Wasp's Nest

A new year...and now a thaw. The snow sticks to the bottoms of my snow shoes in clumps right beneath my shoes' claws. The snow shoes are like a second pair of feet and have come to feel less awkward with time.
Out gathering kindling for the day, I spot an old wasp's nest attached to the delicate branches of a young tree.
Gathering kindling has become a favorite winter activity for me, giving me the time to pause, look and find new bits of tree, new hiding places for creatures, new ways the sun slants through the tree trunks.