Frozen Progress

Several warm bright days had encouraged outside work. Gravel could be screened for wall filling and it was possible to weed the garden beds. Birds were everywhere and bees found food in the freshly composted fruit peels. Then the wind shifted, blowing fiercely from the North driving us inside. It was an unwelcome 12 degrees F at wake up this morning. Everything in the garden is frozen solid again. The river is flowing freely, but the water has a thick look to it. Tonight will be clear. The sky will be full of stars. We will be watching from the warmth of the house. The cardinal flower plants will be exposed to the bitter cold. This is the kind of weather that sometimes ends their existence.