The trees are bare, the horses wear blankets. The fields are brown and there's a chill in the air.

The picture you see is one I took this past Saturday. The scene is an area north of Baltimore, where the farms are large and where you'll find miles and miles of black fences.

Winter has arrived in my part of Maryland. No snow yet, but it will be here soon. What is early December like in your part of the country? Are you seeing snowflakes, or are you feeling the warm breezes of the south?

Fiction or fact, we look forward to your entry.

The colors of Autumn have faded
Gold and red have turned into brown
The sun in the sky is much lower
Stalks of Fall flowers fall on the ground


In morning the dew on the meadow
Has turned into a shiny frozen haze
The ponds reflections are dimming
With the crust of the ice all in place


Then suddenly the picture seems brighter
We wake to a blanket of white
The trees have crystal decorations
Thanks to the temperature's dip in the night


Each morning the ground is more covered
With the blanket of Winter piled high
The chimneys are all constantly smoking
Sending plumes far into the sky


Each season has its own precious beauty
The wonder is around us to see
Take it in and enjoy all the wonder
Of the land and the sky and the sea

way out west
december is best
in short sleeves
and sometimes shorts you see
it gets cold overnight
then warms up to our delight
may get some rain in december
but remember
very rare to see snow
only twice in twenty years ya know


some folks decorate cacti fer sure
but i prefer to decorate my door
some folks have christmas in the park
i like christmas eve when it's dark
we light candles with such care
we all believe santa is in the air
in his sled
put the kids to bed
put out the gifts, under the tree
put out cookies maybe some hot tea
tomorrow morning kids will see
presents and gifts, they will laugh with glee


christmas out west is as good as it gets
but lest you forget
jesus is the reason
for this christmas season.

Every year brings its own reminiscences and this year is no different. Sitting here, looking out this window, I can go back to my teen years and some of the winters here. Back then it seems we had earlier, and heavier snows than we do now. By this time we would be covered up three feet in snow and loving it. Wilson's Pond would be frozen and the kids would all be there with brooms and shovels to get it cleaned off for ice skating. There would be a huge bonfire that everyone would contribute to, some with wood, some with old rubber tires. We didn't think about the pollution back in the forties. The fire burned hotter with the tires and would burn longer. Wilson's Pond was really big and right in town, and it hosted a multitude of kids and grownups too. There would be someone on that ice all day long and way into the evening. It was just so much fun. Then there was Way's Woods with it's sledding hills. It was just down Bristol Road by the old lumber mill. It seemed like the whole town would be there after a big snow. Winter now is much different. I never see kids with sleds, but I see and hear lots of snowmobiles as they tear up and down the road, ignoring the fact that it is very against the law. Way's Woods is still there but a lot of it has been cut down and the sledding hills have been fenced in. Wilson's Pond has been filled in to make a park for a large church's use. But, all I have to do to bring those days back is to look out my window at the snow. The same window that I looked out of back when I was a young teenager, and if I ignore the houses that have been built on this street, I can still see the winter as it was way back then. I still live on a dirt street, the mailboxes are still in the same place as they have been for almost sixty-four years. This house, this street, and Michigan winters never change.

It may be early December in Tennessee,
But the stores are about Christmas you must agree.


There is no snow for Santa’s sleigh,
But the children are all looking for presents anyway.


The temperatures are fluctuating from warm to cold.
If this keeps up, no snow shovels will be sold.


Christmas Day will probably bring rain.
The lack of snow causes some to catch a plane.


They will go where the snow is coming down to beat the band,
And this new scene will be their winter wonderland.


Tennessee may be warm, wet or cold in the month of December,
And for Tennesseans this is not strange.


The local saying goes, “If you don’t like the weather, stick around and it will change“.

On Long Island, in New York, December is a mixture of weather events. One day it's sunny and in the 50's, and 60's, and you go to sleep to a light rain, only to wake to two inches of snow on the streets and lawns! The wind howls, as it is today, to 50 mph and the leaves left on the trees are blowing and swirling down the streets.

I love winter...the cold and snow, but not the wind. High winds get me unnerved when I see the trees bending and the electrical wires being stretched on the poles.

The changing of the seasons is a wondrous time here, and autumn and winter are my favorites. Most think I've lost my mind, but there you have it. December in NY on Long Island . . . I love it! :)

OUTSIDE IT'S A LITTLE BIT DARK
THE WINDS HAVE BEGUN TO BLOW
IN THIS PART OF CONNECTICUT
THERE'S BEEN VERY LITTLE SNOW


FREEZING RAIN AND ICE
THAT'S WHAT THE WEATHERMAN FORECAST
NORTHWEST HILLS OF THE STATE, THOUGH
HAD A REAL WINTRY BLAST


IT'LL BE REAL CHILLY THIS WEEK
BUNDLING UP WILL BE THE NORM
AS PEOPLE SCURRY ABOUT
IN AND OUT OF STORES TO KEEP WARM


I LIKE IT WHEN IT'S COLD
I LOVE THE CHANGING SEASON
ONLY THE WIND THAT HOWLS ABOUT
I STAY INDOORS AND THAT'S THE REASON

Out in Wyoming up where it is high
Fall has already come and gone.
And winter has already been here.
Snow, freezing rain and cold winds,
Shucks we are already settling in.
And as usual, what we always do,
Wonder what Mother Nature
Has in store for us.


The fall and up till now,
Has been exceptionally dry.
A dust trail an old cow does leave
As she wanders over the hill.
Creeks are beginning to dry up,
Plays heck with the fishing,
Which should be good this time of the year.


Back east in Maryland, gosh they still have,
Green grass.
While some of the southwest do
Swelter in heat,
Folks down in Georgia are a praying for rain.
Hope their prayers are answered real soon,
As now California is complaining about the rain,
Now they are facing, mudslides.


Just another fall it has been,
But so pretty and warm it was.
But now it is time for winter time,
Lots of snowpack and it is skiing time.
Time to the toboggan wax,
And make sure there is plenty of cocoa.
So you folks all it enjoy,
Me I am going to wax my skis.

MORNING DECEMBER FIRST
WINTER MADE ITS ENTRANCE
BRINGING THE FIRST SNOW


LOOKED WHITE, SO PRETTY
SHORTLY GRAY SKY LOOKED UGLY
VISION WAS NOT CLEAR


MILLIONS OF FLAKES FELL
SWOOSH, THE WIND BLEW IN FULL FORCE
IT WAS A BLIZZARD


ON AND ON ALL DAY
SNOW BLEW OFF ROOFTOPS LOOK MAD
BUSHES WHITE RUFFLES


GREEN GRASS WHITE BLANKET
TREES DRESSED IN WHITE CAPS AND GOWNS
CALM DOWN AND STOPPED


SMOOTH SNOW GLARED LIKE ICE
SNOW PILES SPARKLED LIKE DIAMONDS
AFTERMATH BEAUTY
EARLY WINTER, SURE TO STAY
END NINE INCHES, EIGHT PM

Humidity high as ever
Sweat drips from the brow
Farm land always fertile
Great for the farmer's plow ~


South of all States
Winter's only a breeze
No need for a coat
It never seems to freeze ~


Christmas 'round the corner
No snow do we see
Families come together
Be thankful that we're free ~


Give thanks for your comforts
Some don't have much to share
Give food to those in need
Show them that you care ~

cacti clad
in
Santa Hats

*
Wild
Tumbleweed
Snowmen

*
Christmas seed
Put out
For quail and doves

*
Sunshine days
Cold
Starry nights

*
Snowbirds
Arrive to
Enjoy our town

Deep in Texas’ heart still lies red and gold,
Lazy cattle, chewing cud, horses basking,
Cold of night,
Warm of day
Christmas time is on its way,
Tho no snow.


Constant carols on the radio
Sing of other climes with falling white
March winds blowing in December
Black bags piled - leaf filled,
Mulchers mowing,
No snow showing.


Red and green wreaths are silk,
Dreams of eggnog, bourboned milk,
Cone fir trees in window appearing,
Sprayed by Wal-Mart cans, tinsel shearing
Blinking, plastic deer prance on greenish grass,
No real snow coming.


Excited children running with lightest sweaters,
Don’t sell them short, they’re real go-getters
For lack of postcard winter weather
They joy and play completely unfettered,
No wet feet, while soccer balls kicking
Free from ice, slushy snow