Everything was coated in thick blankets of white. The sky was quilted grey but, with the occasional thinning of clouds, it periodically shone opalescent. Winter-bare trees lifted branches limned with white, while pine boughs hung heavy yet somehow graceful with their snowy burden. Every so often a gust of wind lifted a branch or brushed two together, and a small powdery flurry shimmered and showered to the ground. It was mesmerizing.
I was driving to school after an unexpected and very welcome two-hour delay. The scenery at home had tempted me into a little bit of morning photography, so I was running a bit late. As I watched the flurries and looked at the landscape around me, I found myself thinking of Frost’s poem “A Dust of Snow”. I started to say it out loud.
The way a crow
shook down on me
the dust of snow
from a hemlock tree…
I stopped there.
What was the next line? Something about mood… 
But try as I might, I could only fully recall those first few lines and the last two “and saved some part/of a day I had rued”. I repeated the first four lines again, hoping to jar out the missing few lines. It didn’t work… but I didn’t really mind. It was a not-minding kind of morning. I just drove along, reveling in the gorgeous morning around me, feeling my spirits lift at one beautiful scene after another.
Coming around a corner, I had to slow down behind a line-up of cars. Wondering at the delay, I looked up ahead to see the tell-tale flashing lights of a school bus. Most mornings I would bemoan my fate at that sight, feeling the need to get to school, to get working. To hurry.
Not this morning.
This morning my smile grew, and I settled in to enjoy the slower ride through the winter wonderland.
What a gift!
Looking back up my driveway before heading off to school
Nix the comfort zone 
The photo of your bright red house in the distance with all the snow is beautiful. Almost makes me wish for snow. Almost.
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Our house used to be yellow. I love the red in the snow 🙂
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Molly, the scenes you shares are beautiful visuals. I am glad that you painted the landscape through words before you shared the photos. I feel at peace looking into your snowy photos.
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Thanks, Carol. It was such a beautiful morning!
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Molly, I love your descriptions especially “pine boughs hung heavy yet somehow graceful with their burden” and “and a small powdery flurry shimmered and showered to the ground.” Those photos are beautiful and mesmerizing. I’m so glad you stopped to take photos and you were relaxed on your drive to school. Nature’s surprises always are uplifting to me, too.
I love how you mention your smile growing and you enjoyed the winter scene. A few nights ago, we received about 4′ of wet snow. I stepped outside on our small porch staring at the wet snowflakes clinging to the trees and I breathed in the cold freshness. This Friday we’re going to Denver to x-country ski with our oldest daughter. I’m hoping to see fresh snow clinging to pines and spruces of the Rocky Mtns. Your post is gift sharing your joy and passion, which has given me joy and peace. Thank you.
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Enjoy your skiing adventure! The sight of pines laden with snow is so beautiful!
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That first paragraph is its own poem. And this post…such a good reminder to stay open to the moments that are given to us.
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It felt so good to not be rushing and to simply enjoy the morning as it unfolded around me.
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Indeed a winter wonderland! Thanks for the glimpses of your morning. Love this line. ”It was a not-minding kind of morning.” I have such mornings after being exhausted from a hike into the Santa Ynez Mountains or after two hours of pickleball at the Muni courts in Santa Barbara. I just drive slowly and mellowly. I love the feeling of not being in such a hurry, using my time efficiently. There’s a peace to it all; it’s a not-minding kind of morning!
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Not being in a rush is a rare feeling during the school year, and definitely something to appreciate!
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So beautiful! Funny that the snow on your driveway would have shut down our town in Nashville – and it did for about a week! I could see the snow puffs in my mind reading your piece.
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That must have been crazy! I heard you guys were at a standstill. I assume it’s finally melted now…
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Molly, that is such a beautiful post. I love the driveway and looking back at your house. The stalling with the buses reminded me of a time in my life–if I didn’t leave by such-and-such a time, I followed a bus to school picking up students, and I was late! Here’s to many more “not-minding kind of morning” — What a nice phrase.
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Thanks! I’m hoping that I might now be a bit more clued in to tap into a few more “not-minding mornings”.
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