Winter Sky

The lightest covering of snow fell in the early evening hours, then winds blew away the clouds pulling open the curtain that had been hiding the stars.
The night is all stars; a canopy over my head. Even though the high wintry moon is waxing and only about half of full, the snow crystals covering the ground capture the pale light and reflect it back to the sky. The silvered glow catches the trees dancing with the wind casting their moving shadows across the snow.

The air is so clear that lights of early commuters can be seen from far across the hillside moving down toward the river valley. These tiny lights cannot begin to rival the brilliance of the sparkling stars overhead. Dark silhouettes of the mountains, hemlocks and pines stand bold against the brightening sky. The night is filled with hints of something magical in the glimmering stars. The winter sky is ablaze with warm light cloaking the snow and trees with an incandescent glow The day has been clear and beautiful; cloudless bright azure skies. The air is filled with the sounds of birds that fill every possible perch on the feeders. Winter sunshine has not been able to overcome the chill air and melt the snow.