Leaf Under Ice, With Frozen Bubbles

My day's adventures included a trip to my favorite pond in the Barrens, and the ice was just spectacular. I suspect that other people don't spend as much time as I do looking at ice, examining it closely, thinking about ice, trying to pry away its secrets, wanting to understand it and enjoy it fully, wanting to make it into art.

But I love the ice and it has been very active this year. It's not old ice that's sat there for months. The weather has been up and down in central PA, and the ice has been forming anew each time it gets cold. The ice is fresh and dark and clear and shiny. It has bubbles and patterns and shapes and reflections. It is alive with beauty. To me, anyway.

This particular shot is of a leaf under ice. I see all kinds of bubbles under there, but when I looked it up, science says that leaves that have fallen or been cut do not really create oxygen anymore (as in, the carbon dioxide-to-oxygen favor that the green plants provide for us mere mortals - and yes, the Living Force is strong here).

So I suppose that the leaf may be decaying, helping to break down organic matter so it may become more useful to the food chain. That's what my brain says. But my watching eyes see bubbles, and they say, Breathe, leaf, breathe.

I think I used this one recently so pardon me if I did, but it's a fave. And to be honest, on ANY day of the year, listening to (or even looking at) Eddie Vedder makes me feel better. So here's Just Breathe, by Pearl Jam.

You know, for anyone who follows me here, or on Instagram, or on Facebook . . . I have become obsessed with the art I can find or make out of ice. If there is just one thing I would wish for you in winter time, it is that you would stop. And take a second look, a CLOSER look, the next time you see ice.