Eliza Waters

Winter at last! It finally looks and feels like winter out there. We received about 5 inches of snow in an overnight storm that ended at mid-day.

I was beginning to wonder if winter would pass us by without any significant snowfall. However, here in New England, we can receive storms into April, so it was a wait-and-see game.

Cottony bolls of snow caught in the forks of twigs and topped the seed heads of echinacea and monarda with little white caps in the garden .

A blustery wind chased the last of the clouds to the east and tossed the snow from branches in clumps and sparkly mists that billowed and swirled through the air.

A walk around showed sharp contrast between dark tree trunks and branches edged in white.

Patches of blue sky spread behind silhouettes of chalk-lined oaks and tawny, rustling beech leaves danced in the breeze.

The river stretched out in a black ribbon, cleared of ice after our recent warm spell.  A few crows foraged at the river’s edge, turning stones in search of a meal. Their sentinel watched from a branch high above, ready to alert the browsers of any danger.

I’m glad the hard-packed icy crust had melted only a few days ago, to be replaced by soft, fluffy snow that is much easier and safer for walking. Our dog Wren, of course, is overjoyed.