On a snowy evening

The snow returned today, falling slowly all afternoon in thick lazy flakes, coating trees, fields, roads and houses. The temperature is just above freezing, so the snow is heavy and sticky, almost too wet for making snowballs or castles.

And it's pretty. It's soft and quiet, gentling the harsh edges of the landscape, giving a haziness to the air and a sense of wonder as day turns to dusk. We were driving home as the light was fading, and the snow seemed to be faintly glowing, pushing back the onset of full darkness for a little while. So I headed outside again when I got home, certain that I would find a photo before night fell. And I did.