A Whiff of Winter

Well, at least what passes for winter in Texas.

This morning was our second day in a row to wake up to cold, clammy air and rainy, grey drizzle alternating with rainy, grey rain, and thin, cold sunshine sparkling through the ice-clad branches of the trees. Even the dumpsters sported rows of icicles, and car mirrors and windshields were spread with sheets of lacy ice. Whatever it may feel like, new ice (and new snow when you can get it) makes everything beautiful...lovely and appealing, but, alas, treacherous. Hmmmm.... sorta like sin, come to think of it.

But, unlike sin, winter doesn't stick around for long. At least not in this part of the world. We may have had one full day of winter yesterday~according to Rusty, the 30-something high yesterday occurred at 3am~and this morning may have called for hats and gloves, but this afternoon hats are dismissed and jackets are abandoned. The wild wind may not have quite succeeded in blowing us off the road, but it thoroughly swept every wisp of cloud from the overcast sky leaving only blue behind. Not the rich blue blue of autumn or the bright promising blue of spring, but still, clear watery blue.

M, up in the wilds of New York, laughs when we say *cold.* Well, what might you expect from someone who is watching new snow falling on a Hudson River half frozen over. Now that's Winter. What we have here is just an imitation. A Windy Wisp of Winter.