spruces and balsams now stand out everywhere in
bold relief and the full-topped white pines look
almost black against the snow or sky while the
myriad interesting twigs and branches of the deciduous
trees combine to form a distinct if but lightly etched
tracery delicately twirled with smoke gray and grayish
brown. As the gusts increase in violence and frequency
they literally tear the snow from the surfaces of
the fields and pastures until the air is filled
with it, perhaps to a height of hundreds of feet
for some of it comes from elevated ridges or even
mountain tops and is wafted for miles before
settling to earth again. These thin, vapor-liked wreaths,
blushing with rose and salmon where the sun's rays
strike through them, are constantly scudding overheard,
casting light, fleeting shadows on the ground at one's feet.