Feeling the Frost

Wind and Window Flower

LOVERS, forget your love,
And list to the love of these,
She a window flower,
And he a winter breeze.

When the frosty window veil
Was melted down at noon,
And the cagèd yellow bird
Hung over her in tune,

He marked her through the pane,
He could not help but mark,
And only passed her by,
To come again at dark.

He was a winter wind,
Concerned with ice and snow,
Dead weeds and unmated birds,
And little of love could know.

But he sighed upon the sill,
He gave the sash a shake,
As witness all within
Who lay that night awake.

Perchance he half prevailed
To win her for the flight
From the firelit looking-glass
And warm stove-window light.

But the flower leaned aside
And thought of naught to say,
And morning found the breeze
A hundred miles away.
Robert Frost

Frost

Tree1008

This morning marked our third straight frost. While the third week of October is late for this region, things have been downhill since July with steady cooling and no warm spikes. This photo was taken yesterday around 8 am.

The hard frost this morning left no doubt-and black tender annuals in its wake. The ancient hemlock outside my window had frost up the entire Northwest side for most of the morning. The saplings shouted in amazement at 10 am to find skim ice in the buckets and rain barrels, and a frosty rabbit water bottle.

Where did July go, anyhow? Won't be long and I will have forgotten what green leaves look like. And..the weatherman said there is a chance of snow tomorrow night. :-