No Two Alike - Snowflakes and Humanity

Snowflakes are a world in themselves.  It is hard to comprehend that of all the snowflakes, which have fallen  from the heavens, there are no two alike up to this present time of research.  Wilson Bentley was the first person to photograph a single snow crystal in 1885.  He would go on to capture more than 5000 snowflakes during his lifetime, not finding any two alike.  Because of his wonderful work with snow crystals, he became affectionately known as "Snowflake" Bentley.   

Today, there is a photographer known as Kenneth G. Libbrecht who photographs snowflakes using a specially designed snowflake photomicroscope.  The below photo is an image of many such intricate designs of snowflakes photographed by Mr. Libbrecht.  He is also a professor of physics and has a wealth of knowledge from the scientific viewpoint of the creation of a snowflake.  If you are an admirer of snow crystals and snowflakes, go to his website at... SnowCrystals.com   Check it out for great in-depth information and awesome photos that he has captured of snowflakes.... no two alike!   

Snowflake photo by Kenneth G. Libbrecht

Our area was hit with a major snowstorm last Monday and Tuesday, which dropped 8 to 20 inches of snow on the ground depending where you live in various parts of this valley.  We haven't had snow like this for many winter years.  I took some photos around the ranch on January 28 and 29 to give you an idea of what it looked like.  I'm sure that many of you are quite familiar with snow and would say, "that's nothing compared to the winters experienced in our area or country with snow".  And for those of you who are fortunate to live in mild climate areas, you can get a taste of what winter is like for the rest of us who live in seasonal climates.  It's hard to grasp that this blanket of snow is made up of tiny snowflakes creating all these inches of snow.... and no two alike!  Amazing!

Playing in the Snow

(Click on photos to enlarge)

....open wide!

Horses behind the veil of snowflakes

As I write this post, a week has almost passed since the storm.  The weather has  warmed up and the snow is slowly disappearing into a marbled patchwork of brown and white,   melting away into a wet and soggy ground.
It was a 'Winter Wonderland' for a short while.  The snow became an instrument of fun used for sledding, making snowmen and  snowballs, and shaping angel wings.  Even the horses seemed to enjoy having fun as they kicked up their heels in a game of chase through the newly fallen snow.  The horse to the left had just finished rolling in the snow with all four legs in the air.  He stood up, shook the snow off his back and opened his mouth wide either to yawn with boredom or express delight in the moment (or show off his teeth!).

As it is with snowflakes, so it is with us. Even though we are all part of the human race, the essence of each one of us is remarkably unique and one of a kind.  We are individually shaped in the cause and effect of culture, environment, circumstance and belief systems, which are either inherited or acquired.  What a scope of humanity through the centuries... and no two alike!  The Father of Lights views each one of us as a very distinct living soul  from the rest, individual and personal, even though we are a collective race of human beings.  But the most amazing of all is His Grace which is big and deep and high enough to cover us as a divine blanket since time began and reaches into eternity, where time does not exist.

The above YouTube is a song which most of us know... Amazing Grace.  It is sung to the tune of  "House of the Rising Sun", which gives it a different flavor and done by "Hocus Pocus".
You can also view at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyl9vYts0Y4
 

Until next Monday, have a great week from "The Turn Up Patch"........