About Me

My photo
Nancy Simpson's LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE, New and Selected Poems was published by Carolina Wren Press (N.C. Laureate Series, 2010.) She is the author of ACROSS WATER and NIGHT STUDENT, State Street Press, still available on WWW at Alibris and Books Again. Her poems have been published in Southern Poetry Review, Prairie Schooner, The Georgia Review and other literary magazines. "Carolina Bluebirds" was published in THE POETS GUIDE TO THE BIRDS, Anhinga Press). "Grass" was reprinted in the 50th Anniversary Issue of Southern Poetry Review: DON'T LEAVE HUNGRY ( U.of Arkansas Press.) Seven poems were reprinted in the textbook, SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN POETRY,(McFarland.) Two poems were published in SOLO CAFE, Two more poems were published in SOLO NOVO."In the Nantahala Gorge" was published in Pisgah Review. "Studying Winter" was reprinted in Pirene's Fountain Anthology and "The Collection" in Collecting Life Anthology. Most recently, Southern Poetry Review Edited by James Smith, published "Our Great Depression," and The Southern Poetry Anthology Vol. VII: NORTH CAROLINA,Edited by William Wright, reprinted "Leaving in the Dead of Winter."

Saturday, November 22, 2008

WEATHER REPORT Above the Frost Line

With ten nights in the twenties or lower, the hard freeze finished off the flowers in my garden for the year. The rose bushes stand green, but the bright Knock-Out roses are brown.  All of the perennials have bent under the cold and have begun to hunker down.  The only thing of interest are some seed pods and variegated evergreens.   Even the Camellia's pink blooms, that thrive in November, always through Thanksgiving, have shriveled and turned transparent on the bush. 

In the past ten days, cold as it has been, we've had sunshine each day.  This fall, I've been more aware of the sun, how at times I can be surprised by light, by the way it beams down in shafts in specific places on the property.  I have been surprised several afternoons, when sunbeams bounce around my living room.  Yesterday,  I caught myself talking to no one,  saying  outloud, "It's okay. It's the sun.  Everything will be okay."

4 comments:

Lynn ... said...

*sigh* .... I think I've met those sunbeams before! Wish I were there! LOVE the two new pictures!!!

Tipper said...

Love sunbeams! And can't believe your flowers lasted so long.

Nancy Simpson said...

Hi Tipper, It is good to hear from you. Yes, my flowers have gone to sleep now for the winter. It's okay. I get to see them a little longer than most folks can, and I must say, in 2008, my flowers were out of this world.

The best news is that they will come back. I see my first blooms in February sometimes peeping out from under the snow - the crocus, followed quickly in March by Daffodils and Forsythia. I have over 100 King Alfred Daffodils and twenty forsythia bushes. They come back at the same time and announce spring.

Now it is almost time to turn myself inward, time to hunker down like the plants do. For me, winter is my best writing season of the year. I write daily, but get interrupted a lot. I finish more writing projects in the wintertime.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Nancy, love your new pictures. We were in Asheville the other day and looked out over a mountain range and thought of you. What we saw looked just exactly like your Living Above the Frost Line mountains in your blog title.

Happy Thanksgiving. We had a plumbing disaster at our house and our meal turned into a "mobile" one. A friend and one of our guests allowed us to bring the turkey and everything else to her house to cook. What a lifesaver she was. Alls well that ends well. Glad to hear you had a nice Thanksgiving with your family.
Sam