The morning after the season’s first winter storm is magical. I hate driving in it. I hate shoveling it. But I delight in looking at how everything is transformed. Every tree and branch has a coat of frosting. The only sounds besides the birds outside is the rhythmic scraping of driveways and cars. I will tire of looking at this in about 48 hours, but for today, it delights my soul.

Even the doormat is transformed…