The Poetry of Place - The Pond Speaks

   My last visit to the pond in 2014, on December 30th, was a real treat.  It was very late in the day and the sunset illuminated the ridge line to the north and to the south the moon was well risen...the sun and the moon present together.  It was frigid but no wind...supremely silent until I heard the tell tale sounds of the ice contracting and "snapping".

  At first, I wasn't sure what I was hearing but then it dawned on me.  Our recent warm temperatures and rain followed by plummeting temperatures, 47 degrees F. one day, 15 degrees F. the next, was causing the ice to "sing".  It was reciting its own poetry right before me and I was delighted.

   The many holes made by the intrepid ice fishermen served as little amplifiers, letting the sound from below out.  The surrounding hills also allowed the sound to project more clearly.  I've often heard fishermen talk about this phenomenon but I personally haven't heard it for years.  The pond was giving me an especially wonderful gift this day.

All of nature begins to whisper its secrets to us through its sounds. Sounds that were previously incomprehensible to our soul now become the meaningful language of nature. ~ Rudolf Steiner 

   I've added a link to a blog which gives several examples of these ice sounds.  The video of the man sitting on the ice at a fishing hole best approximates the sounds I heard but it is louder because they are using underwater microphones.  My experience was much more subtle...just a soft whisper..but truly magical.

The Ice Speaks

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Footnote:

   Today marks the 3rd anniversary of A Photographic Sage and I send out my sincere thanks to all my readers!  The Photographic Sage community is world-wide and growing...keep spreading the word!  May the next year bring us all wonderful gifts of images and reflections and may your soul lead you to where you need to be...always!