I sit here staring the blank, white, word press canvas that lights up my screen. My cat is snoring up on his perch, located at the far right end of my desk. My puppy is curled up on my lap, falling in and out of sleep. She must be uncomfortable, because at 15 weeks old, she is getting to be just a wee bit too big for this. While I love my puppy cuddles, here’s hoping she grows out of lap time before she is a full size border collie and 40 pounds heavier.

Winter hit us last night. For the first time all season. Yes, we’ve had a handful of bitter cold days here and there - but today actually looks and feels like it’s winter. The trees, power lines, bushes and even my Christmas swag (that should’ve come down weeks ago) are frozen in place. The trees have a shiny, glass-like look today. It looks like if you threw a rock at them, they would all just simply shatter.

From my view, the ice has thoroughly covered and coated everything. My desk sits directly up against two windows so when I am not staring at up at my computer screen or down at my calendar - I’m staring out at the trees which normally have a dull wintertime look to them this time of year. Today though, today they look shimmery and slightly magical.

This morning I ventured out for a quick sprint around the yard, camera in hand, hair wet, no socks. I’m a crazy person. But I needed to capture a little bit of the beauty in the midst of this grey, ugly day.

Stay warm and stay safe - especially if you’re experiencing the same gross-but-beautiful winter weather that we are here in Virginia.