darkness before cold

acknowledging the winter solstice with light and dark–white snow on dark pine needles. today we (in minnsota) will have 8 hours and 46 minutes of daylight (15 hours and 14 minutes of darkness). while this is the darkest time of the year for us, it is not the coldest. the coldest temperatures of the year usually arrive one month from now in late january. today marks the being of our season of dormancy. i’m ready for it.

snow-covered white pine