A Winter Wonderland

Every once in a while Mother Nature decides to dust the ground, the trees, the bushes, and the buildings with a white covering of snow.

Last night was one of those times.

We didn't have a record snowfall but any stretch of the imagination, but there was more snow on the ground than what we have had thus far this winter season.

On top of that there was virtually no wind and the snow came down in big flakes, so the views from the windows were beautiful this morning.

One thing I noticed was the packing of the snow on the pine trees.  Every needle seemed to catch the flakes which deepened as time went on.

The outlines of the bare trees on the west side of the yard were vivid because of the packed white fluff in the middles of those trunks and limbs.

I read somewhere recently that snowfall gave a special insulation to sound.  When snow was falling, the outside air seemed uncharacteristically quiet.  When snow covered the ground, the trees, and bushes, the quiet was usually overwhelming.

This morning as I gazed out of the windows in the dining room, it did seem like everything was incredibly still . Nothing was moving.  No footprints or tiretracks, rabbit feet, or bird tracks were visible in the pristine white snow.

Perfect.

Pure white.

Silent.

Later though I heard it.  The scrape of a shovel on the boards of the deck.

I saw the Carhart jacket, the sock cap, and the boots as Gary made his way to the barn to feed the goats.

Later as I was walking through the living room the top of the white Escape slipped below the sill of the front window as Gary was driving down the lane.   He had to 'open up the drive' by making several trips in the Escape up and down the lane to be sure there was a path for anyone who happened to stop by and to be sure we could travel in and out.

As I sit in the family room, typing this, and gaze out the window in the sewing room, I see flakes of snow still drifting from the sky to settle on the branches of the empty trees and the needles of the pines.  More snow is falling softly.  Tonight's temperatures are supposed to dip close to zero. It will be cold in the morning!

While I am not a fan of winter, I do like to wear heavy coats, boots, gloves, and hats for a few weeks.  I like to stomp in the snow once or twice.

I like the view of a fresh snowfall from the warmth and comfort of our home.

But as Darla said on FB this morning, "This snowfall is so pretty.  Now go away."

I'll be ready for spring next week.