As Above, So Below

We were heading into the winter solstice, but other than the shorter days (just 9 hours and 15 minutes of daylight now), it really didn't feel like it. Often, we have snow on the ground at solstice time. But not this year.

Aside from a few frigid nights over the weekend, it really hasn't been that cold here. But we've had a mind-numbing number of overcast, gray days. Sometimes the only actual sunlight I see is in the mornings at sunrise, if that.

I was driving in to work on this day, when I turned and caught a glimpse of a line of orange light between earth and sky. (It always looks from here like they're having a lovely sunrise in the State College area.) I was driving toward the light, hoping for a better glimpse of it.

There is a farmer's field along the right side of the road on my drive in, with a tiny pull-off where one can stop the car for a minute or two for photos. This presumes the farmer isn't hard at work and using that space (as is the case in haying season).

I pulled over, hopped out, and took a few pictures. It was still cold enough that the puddles were all frozen. A handful of birds tossed themselves against the sky. The lines in the clouds seemed to be mirrored (or perhaps complemented) by the rows on the farmer's field: as above, so below.

The song to accompany this image of lines above and below is Suzanne Vega, with Straight Lines. It is from the singer's self-titled 1985 debut album; every song on it is good.