Diversity

For most of the weeks between early November and the third week of January, we have been wrapped in a dreary overcast, spiked with episodes of windy anxiety. Last night, three inches of fresh snow fell, gently guided by tranquil air. Today, we awoke to a bright sun reflecting the fresh snow as if it were tiny diamonds sparkling on white velvet. The sky is a blue beyond blueness. Between the fresh snow and the sky is the many-hued forest. White barked birch contrasts with the reddish tint of the native pine bark and the rugged darkness of oak trunks against the warm brown of their remaining leaves. The forest today is a study in the diversity that adds to the richness of our existence. Even the shadows are softened by pillows of snow on the new landscape.