snow, southern style

from a second-story window it looks like snow: distinct white pellets of precipitation descending from above. heavier than rain but coming down nearly as fast. not floating down like the fluffy snow i remember from my hudson valley childhood, nor sticking as the real stuff does. but it's prettier than sleet -- which sounds like sideways metallic needles that sting when they hit your face. but oooh, even as i stare it starts to puff up into The Real Thing. here's a fast picture as it is now (hard to see unless i shoot against a dark background and even then, nowhere near as pretty as it is out the front window, against a white sky and gray tree branches, which don't, as it turns out, show up as well on film). it's slowing down, getting fatter and sticking ever-so-slightly to rooftops and boughs and even the grass. better get out there quick so i can tilt my face up into it, while it's still fresh.