Winter Magic: Hoar Frost at Millbrook

One of the very special delights of winter time is the hoar frost. It only pays its magic visits when the temperatures are very low. And indeed they were quite low on this morning: around 10 degrees F (around minus 12 C).

It was a crystal clear morning and the sun was up bright and early, not a cloud in the sky. The roads were dry and I was driving again. My morning stops included a visit to Millbrook Marsh to check out the snow.

You can't always tell when hoar frost will occur; it only arrives when there are very low temperatures, but it doesn't always. When it's windy, the frost can't settle in and grow. So you can't count on it. But on this morning, there it was!

Mother Nature got a whim overnight to string diamonds everywhere. They shone on every branch and bush in the bright morning sun. They danced by on the winds; even the morning breeze sparkled. They glittered on all of the teasels and cattails in the fields; all these humble makers of winter's magic.

The tune to accompany this image . . . well, I picked two, actually. The first is by KARA, and it's called Winter Magic (Music Box Lullaby). It called to mind another little tune that I have loved since the moment I first heard it: Frank Mills, with Music Box Dancer.