Wintry

All night, rain increases. Sometimes such rains become snow after dawn, and I wake to a silent, whitened landscape. For now, there is the constant pattering, the gurgling downspout, the glistening drops that catch light cast from my door as I open it. It is a wintry storm ahead of the solstice, but the approaching winter does not seem long. A dozen weeks, and days will again be nearly as lengthy as nights. Each season accelerates, until even harsh winters surprise me with their apparent brevity. Was it October when the locusts ceased vibrating the balmy night air? I could have sworn I heard them just hours ago.

( Sunday Verse )

Less is More

It didn't get cold enough to snow, after all. In fact, the rain seems to have contained enough energy to moderate the temperature, and the air is milder this evening that it was yesterday. The cat has even consented to go sit on the porch for a couple of hours, despite the steady rainfall. Not even the stiff gusts of wind which periodically rose to shake small downpours from the bending pines have been particularly chilling. The clouds were quite low all afternoon, and sometimes settled to wreath the woods in fog. I'm pleased that autumn still has enough bluster to push winter back, for a day at least. It's cookie weather! Cookies and tea!