Morning Lights

A few mornings back, during a communion of hyper cold and humid air before this week's warming, I woke to see lights in the trees. 

Not on the trunks and no slick, icy skin on the branches. The lights were exceptionally difficult to photograph, but quite magical with eyes alone. It made me wonder about the origins of lighting trees, if not Christmas lights specifically. So why did it happen, why now?

I went around the front, and found that all the smaller branches were frosted.

Like this.

Each crystal a plate extending perpendicular from the branch. Some, but not all, were at just the right angle to reflect the low, morning sun creating little points of brilliant light. If you move, you lose one light, but pick up new reflections from others. It's quite a thing to see.

Eve

We arrived to a good dousing of snow. This, early morning, before sunrise, out bath window.

The view to the southeast, around 9 am, sun low, and diffuse behind low clouds.

Even the sun and the clouds hunker down in winter.

Flora and fauna, inanimate.

Thankful to arrive, we did well, despite the possibilities, a bit of black ice in Indiana. The tree, tall (11 feet), decorated, strong scented. There is no seed in the bird feeder, testament to the weather, Rex's age. The roof has been shoveled off, thanks to an eager brother in law. Spared. I've no winter boots! But must take photos, out there, the darkness merges with the light, a convergence of high contrast and low.  

Okay, off to make Christmas Eve dinner. Not what you would expect -enchiladas, completely random.