Simple Joys: Crackle Ice & Overwintering Pumpkins

Simple joys pop up when we are paying attention. A few weeks ago while walking the dogs with my grandson, we discovered a patch of crackle ice. If you live in no freeze zone, you may be unfamiliar with crackle ice. It’s a thin layer of ice that forms across sidewalks or pavement with space underneath. Weather conditions must be just right. Usually the sun is out and heating the pavement and the ice closest to the pavement begins to melt, leaving a sheet of ice on top. There is often a small amount of water underneath from the melting, but not a puddle…less than 1/2 inch or so. It can also happen in reverse where ice is forming on top of some standing water. Whichever way it forms, it is a great find.

When you step on the ice with the lightest of footsteps it begins to crackle. Attention is required as you slowly bring the weight of your foot down. The broken lines quickly expand from the first point of contact like a geometric puzzle. It’s a delightful multi-sensory experience that’s hard to even describe. The sound is sparkly and light, a little like glass breaking, but then not, because it is delicate and almost musical. Sometimes small amounts of water seep up from below along the fault lines. And there is something visceral about sensing how much weight is needed to start the process and get the crackling sound right. My grandson noted how deeply satisfying the whole experience is.  That is exactly the right word – satisfying.

Small moments of simple joys and satisfaction pop up all the time when we are paying attention.  And that brings me to overwintering pumpkins.

This week I cooked my last pumpkin stored from the fall’s harvest, creating pumpkin curry and dip.  There was also extra to share with my dog Luna who loves pumpkin. And although I was a little sad to reach the end of my stored pumpkins, it is a joy to look out my window at the white snowy landscape and still have food from last summer’s garden. It may be something that can’t be explained logically. Certainly I could have gone to the store to buy a pumpkin to make curry. But food from my summer garden is still gracing my table many months later when we are a foot deep in snow. That is deeply satisfying and worth acknowledging.

Our lives are full of these small moments of simple joys and satisfaction. It’s just the tuning in part that requires our attention.