Sword Fern in January

Photo by Chris 

January in the Pacific Northwest is not a memorable month, unless it snows. We've had one 'snow storm' here then another light dusting just a few days ago. As I'm typing it has been lightly snowing all afternoon here. 

These photos were taken by Chris while walking on a trail at the sports park just down the road. This is the area I posted about on Nov. 1, 2012. At the time it was the brilliant colored fall leaves that were the show stopper.

Now it's the subtle grace of these sword fern, they look delicate, but they are a lot stronger than they look. When it snows here you see things differently. Things that stand out take a back seat and things that were almost invisible are brought to the foreground. Details that we often miss are highlighted by a few frosty flakes.

Photo by Chris

This year I'm paying better attention to some of the lessons nature has to offer. I see the strength of these fern and am reminded of the women in my family who have that same resilience. Seeing the landscape in a new way mirrors the way I'm looking at life a little differently right now. What small inspirations do you get at this time of year? Let me know in the comments.