The Woods Whisper Christmas

Who loves the wind on a stormy night, 
When curtains are drawn and fires are bright? 

~Sing Through the Day :: Plough

Yesterday was balmy, in the sixties with a cloudy sky.  I saw a mosquito come into my kitchen, flit around, and get scorched as I opened the oven.  Strong winds came in the night, ushering out the warmth, with us gladly snuggled into the feather bed.   
 

Today, the woods whisper Christmas.  You can hear it if you listen to the wind or look at the sunlight on the ferns.  I really love this time of year, when the cold and dark are still new.

I met the snow near Hurricane, and it was such a gentle sight.  I had to stop on the road and clear some big branches out of the way, with some help from others who saw me working.  The wind had littered every surface from town to country with tired leaves, twigs, and bigger branches.  Driving through Fairwood, after a stretch of green, the snow was back again.  

I continued my climb through Konnarock toward Elk Garden and met more snow, fog, and rime ice.  Snowy lichen--be still my heart.  It was another world of beauty, as Dick Proenekke would say.

Arriving at Elk Garden, the snow was beginning to drift across the road, making it just a bit slippery.  The wonderful thing about an early season snow is that the ground and roads are often warm enough to avoid any significant ice.

Here's my shivery photo of the blowing snow and fog.  It was time to hop back in the car and head back down.  Twenty-seven and 20 mph winds is pretty chilly (a mere 13° F!)  Yes, a warmer skirt is in order, though I think I prefer them to pants in the cold.  Brrrrr!