We’ve all heard of snow angels. Children especially create them this time of year when at least a few inches of snowfall are available.

Here’s grandson Cameron in 2022. We took the easy way out and just went out on the back deck. Those snazzy mittens were courtesy his paternal grandma, Goose (me):

Such a sweet tradition. A snow angel.

But look again. Is that the shape of an angel in the snow … or the face of something rather ominous?

According to Mom (Cam’s great-grandmother), there are also such things as snow witches.

Meltdown

The snow witches
who come after Christmas
rest on the roof when their pockets are empty
the moon’s an accomplice
lending light to the chimneys
where the witches drop down
their black lozenges

But the sun will undo them
and on this fair morning did

They lay on the white roof invisible
and succumbed to their enemy sleep
they woke up in sunlight and horror
their gnarled fingers over the edge
turning to icicles
terrible prisms
shining and dying in the melt
that would soon end them all

~ joan vayo January 29, 2004

Oh, how Mom loved Halloween and witches. Even in the wintertime.

She would definitely have enjoyed this photo taken from our sunroom yesterday:

As you may recall from this earlier story, we named our whirlybird Cameron the Eagle. His wings absolutely fly when it’s breezy, and his body pivots reflecting the direction of the wind.

But not this week. The snow – followed by frozen rain – locked the poor bird down. It’s quite beautiful, in a shivery sort of way. But we look forward to seeing those wings whirling again in a week or two when the snow angels and snow witches melt away from this earth, but not our memories.

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“Meltdown” © January 29, 2004 Joan Vayo. All rights reserved.

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