Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, March 24, 1937

Morning — half sunlight from vague misty sky. On my walk hear killdeer, red-winged blackbirds–
P.M. to head of Zoar Valley Country — A fine day – a raw wind from the east, promising snow – Down into the “Snow-Remnant Hill” group. The feeling the same as when I first came here (it was indeed on Mar. 24, 1931 when I discovered these hills.) Make studies.

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[Strike southwards, intending to explore as far as the canyon. While making study of a rock, a blue-bird came to a small tree near me. The heavenly almost miraculous color and quality of this bird is always a newborn delight to me. The loveliness of its blue is incredible. He flew down to a patch of snow as if to pick up something, but grew alarmed & retreated – Then I saw a black spider laboriously crawling over the snow. Again & again the bird tried to gain courage to seize the spider, but always flew back again. A second bird came along, & they both flew away. I lifted the spider, whose movements were growing more & more sluggish, from the snow to a patch of dry grass.

I reached the canyon on the edge of a large sugar bush, sooner than I expected. The snow was still deep here. The spot where I stopped was one of those places in a woods that seems to have something special about it — something that cannot be definitely explained. You stop at a certain place, and everything seems transformed — yet wheat it is, is hard to discover — a few pine seedlings, some slender beeches, & maples, with the deeper woods beyond. Snow commenced to fall, and the wonder & beauty of the world suddenly seemed too much to endure. From far below came the murmur of the stream in the canyon.]
The sugar camp was going — steam from the boiling sap —

Northwards up & down hill – snow increases. The abandoned house — blackbirds flying out of attic–
It was a miserable drive home, sleet freezing on the window so I could hardly see.

After I was in bed, altho the temperature was down to 26 – there was lightning and thunder — the latter sounded strange with the roar of the blizzard.

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[An article in a magazine titled “Little Letters to God” accompanied by a purported portrait of Christ, who was represented as a smug sanctimonious hypocrite — — The whole idea seemed almost obscene, “Little Letters to God” —!!!]
--Charles E. Burchfield, March 24, 1937