Reflecting

 January 10: the average temperature should be 28°. Think of a high of 38°, a low of 18°. Think of snow flakes tinkling against the window pane. Think of deep snow.

 Today was, instead, pleasantly warm, sunny and calm ... a spring day with a high of 51°. And so goes the entire winter. So far there hasn't been a single measurable snow in Farmersville. We've had a dusting - a mere trace - and that disappeared almost before it fell.

 And so, at the pond today, Mom and I were not bothered by winter at all. We half expected to see spring flowers pushing through the soil.

 The pond, as you can see, is a beautiful, nearly ice-less blue. The surface is as smooth as a mirror. It simply could not be a more restful day.

 Among the white pines on the west side of the pond (shown on the left of the first picture), pine needles blanket the ground and long cones lay atop that blanket to a soft, spongy thickness. On a day such as this, sun slanting through the branches, it would be a good place to take a nap.

 I have seen this view a hundred times - no, a thousand, surely - and yet I am forever stopped in my tracks. What is there about a reflection that takes our breath? Surely it is why deep thought is called "reflection". Part way across the pond you can see the water pushed up against a thin area of ice, slid to the east side of the pond by an imperceptible breeze. The prevailing wind, when there is one, works the ice, and pine needles and leaves to this side. Other years, I'd find the pond on this day thickly enveloped in ice.
 But today I can stand here, unmolested by the wind, free of winter care and enjoy the scenery in peace. How can there be unrest anywhere in the world when scenes such as this present themselves daily?