snow!!!

Do you have any idea how unusual this is where I live? Before Christmas? This much?

 

While this was falling, we had a fire in the fireplace, we put up the Christmas tree, and hung up our stockings.  I am so much more in the Christmas mood now than I was yesterday.  Going to bed now, hoping for visions of sugarplums dancing in my head.

snow day for the schoolkids; very early in the morning

First you must understand that enough snow to stick on the streets is very much a novelty around here.  We get excited.  We buy all the milk and bread in the stores as soon as the first flake starts falling, and nobody really knows why.  Usually the sun comes out by afternoon and the streets are passable within hours.  But in the meantime, we put on our woolies and mittens with plastic bags underneath to keep our hands dry,  waterproof boots if we have them.  We have a short-lived but glorious orgy of snow-angels, snowballs, snowpeople, snowcritters, snowcream  . . . . you get the idea.

I never even try to resist the urge to get out my camera, and tonight I was rewarded in a wonderful way.  This first picture is the view from my front door, right after midnight, longish exposure, no flash.  It could be sharper, because I didn’t bother with a tripod, but I caught the feeling well.  The bluish glow behind the magnolia tree is from the streetlight.

southern exposure

Now, for the very first time (for me), a picture of snowflakes falling.  This is the same view, different settings: fill in flash, short exposure.  The little specks are, you guessed it, individual snowflakes.  Well, light reflecting off of snowflakes, anyway.  Close enough for me to get excited about.

same view, different lighting

Silent night, beautiful night.  Goodnight.