A winter affair

Anyway, most of you who know me also know I’m not a fan of snow. I try not to complain too much because after all, I’ve made the conscious decision to set up residency in the Midwest. If the snow is up to my elbows ... well, it’s nobody’s fault but my own.

But back to Wednesday night ... It was relatively late by my standards ... probably close to 10 p.m., and I remembered I had left something in my car. Ugh! The last thing I wanted to do was trudge through the cold and snow and retrieve the belongings I had left in my vehicle. Mumbling about my own forgetfulness, I threw on my jacket and headed to the garage.

Leaving the warmth of my home, the first thing that hit me when I stepped outside was the damp chill, yet for some reason, it didn’t really bother me. Actually, it felt somewhat invigorating, and quite frankly, I even thought about taking a brisk walk in the wintry weather. OK ... I didn’t get that nutty, but the thought did cross my mind.

While I could hear someone pushing snow several blocks away, it was basically quiet ... still ... serene. I stood there for a minute, lost in that silence, and I don’t mind telling you, I savored the moment. I don’t know ... maybe it’s just as quiet on other nights when four or five inches of snow aren’t blanketing my world, but for some reason that night, the white quiet hit me.

I stood there for a few more minutes and realized the silence was interrupted by a slight breeze rustling through the pines in the backyard. I noticed a set of footprints between my house and garage and determined it had been a rabbit who had hopped under the arbor that joins the two structures. In a few months, aromatic wisteria blooms will adorn that arbor, but for now, the snow clung to the bare branches like lovers on a cold winter night.