It’s -13 degrees around here, the kind of cold that somehow defies all layering of hats, coats, sweaters, gloves and leg warmers. Yes, leg warmers. I never thought they would become part of my regular winter wardrobe (after a brief love affair somewhere in the 80’s) but you’d be hard-pressed to find me without them these days.
Today Anna and I were walking home after running some errands. Cold is cold to an adult, but comes on desperately fast to an almost-three-year-old. This means that while I took this photo, she was happily jumping around trying to step on her shadow. Two minutes after I snapped the picture, I found myself carrying her home as she snuffled on my shoulder, red-cheeked and teary.
I originally wanted to take a quick photo of the snow but now I discover that I accidentally (or subconsciously?) focused on that giant stripey shadow across the bottom. We are all about shadows these days—since evening comes on so quickly, shadows fall across the flat snow and make everything from lampposts to people look stretched and impossibly tall. This big stripe is actually from a statue that you can’t see in the picture; to me the line nicely complements the curve of the benches.
Here’s to shadows, and accidentally capturing them on camera. And to red-cheeked little girls.
Happy Friday!
