First frost, autumn 2016, Home

Despite the orange warnings at the Weather Channel and the "Frost Advisory" headline on the National Weather Service alert, I wasn't at all certain that we'd actually see silver come daylight. Still, there was no sense in taking chances, so, for the first time this season, I cranked up the woodstove and I brought all the tender houseplants that were enjoying a summer vacation outdoors in to safety. It proved a good call. At our spot on the ridge, the temperature bottomed out at 35, but in the field below us, I noticed definite signs that the temperature had, in this microclimate, dipped below the freezing point. The chill had certainly left its pretty mark, but for the hardy grasses and wildflowers, the study in silver would prove harmless. I was glad I'd chosen to walk early; not long after the sun crept over the horizon, all evidence of the first frost's brief visit was gone.