Well, that was quite the surprise this morning. Although not totally unexpected, since the forecast called for overnight or morning snow. And sure enough, when we came down for breakfast and looked out the front door, there it was! Despite foreknowledge, however, it's always a shock this early in the season -- late fall no less, not even winter by the calendar year -- to see an accumulation of snow.

Ordinarily a light snow event like this would speedily melt. But not today, since the temperature didn't budge above freezing. Besides which, there was no sun. The sky, in fact, was an overall, opaque white although no more snow fell during the day. On days like this there's little colour variation between the sky and the overall mantle of fallen snow.

 

First thing this morning, Irving shovelled snow off the deck, the stairs and the garden walkways. Jackie and Jillie were enthusiastic about the snow; they remember it well. They've always enjoyed it, unlike rain events, even on warm days. In our experience most dogs seem to like snow down on the ground, for whatever their reasons. Our little dogs have never divulged that secret, but we note how happy they are about it.

 

So out came their light winter coats. Their recent grooming has left their haircoat pretty short. But their body heat always seems to stand them in good stead. At -0C, the light coats will do to protect them from the cold, but when winter really does set in and the temperature plunges considerably lower, and bellicose winds blow, they'll be outfitted with much heavier, warmer coats.

The snow coating the forest canopy is a sight to behold, especially now, at this early stage of the changing season, even with winter officially more than a month away. We saw more people out with their dogs, everyone enjoying the altered landscape than we would normally come across. Many of them distant neighbours we haven't seen in ages.

 

By the time we completed our chosen circuit for the day, dusk was already settling in. And when we returned to the house, the standard lights in the garden were already on. Night falls earlier and earlier these days.