Unexpected snowfall

80 degrees on Monday—well, in the sun—under 30 this morning. And, as if to add an exclamation point, the world went from brown and greening to sparkly white, save for a few brown and green patches the "wintry mix" hadn't covered. I knew it was coming, for not only had the Weather Channel warned us that a strong cold front was moving west to east, but the hourly forecast, starting just after midnight, had snowflake icons joining the rain images. Then, around four in the morning, the rain pictures disappeared and the words "heavy snow" appeared. I thought this had to have been a mistake, but there it was. However, lest anyone who had had enough of winter wail in anguish, the heavy designation only appeared once, and by daybreak, all the snow warnings were gone. The sun would rise, and the temperatures, though cool, would rise as well. I'm not sure it ever actually snowed—what we received looked more like ice and sleet—but it must have been quite heavy for a time, because it definitely accumulated on the warm ground and stayed put in the morning chill. By afternoon, the white had retreated, probably until next winter, and the green and growing world, no real harm done, reopened for business. Just to be on the safe (and comfortable) side, I kept the wood stove going.