It snowed all over the country yesterday and the temperature dipped waaaayyy below freezing in many areas.

Days like this make me really glad I live in Colorado and not the Midwest any more!

We get snow, then the sun comes out and warms us up. Brilliant blue sky helps to chase the winter blues away.

   And although I had to shovel my sidewalk, at least it was sunny and not to cold.

   Since my roommate had shoveled some yesterday, it was not a difficult task at all.

   This snow has me contemplating my next hike on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

   Where would I like to hike in the snow this week?

  I am sure I will have that question raised a few times this coming year, so need to think of safe winter hikes.

   And I do have to pick up some Art Work from the closing of the MSAC “Colors of Change” show this week.

  Probably will do that on a day I hike, Tuesday or Wednesday, to drive as little as possible, because I can.

   It did feel good to get out and moving, this cold has kept me unusually sedentary, but it almost completely gone!

Back on the trail at the Garden of the Gods, I saw a beautiful cut tree with glorious colors and abstract art looking effect from how it had dried.

I want to age that beautifully.

The tiny bit of green show a spark of life surrounding it. And the effects of the cracks made me think of feathers and then saw butterfly wings as part of its beauty.

One of my favorite things to photograph is to place an essential oil bottle in a beautiful nature setting, and this one invited me to do that with an oil that comes from beautiful ancient trees in the Mid-East: Frankincense.

Essential Oils are my healing friends and I used a lot of Frankincense getting rid of my cold. I am sure that is one of the reasons it didn’t get as bad as I heard, and am hearing from others, that it could have been so much worse.

Hiking in the sunshine among so many natural wonders not only lifted my spirit this day, but helped clear out my lungs.

I pinched a few of the needles on these cedar trees and deeply breathed in their healing aromas. My, how I love that aroma! It awakens my soul every time I take a moment to appreciate what nature offers.

I laid on the ancient trunks and looked around in wonder at all I could see, knowing a storm was coming, but feeling secure that I wouldn’t keep me from hiking next week.