Overnight

Yesterday morning we awoke to snow that had fallen during the night. Not a blizzard at that point, but a beautiful snow that covered everything and looked stunning when the morning light broke through the trees. It was a glorious sight and the quiet streets made for an ideal morning to sleep in a little, pulling the covers up tight and staying warm and cozy under a layer of down.

Later in the morning I had the opportunity to take a drive around the village in a highway deparment plow and I was so grateful because snow is the most beautiful when it's brand new. The world looked as though its been touched by the hand of a master artist as every tiny branch and twig was perfectly outlined with white. The wind and the sun, within a few hours after the end of a snowfall, erase those beautiful outlines and the snow settles to the ground for the most part. Unless you get out quickly and look around, the glorious first hours of a winter snow are lost. It's the time I like best because the world looks still and peaceful, not quite awake or something. The snow fell most of the day, with some periods of sleet and rain and then snow again when we turned off the lights and went to bed, thankful for a warm place to be for the night.

Of course it's a matter of perspective, and there are surely times I dread the snow (ambulance duty and travel plans come quickly to mind). But yesterday, when the world was quiet and well prepared, it was a wonderful thing. And the snow took a stark winter landscape and transformed it into something magical for a day, at least. Now let's see what today will bring...

Last night it was still snowing. Sometimes the snow is wonderful.