a backdrop of winter clad trees. It does look "picture postcard perfect", right?It's deceiving! Under all of that snow is a mound of anthills and polk salad waiting to accost me at first light of spring. That entire hill is a gardener's nightmare. Thank goodness that I am not the gardening primary. That battle belongs to my dear Hubby while I hold back on the porch simply shaking my head in dismay. Most often I look at the pile of clay and chert then run back inside where I often retreat to gorgeous gardening magazines while my poor husband pounds the ground with shovel and hoe with only the encouragement of my 9 year old "Garden Girly".


However, seeing the house in this light gave me hope. As an artist, the snow was like a
fresh, white canvas waiting for my brush and without the visual clutter, a vision was born. I can see it now, the waterfall of phlox, a weeping cherry, a pretty bench, and possibly a pond. Standing at the bottom of the hill and looking up at my house sitting atop that clean slate gave me a sense of contentment. I can do this if I just approach it like I do my paintings and designs. It's not an acre of weeds, it's an acre of canvas! It will just take awhile to "paint". After all, I don't have to rush this painting to be finished. A little bit at a time and maybe one day, my spring photo will be as gorgeous as my snow photo. I think I will make it a point to enjoy the journey.