Light Snow, Wednesday Evening, 9 February 2011

One big cloud covered everything – cold, and withholding snow. I put down food for some feral cats outside a barn and hoped the snow would hold off long enough for them to come clean off the plate. I cut more firewood, when I hadn’t planned to, because even a little snow on everything tomorrow could ruin the chain. There were other practical considerations. Would I be painting the Blue Ridge as part of the sunset? The mountains blurred, and by sunset they were gone, except a line of light remained just above the horizon, where the mountains had been. As if one great upside-down bowl of cloud hovered over us, held up only by the last light. Later snow fell. The once oppressive cloud had finally descended among us, proving to be nothing heavy at all, only a pending spell released.