December 2020

Our themes for December’s group were decorative and whimsical.

Prompts for contemplative writing.

Winter Sensations: sensory experiences of the season

Ghosts of Holidays Past: memories rekindled at this time of year

Skating on Thin Ice: slipping and sliding to Spring

K. E.

N.D.

N. P.

Winter Writer

My bald head,

Warm under my cap,

My glasses fogged.

Through them I view

The hazy outlines

Of a frozen world:

Blue-white snow.

Glinting sun.

Bare-boned trees.

I feel a chill in the marrow

Of my own bones,

Enervating but brrrrr!

Sound is muffled

Into isolated crunches

And dulled, distant birdsong.

Through a dripping nose

The air is sterile

But cutting in its purity.

I move in swaddled stiffness,

Layered deep

In thermal-wear.

Stiff legs

Belie my hesitant steps

In bulky boots as I

Press my imprint On a blank page of snow

— Nick Pentzell (2020)

AR.

J. J.

Winter Sensations: sensory experiences of the season

I’ve always loved snowy days. I remember that one of the hardest things about giving up my independence of driving, was taking a long drive on a snowy day to Horse Country in Delaware County, get out of the car and just stand in the snow.

When I had to give up my license, I was fortunate enough to have an electric scooter that I could ride 10 minutes to the Morton train station to take the SEPTA R3 Regional Rail to Center City Philadelphia.  From the University City train station I had a 20 minute ride to my office. I have frigid, but fond memories of riding across the South Street Bridge with the cold breeze blowing up the Schuylkill River. The crisp air woke me up on those early weekday mornings. Unfortunately, due to poor blood circulation, often by the time I reached the office on Spruce Street, my hands and feet were numb. That crisp city air on my face is definitely a sensation I relate to Winter.

Other fond memories of winter sensations we’re experiencing 14 degrees below zero in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, when I recall spitting and it freezing before hitting the ground.

I also have fond memories of sledding on a golf course in White Bear Lake, Minnesota during the winter of ’83.