I try to remind myself often to take time to “smell the roses.”  As an observant person  I do this well most of the time but then it sometimes gets lost when the everyday stress takes over.  The other morning, while driving to work, my breath was taken away as I passed the athletic fields adjacent to the school.  The still-green fields had been painted by the frost, a slim crescent moon was present in the blue morning sky, and I wanted to park the car and run across those fields.  It was so beautiful and I was so thankful to have been able to savor it.  What an oasis in an otherwise chaotic day.

One of the best things about living in the Northeast is the change of seasons.  I admit that the winters are more difficult to enjoy as I get older, but I love the slide of summer into autumn, the leaves doing their fire dance before they give their last gasp and let go of the trees.  Even the bare branches of the trees add to the feel of the winter season in their stark contrast against the snow-laden clouds.  The first few snowfalls are magical (unless they come far too early in the season before the leaves are off the trees).  New fallen snow is pristine, the sun imbues it with mystical brilliance and the effect is mesmerizing, if not somewhat blinding.

Meg Riley, in The Quarry’s Child, enjoys all of this with the added pleasure of living on a lake where the seasonal changes are much more intense.  During the winter Meg is able to cross country ski across the lake and around the old quarry.  Plus there are a number of lake residents dedicated to keeping an area clear for skating.  Add a few ice fishing shanties to the mix and it becomes a new setting for more mysteries!

Stay tuned for more…