Mud vs. Snow

Before reading “Morris Woods: Living History,” I thought of the woods as the same as other woods—serene, mysterious, and natural. After having read the article, I returned to the woods thinking about the history of the trees and the plants found there. It was odd to think about everything around the trees growing and moving and dying, and the trees remaining still. This time, however, I didn’t walk around the woods as I had the previous times. I sat in one place and observed the snowfall. It was suddenly quite extraordinary to recognize that some of the trees standing in the woods had been through so many seasons. Comparing the weather to the previous week when there had been very little snow on the ground and a lot more mud, the snow on the ground suddenly made the woods seem bright and inviting. The biggest difference was the lack of movement (besides my own). Last time, there were earthworms and a few green leaves, but this time, everything was covered in snow. Aesthetically, I found it to be more peaceful with the snow, but it was far colder and that was slightly unpleasant.