Snow Covered Branches

We've finally had our first real snowstorm of the winter. Flakes sailed steadily through the air for twenty-four hours. It was the best kind of snowfall, arriving conveniently on a weekend and with plenty of warning. On Sunday, the neighborhood was silent. Eventually we heard the muted scrape of shovels against sidewalks. No snowblowers ruined the magic. The snow was relatively light and dry. It clung to the trees long enough for everyone to admire the fairy tale quality of the lacy branches.  Then we all got back to shoveling sidewalks and sweeping off steps.