We have not yet reached the official first day of winter, but winter has come.  After our cold but relatively dry November, the weather has shifted and given way to snow. Thursday morning we awoke to see snow— and not just a dusting of it as on earlier days.  Snow drifts curled in the sloped part of our driveway. Snow mounded by the side door, over the door sill, coming in on boot treads. Snow drifted across roads, filling our front steps and piling up on driveways. The shovels were ready and waiting.

That white fluffy stuff continued to fall through the day, making roads slippery and visibility a little tricky at times.  As I drove home from a meeting that evening, the snow was still falling. The moon was just a bright crescent surrounded by heavy white clouds. Amazing that we could see it at all. Again we had to shovel snow by the side door.

Friday morning, the space between the window glass and screen was filled with snow at our back windows, and the car wore a new coat of white, as if it were newly packaged. Just the beginning of winter, my friends. There will be more.