Crystalline Fury

The beauty of a fresh snowfall can not be denied. Trees are festooned with fluffy garlands and houses are painted with frosty brushstrokes. There is a silence that embraces and lulls into a peaceful state. A fresh, crisp smell to the air, offset by the puffs of chimney smoke that rise and fall in the now-gentle winter breeze.

But winter can turn the gentle snowflake into a harsh attack of crystalline fury. Wild winds and icy cold join forces to beat the weary world into submission. Blizzards bring with them a brutal strength that wreaks havoc like no other storm.

To survive and be victorious over weather's attempts to overrule an orderly existence, one must strive to be strong, prepared and patient. Damning the storm serves no purpose. Nature will not be cowed.

And in the end, the sun will shine again, the great banks of snow will recede, melting away, disappearing into ponds and lakes and ground and seas, providing refreshment for plants and animals and humans alike during a hot dry summer.

Nature can punish, but also reward.


Courage and strength to those battling in the Northeast against the blizzard.