Here's a pic of my pond this morning!  Typical January day in Connecticut...   In the middle, under the evergreens is my 4-foot waterfall, and that stripe across the middle?  That's the net that stays over the pond from October to April to keep the leaves down to a dull roar...  Notice the Beech trees at the right keep their brown leaves all winter, dropping them occasionally.  This is only 6 inches of snow - tomorrow, we're in for a blizzard with 18 inches predicted, maybe more...  But I still LOVE winter - see why below the break...  BTW - It's now been exactly a year since we started the K.O.I. blog, and we've posted nearly 100 articles for you to enjoy and learn from.  Thanks to all our contributors!  If you find it useful, or have ideas for articles - please email me:  pattist@snet.net   Thanks for being here!

OK - I know I can't get camellias in December or Daffodils in January, but I still wouldn't trade out the 4 seasons.  Fall was fabulous, with unprecedented blazes of red in the foliage.  Now, there's something quite comforting about the austerity of the white landscape...  Maybe it's cause we always take walks in the woods on Thanksgiving, so I associate the woods full of pinecones and grape vines with late fall.  The birds are busy, and the chippies and squirrels are making their last dashes for winter stores.  It's amazing to enjoy the branching structure of trees - some have spectacular shapes, which aren't noticeable any other time of year.  We look forward to our winter snows and the magical, sparkling white world...  Some years, we get snow that stays for a month.  Most years, the snow melts between storms.  You get to wear fur and down and boots, and snuggle in a blanket next to a warm fireplace.  We don't miss sitting out pond-side.  There will be time enough for that in the summer.  I have to admit that I just love winter for taking a break from all the pond chores and garden maintenance - for months!  You get down-time, no lawns to mow, no pruning, no weeding, no daily or weekly schedule of stuff that needs to get done outside...  You can pursue new hobbies or take courses, or catch up with old friends. And there's winter sports - skating and skiing, and curling - I love curling.  Then there's Spring!  The whole re-birth thing is intense, not just because of the activity level, but it's especially obvious compared to the absence of life during winter.  It seems like the plants and animals all know they have a short time to flourish - and they are in a rush to take advantage of every moment.  We don't call them Crocus, we call them Snow Crocus, cause they have the temerity to bloom when there's still snow on the ground.  You haven't truly appreciated the colors of Crocus until you've seen them against a white background.  The daffodils have to wait, and by the time the tulips are up, it seems everything is in bloom.  Spring just seems to pick up a head of steam, and rolls faster and faster until the trees are once again cloaked in their tiny, spring-green leaves.  The flowering trees in spring are as spectacular as trees with their fall colors.  By the time we can mow again, we're actually  looking forward to it.  Perhaps the best comment of life up here in the North is 'if you don't like the weather now, wait a minute, it will change.'  I love visiting other places.  Each is wonderful in it's own way - but the changing kaleidoscope of New England suits me best. 

I think one of the best things of old age is that a lot of us have learned to appreciate who we are and where we are.  We've worked hard to get to this stage in life, and are now having the opportunity to enjoy it.  They tell me that learning to be happy in your life is something that Koi can teach us...  Maybe this hobby is not about enjoying the colors of the Koi, but our real enjoyment in Koi is what we learn from them...

Karen Pattist, your blog editor