Mother Nature

I am a girl who loves her traditions.  Among my favorites is setting up a Christmas tree.  Each December I enjoy the magic of a Christmas tree with its sparkling lights and its collection of ornaments guaranteed to trigger some happy memories and at least a few good stories.  Even so, once Christmas day has passed, the tree and my holiday decorations are on borrowed time.  This year, our early return from winter vacation (thanks, Sandy) made it all the more urgent that the tree come down in a timely fashion.  With my mother on hand to help out, the tree came down on Friday.  Then I had JT remove it to the back deck in preparation for hauling it to the curb for the recycling truck pick-up.

At that point I realized that Saturday's snow would be a terrific chance to enjoy the tree for a few more days.  So we left the tree on the deck and the piney boughs collected some snow.  It was a lovely sight as the snow fell all afternoon, a welcome reminder that Mother Nature's powers also include great beauty.