Diamonds and Pearls

As Red Green would say, "It is winter."

And it is! Stepping out of the doors of NSA, one is greeted with a cold breeze, and it cannot be mistaken for winter. You can't miss the icy edge that every breeze carries about with it.

And have you been watching the clouds for the past week? Or have you been walking with your eyes on the pavement, thinking about the Lordship paper, or the five proofs for Math class? Turn your eyes upward! Look at the sky! Do you not see it? Look at the clouds! They're fluffy and dipping low toward the top of the city. They're blue and brown and white. They're wispy on the bottom, but you can tell they're not empty.

To see is to understand. Do you understand yet?

They are the heralds of winter. They ride the cold fronts down from Canada. They warn of the nightly frosts which have just begun. They bring rain for now, but soon that will change.

Soon those reflecting pools on the sidewalks will freeze over. The ground will turn from gray to white. The twigs and branches on trees and bushes will be covered in snow. And the transparent diamonds falling from the sky? They will change shape, becoming the most beautiful pearls you will ever see.

Have you seen Moscow at Christmas time? You're in for a treat. Christmas is probably my favorite time to walk down main street. Especially at night. The shops along main street decorate their windows with red and green and gold tinsel and miniature Christmas trees and trains. Now also imagine twinkling gold lights in every single tree you pass, and snow falling like crystals from heaven. And now add to all that the orange glow in the sky above you.

This is Christmas. This is Winter. And the transition from Autumn to Winter is a truly beautiful one.

Diamonds for Autumn. Pearls for Winter.