The landscape recedes in New England this time of year. Winter has arrived and a landscape that was swollen with mass and depth and striking color – particularly in its last blast – shrink to silhouette. But one of the beauties of our climate is that at the exact time the winter solstice occurs, it begins to recede. The shortest day of the year (December 21^st) is the signal that the days will actually begin to lengthen. Here’s a comforting thought: strangely enough, the very arrival of winter is the first sign of spring.

I mention this not so that you’ll miss the beauty of winter, however. In this mild autumn season we experienced there are still leaves and other vegetative debris to be raked and removed. What remains in the landscape is rather stark in comparison to fall’s brilliant color. But the winter landscape promises its own beauty and in those first sweeps of snow we are reminded how one season is framed by others and despite the inherent challenges, we are fortunate to witness these transformations.