Winter Parfait

In the furthest reaches of our back yard, water collects in quality after a serious rain (see September 15, 2008), and a cold December rain is no exception. But unlike September, there's a strong potential now for creating an ice puddle after a rain. Which is what has happened this week. Almost.

Ann and I checked out the puddle-area today around noon, when the wind was gone and the Sun actually a little warm on my face. The snow from Tuesday still blanketed the spot, but when I put my foot down, ice under the snow cracked with a satisfying crunch, exposing liquid. Then the spot, footprint shaped, turned dirt down, to contrast with the snow white around it. So we had a winter parfait underfoot: layers of snow, ice, water and mud.

This is something to watch in honor of Gaudete Sunday, which is this Sunday, the third of Advent. Then there's Steeleye Span's version, which I was amazed to discover was something of a hit, at least in the UK.