Well, we were hoping to get some more leaves raked up before the snow came down but the snow beat us to it. At least we got most of the driveway cleared but the garden and orchard is now a lightly snow-covered carpet of leaves. I’m now telling myself that leaves make great mulch and by spring it will all be a moot point — except that was my mantra last winter and in the spring, when things dried out, we had to clear up the leaves before planting and doing all the yard work. You’d think I’d learn but somehow, there never does seem to be enough hours in the day or days in the week. We have weekends to do all the errands that couldn’t be done during the week and while I work at home that usually means I get the wash, dishes, and some house chores done while waiting on connections or downloads, but I don’t get out in the yard much — not even when it wasn’t too hot or too cold.<\/p>\n
All that aside, when the snow started I took a cup of coffee and stood just inside the sliding glass doors to the deck and watched the flakes slowly drift down through the trees. Since what leaves are still on the trees are yellow, faded green, and a bit of a burnished orange, it was very beautiful to watch. At first every flake landed and melted, but after a few minutes it started to accumulate. Then it stopped and melted again. The second bit of snowing, I noted but didn’t take the time to watch, left about a quarter inch of snow over everything. Unless it snows more tonight it will probably all be gone by morning.<\/p>\n
Still there’s a certain magic in seasons. The progression from spring, summer, fall, winter and back to spring. The passage of time marked by the changing weather and colors of the environment. Sometimes it just makes me feel so alive to be part of it all. That is, it does, unless I have to shovel — today there was no shoveling needed so I can wax poetic about snow (otherwise it’s a four letter word).<\/p>\n
![\"Snowflake](\"http:\/\/www.its.caltech.edu\/~atomic\/snowcrystals\/photos\/x040122a012.jpg\" "\\"Snowflake")
Well, we were hoping to get some more leaves raked up before the snow came down but the snow beat us to it. At least we got most of the driveway cleared but the garden and orchard is now a lightly snow-covered carpet of leaves. I’m now telling myself that leaves make great mulch and by spring it will all be a moot point — except that was my mantra last winter and in the spring, when things dried out, we had to clear up the leaves before planting and doing all the yard work. You’d think I’d learn but somehow, there never does seem to be enough hours in the day or days in the week. We have weekends to do all the errands that couldn’t be done during the week and while I work at home that usually means I get the wash, dishes, and some house chores done while waiting on connections or downloads, but I don’t get out in the yard much — not even when it wasn’t too hot or too cold.<\/p>\n