Калинка, калинка, калинка моя!
The first truly cold day. Clear skies, slant sunlight, and a biting north wind greeted me as I walked a loop of trails through the St Olaf Natural Lands. By the time I was done, my nose and cheeks were numbed and raw, my ears ached from the cold wind. An early serving of winter.
I'm still adjusting to the sudden emptiness of the woods and fields, now that the insects are gone. My eye, still drawn to movement in the air, follows the descent of falling leaves and the drift of seeds. A Red Squirrel shimmies down the trunk of an old oak where not so long ago Spine-waisted Ants traveled and worked. Further on, I noticed the frozen berries of the Geulder Rose, bright red against the drab backdrop of winter woods.
The Geulder Rose or European Cranberry is an important symbol in the Ukraine. And in Russia there's a popular folk song named for this tree, the snowball tree (Viburnum opulus) and its red berries, Калинка. The song has a quick tempo which speeds up each time it is sung.
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Ahh, Scott - how your journal post has brought me back! We used to have to sing this song in my high school Russian class in St Paul. Haha! Thanks for sharing!
Hey, that's great. There's a dual enjoyment in finding such connections to the natural world. Glad you liked it.
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