A white day, what is that?

Snow! A day covered with white, no color, every color reflected back. The light is so bright from snow that skiers wear amber glasses to cut down on glare.

Some may seek it out on ski hills or snowshoe trails. Some stay inside and do quiet cozy things. I like to do both. Memories of cross country skiing in the Methow Valley call to me. I'll find my snow boots with Trax to keep me from slipping on ice. White blankets cover the ground, drape over branches and coat rooftops. I'll take my camera and look for beauty, which is not hard to find with the glistening snow softening everything. When I return, I'll heat up milk and make hot chocolate the old-fashioned way on the stove.

Appointments and meetings are canceled, so out come my paints and brushes. In the quiet, I put on music or just let the silence flow around me. An afternoon just making art is precious and I make watercolor post cards, acrylic painted ceramic tiles, and origami peace cards. The colors I love are such a contrast to the monochrome outside my window.

Snow dampens sound. The world outside is quiet and fewer people are out and about so it is peaceful enough to inspire poetry such as this peace poem:

Peace slips silently in

On the dawn

Of a winter day

Smoothing imperfections

Hidden beneath

A soft white blanket.

Snow has it's own sound as it crunches underfoot and remembers foot steps. Or snow angels. Creative and energetic people build snowmen and forts of snow. It's worth a walk around the neighborhood to see the temporary sculptures created by gloved hands.

The original white colors were lead white, yes toxic, but it covered well. Later, Titanium White took it's place and is still used. Mix any other color with white and it's no longer white, but an off-white such as ivory. My favorite white is cream, just a smidge of color to take away the blatant aggressiveness of bright white. A softer white, that is easier on the eyes is painted on all my molding to frame the wall colors. I use it in my kitchen, because it looks clean and is soft on the eyes. And who doesn't like cream.

I confess to being a whipped cream lover. Something creamy on a dish, a gravy, a sauce, a mayonnaise, is like the finishing touch on a wonderful meal.

White looks expensive, because who can keep it clean? Everyone knows that to wear a white top while eating spaghetti is dangerous.

Yes, it's a white day. A day that is fresh, until the snow begins to melt and aged snow isn't nearly as pretty. So I think it is a good time to go out and experience this unusual white day in the Pacific Northwest.