Cold and Cloaked in Clouds

A few minutes ago the golden sun was just highlighting the tops of the trees, and the sky was clear and blue. Now there is a thin blanket of clouds hiding the blue sky, and the sun still shines brightly, but not so warm. Now the light reflects off the bare trunks of the trees that border our yard. The ponds are still this morning, cloaked in a thin sheet of ice that is textured and patterned like a beautiful design on fabric. The only movement is in the large melted spot where the water enters the pond. I can hear it rippling over the stones. The ducks are swimming in what we call Pond Zero, making little circles in the small space where there is no ice. It is bitterly cold, especially when the wind blows. The bare trees on the land we are clearing are motionless, almost as if they are frozen in the cold.

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