"I just wanted to tell you that the Great Cold's on her way," Too-Ticky said.
"A still greater one?" asked Moomintroll. "How big do they grow?"
"This is the most dangerous of them all," said Too-Ticky. "And she'll come in the afternoon, when the sky changes to green, straight in from the sea."
"It's a she then?" asked Moomintroll.
"Yes, and very beautiful," said Too-Ticky. "But if you look her in the face you'll be frozen to ice. You'll be hard like a biscuit and not even crumble. That's why you'd better keep at home tonight."
--Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson (Finland, 1958)*
Yes, even here in the American South, the Great Cold is coming.
The meteorologists have spoken and Facebook is all abuzz. The next few days are to bring at least twenty-year lows but possibly broken weather records as well.
On my walk this morning, I found the ground saturated and the puddles already lacy with ice.
The world is gray and misty.
On days this dark, any bits of color in the fields and woods stand out.
The woods are quiet except for animals rustling through the leaves getting ready. Birds tug at berries still left on the bushes.
The squirrels are busy carrying acorns.
And the hawks are busy watching the squirrels.
A damp hush.
Sometimes the drizzle collects long enough on a leaf to drop down into a puddle. Odd how loud one drop can sound on a chilly and still morning.
The world is holding its breath. The Great Cold's on her way.
*Pssst! If you've never read Moominland Midwinter (or any other Tove Jansson book), please give yourself this treat -- even if you're a grown-up with no kiddo nearby. In this particular story, young Moomintroll is hibernating as usual when he suddenly finds himself wide awake. When sleepiness just won't return, he goes out to explore this thing called 'winter.' Somehow Jansson manages to catch it all -- the thrilling discomfort of finding the familiar world altered by the season, the exciting beauty of snow and ice, the wearisome cling of the cold, the longing for sunny warmth, the edge of mystery that comes with the long nights, and the slow-motion magic of the solstice.
Click HERE for more about the Moomins.
And if you already are a Moomin fan, here's a bit of info about the Moomin cookbook.
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