Now we come into the golden days of winter, with sunshine, calm air, and ample snow. By high noon the sun is perceptibly warm on the skin, and I find myself pausing to turn and talk aloud to old Sol herself. (Himself? Itself? What are the personal pronouns of a star?)

“Oh hello. Hello! I’ve missed you, seeing you skim briefly along the south horizon all those months, cool and distant, just passing by with hardly a glance. No smile, no warmth, no brightness. Knew you were out there, making your rounds, but now you’re really back and let me just say, you still have it. Wow.”  (People would wonder, if they overheard me. But that would be nothing new.)

The sun is warm, yes, but it still holds back from melting ice or snow, even on dark objects in direct sunshine. That is a later phase of winter, those premonitions of melt, and that will be a few weeks yet.  These final days of February and first few days of March are the zenith of the season. Still deeply cold, but bright and blue, white and gold, and windless.

Enjoy it while it lasts.