We enjoyed a long, extended autumn this year. November, which can get pretty nasty, was instead mild and pleasant. However, Winter has inevitably settled in. This weekend, we received about 6 more inches of snow, so have a nice white blanket on the ground for Christmas.
Winter often arrives with a shout, “Ready or not, here I come!” One morning, often, it seems, when you had been planning an important excursion, you wake up to a foot of snow, the roads near-impassable…not that that stops Canadians from venturing out in their cars anyway. We’re made of sterner stuff… or are just plain foolhardy.
But this year, Winter eased in quietly, gently. The days grew shorter. Frost began to appear nightly. Puddles froze over. Rain became freezing rain, and finally snow. The flow of the river was enclosed by brittle edges of ice and then completely submerged beneath a glassy cover. No big storm marked Winter’s arrival, but nonetheless, Winter is here. This year, Winter arrived on tiptoe.
Willow House Chronicles 