Majestical Magical Snow

From time to time, when meteorological conditions cooperate, we open the blinds to a winter wonderland created by hoarfrost:

The scenery is just magical, and the sheer beauty surrounding us is breath-taking.  It's as though every branch of every tree is coated with powered sugar and held in suspension:

One word to describe the scenery is white:

With our recent 45cm dumping of snow, it's hard walking outside, but Cooper and I ventured up the hedgerow:

Coop's having a hard time managing.  To compensate for the deep snow, he needs to take flying leaps to plow his way through.

He knows where the snow is shallower, though, and makes his way towards the edge of the barn.  Once there, he turned to face the hedgerow and let out a big bark.  I know just how he feels...

The scenery is glorious...

...and the textures of trees and branches and vines look incredible with their coating of frost.

With more snow on the way, it's a winter wonderland of majestical proportions.

More Photos in No Sensible Order

We've been having the most beautiful weather.  The US North East and our Canadian Atlantic provinces took a beating Halloween weekend with a mega-storm, but we were spared and had unbelievably beautiful - and unseasonable - weather.

The corn is drying in the fields, and will be harvested in the next week or so.  The next few days' forecast has highs of 14C, somewhat uncommon for November.  Let's hope winter is as gentle with us.

The fields are beautiful.  When the sun hits the corn at the right angle, and the wind is blowing just right, it glistens like waves on a lake.  I love this time of year, if only it didn't go by so fast.

Practically every night presents us with a spectacular sunset.  It's a shame sundown starts earlier and earlier.  I do find this time of the year a bit perturbing for its short days.  There's still so much to do outside.

We had a spectacular sunrise the other morning.  It's unfortunate the camera can't capture its true beauty, so you'll have to pretend a little.  I took a few photos out of the Velux skylight in the bedroom.  Tessie thought that this would be a great way to access the great out-of-doors and promptly jumped up on the window frame and started to slide down the roof, much to her surprise.  It's a good thing cats have tails to reel them in with...and it's a good thing my reaction time is sharp.  (That said, Howard once fell out of the second story window, and he did it so masterfully, using the side wall of the house like Spiderman to break his fall, that when he landed in the grass, he walked away like nothing even happened.  All in a cat's day.)

Speaking of the Velux skylight in the bedroom, this is what greeted me when I drew up the blinds this morning:

WOW, just WOW.  The most spectacular frost I have ever seen!  It was breath-taking!  I stood and stared for a long, long time.  I don't recall seeing anything like this before.  It was perfect in every way.

Spectacular, indeed.  I wish there was a way I could have saved the window for posterity.  A few pictures will have to do as a reminder of another beautiful morning.  I also probably don't need to tell you it was a pretty heavy frost last night.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.