Water Like A Stone

This is the time of year, after the arc of the Solstice, when Winter gets serious.

The thermometer stood at several degrees below zero at midmorning, the sky clear and pale blue, like ice. There was little warmth to the pale wash of sunlight, broken by long shadows even at noon.

The wind was bitter and dry, merciless and unfeeling.

Under a foot of snow, the Earth is wrapped for her long sleep.