A Frosty Walk to the Post Office

There are two ways to the post office from where we live. The shortest and most direct route is to go straight down Main Street, past several blocks of houses and businesses, with constant traffic for company.

Then there is the road less travelled - a circuitous route which winds through the neighbourhood and out into open country, finishing up on a quiet back lane which eventually leads to the post office.

Guess which route I prefer?

Having a birthday card to post, a head fuzzy with fatigue, and some tens of thousands of Christmas calories to work off, I set out with card and camera this morning to combine virtue with economy, and get a bit of fresh air and exercise. Snow fell yesterday, and today's sky is grey with clouds and damp.

The twigs and grasses are all furred with frost. Some look like velvet:

And some like lace.

The chains under this parked semi remind me of corsets.

Frosted grapes hang from a chain-link fence...

 ...and their wild vine loops and curls along the wire.

The trees look blurred and softened in the moistness of the air.

Even the plainest weeds on the verge are glorified by their coating of frost.

Champagne-coloured grasses stand out against a misty backdrop of bare branches...

...and glimmer with dainty fairy-like beauty before this bright blue-sided house.

A weed hanging out over the curb has a stylized, elegant line.

This small tree stands naked and dignified in the snow...

...in the lacy shadow of its larger brothers...

...while dappled leaves lie around their feet.

Back in the neighbourhood, oaks rustle leathery brown leaves which will hang on until spring.

This snowy stepping-stone leads seemingly nowhere.

Snow on the side of the water tower (which I always thought was white) looks like Chantilly lace over pale blue velvet.

Since the sidewalks are icy and I forgot my Yaktrax, I stay on the grass until I get home.

Full of fresh air, I'm awake and ready to tackle the housework. I could have put the card in the mailbox for the carrier to pick up - but this was much more fun.

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