Recently the Earth Mother shivered and sent bitter, gusty northwest winds with temps dropping to 22 degrees below zero. The wood stove burned hot and I fed it numerous times during the day with dried oak, elm and birch logs. During the night, the winds calmed and the the Earth Mother quietly crept to my garage windows. With an artist's touch she spent the entire night drawing elaborate patterns of ice flowers and branches. In the morning, I marveled at the beauty and felt my heart warm on a cold December morning.