A Morning Illumination

Dear Diary,

We have had two days of glorious melting with day time temperatures in the low 50'sF.  Huge slabs of snow over a foot thick came sliding off the barn roof with a sound like a train passing.  Very dangerous to be standing anywhere near it when it happens! The morning sunlight illuminated a pile of broken chunks by Auntie's tree and I found it really lovely.  One chunk was almost translucent with the light.  When you live in a landscape like this then you learn to love these moments of release; when the house seems to shake off its white wraps.  It was, for me, a moment of common enchantment.

Chris came with a front end loader yesterday afternoon to "re-arrange" my snow piles. (Extra photograph.)  Now there is space to put the next snowfall but that won't be for awhile.  The week ahead looks mild and they are saying rain on Friday.  That will help the melting a lot.  It is such a relief to be free from the daily shoveling, at least for the time being.