And I don't mean Frost as in Robert, that beloved of American poets. No, because we woke to a crisp frosty world this morning, I chose a poem that celebrates this day ...
The Frost Spirit
- You may trace his footsteps now
- On the naked woods and the blasted fields
- And the brown hill's withered brow.
- He has smitten the leaves of the gray old trees
- Where their pleasant green came forth,
- And the winds, which follow wherever he goes,
- Have shaken them down to earth.
- From the frozen Labrador,
- From the icy bridge of the northern seas,
- Which the white bear wanders o'er,
- Where the fisherman's sail is stiff with ice,
- And the luckless forms below
- In the sunless cold of the lingering night
- Into marble statues grow!
- On the rushing Northern blast,
- And the dark Norwegian pines have bowed
- As his fearful breath went past.
- With an unscorched wing he has hurried on,
- Where the fires of Hecla glow
- On the darkly beautiful sky above
- And the ancient ice below.
- And the quiet lake shall feel
- The torpid touch of his glazing breath,
- And ring to the skater's heel;
- And the streams which danced on the broken rocks,
- Or sang to the leaning grass,
- Shall bow again to their winter chain,
- And in mournful silence pass.
- Let us meet him as we may,
- And turn with the light of the parlor-fire
- His evil power away;
- And gather closer the circle 'round,
- When the firelight dances high,
- And laugh at the shriek of the baffled Fiend
- As his sounding wing goes by!
- ~ John Greenleaf Whittier
You might remember a while back I reported on our first frost of the season? Well last night, as you can see from these photos, we had our first hard frost. Methinks winter is very near!
It's a good thing we brought in those chrysanthemums for All Souls Day yesterday; the top photo shows how they fared last night. When I walked out to get the paper this morning - and surveyed the world of white around me - I immediately thought of this poem which I mentioned briefly in my previous frost post. For Poetry Friday, it is here in its entirety.
Now, you know I can't let you go without sharing a few more thoughts on frost. ;)
For your nature notebooks ~ It would make a very nice entry to record when you see (or saw) 
the first frost of the year. You might just make a note, or you could do this by photography as I did this morning (click on the image at right). Sketches of the frosty landscape would be lovely too. You could also add to your frost page when the predicted frost dates are for you area. Look them up together online, and while you're at it, make a note on your calendar for next spring's last frost, too. All these notes are the beginnings of a home-made family field guide!
For a science and/or geography notebook: You might look up the meaning of permafrost and locate on a map where it exists in the world. This of course could lead to a whole unit study on the poles, which would be perfect for this time of year. (December goes hand in hand with the North Pole and January is a great time to think about icebergs and penguins!) Alternatively or in addition, you could look at how global warming is affecting the permafrost - what does it mean for the earth - its wildlife, and us?
And how about a world cultures notebook? Explore the legends behind frost - where did the idea of Jack Frost come from? There are most likely many books and even videos behind the myth (some more fantastical than others). You could expand upon this idea and start a whole study on how cultures through the ages and across the globe have sought to explain natural phenomena, such as frost, with myths and legends. (You might find a few clues about frost legends from the above poem!)
As I go to "press," it is just about noon and the remnants of the overnight frost have disappeared - though the temperature still hovers around 40. Yes, November is here at last - bringing it with it our first taste of winter. Has frost found its way into your garden yet?
Don't forget to stop by Big A, litte a for the Poetry Friday Round-up!
