Groundhog Day in Narnia

Dear Punxsutawney Phil,

You may have noticed the sounds of Dwarvish construction last night while you slept. Lots of shovels, axes, hammers ...

My Dwarves have hewn out a marvelously long staircase which you must climb in order to discover whether or not you can see your shadow to make your prediction about the six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Well as you know, it’s cold out there, and those stairs are snow-laden and treacherously slippery.

So if it were me, I simply wouldn’t bother. It’s not really worth the trouble, is it? Much better to enjoy a nice piece of Turkish Delight with a cup of tea, go back to bed, snuggle up under the covers, and carry on with hibernation.

Most sincerely and as ever with your own best interests at heart,

I remain,

Jadis

Queen of Narnia

The Queen of Narnia Hereby Bans Global Warming

From atop this high precipice be it decreed that in order to save the planet, winter must reign. Global warming is banished. Let there be cold, snow, ice, blizzards, and all manner of freezing! Trust that these measures are for your own good, sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. Sooner or later you'll come to appreciate the finer things of winter.

Look here, it's duck weather!

Author's Note: Photos taken at the Rocky River Reservation in North Olmsted, Ohio.

It's Autumn in Narnia

... and you know what that means ... Winter is on its way! Finally! Yay!

But wait, I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

The best fall foliage in Ohio yesterday was an hour’s drive north at an ominous-sounding Lake County Metropark called “Penitentiary Glen.” On the way, I looked for the entrance I’d found to Narnia three years ago last February … But there was a wedding party nearby, so I went on by.

Having no clue where the trails were, I wandered into the Nature Center to ask. The ladies behind the counter gave me a map. Someone remarked that this was a long way to travel since I was used to hanging out in the Cuyahoga Valley. I answered that I’d come up here before to go to the Holden Arboretum, and Narnia which you could get to from around here.

The mention of Narnia brought an “always be good-humored towards Metropark guests” laugh which was sunny, bright, and cheerful along with being skeptical. I was content with not trying to convince anyone. To their minds I was probably one of “those eccentric artist people” with maybe a touch of the proverbial absent-minded professor thrown in. Carrying a camera with a long dangling broken strap didn't help.

The trail worked out very nicely.

Driving home, the entrance to Narnia was open and empty. Two minutes later, a couple pulled up to see if I was having car trouble. They drove off when they saw me peering intently into the woods with a camera.

Mission accomplished, I got in the car again and turned on the radio. By coincidence, after changing the station several times, a song inspired by The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe came on called “Remembering You” by Steven Curtis Chapman.

And of course, I love the fact that it’s autumn in Narnia, because that heralds winter! Bring on the Snow!! Okay, let’s enjoy the autumn leaves first … But as soon as the last leaf’s fallen … Let it SNOW !!!

The Queen of Narnia has spoken …

For anyone new to this blog, here’s a link to an earlier entry that may help explain things:

http://countrydreaming-countrycorner.blogspot.com/2009/03/okay-i-admit-it-i-am-queen-of-narnia.html

Okay, I Admit It – I Am the Queen of Narnia!

There is a whole lot of blogging going on by sons of Adam and daughters of Eve about how they simply cannot wait for the arrival of spring. The first day of spring for 2009 is March 20th. Currently, it is only March 7th. That gives us a lucky 13 days to enjoy the continuing majesty of winter!

I mean, how can you not love the barrenness of this tree??

All right, so maybe some of the natives are getting restless. These deer are really battling it out ... over a tiny pile of breakfast feed!

Now we all know the warning about March, how it comes in like a lion. We also know how dangerous lions can be. I say, we should all just enjoy the snow, live happily ever after in our never-ending winter, and have a nice piece of Turkish Delight.


Feel welcome to leave a comment in my winter realm. Keep in mind that anyone mentioning spring, flowers, or lions just may find themselves turned into a statue of ice!