Transformations

A bitter winter storm was headed our way...every channel heralded the dire warnings of high winds , bitter cold and snow to a depth of 6-10 inches for us . I had a commitment to help someone who was housebound and was due to arrive there just when the storm was to shift from driving rain and sleet to snow that they said would fall 2" per hour ! The drive was not for the faint of heart...neither to nor from .Gabby and I were grateful for the snug, warm shelter of home , while the wind howled outside.
   By the time of the next commitment in the late afternoon , the storm had passed...far feebler than predicted...and the sun was out ! The route took me past a portion of a large pine forest , normally quite dark inside , with dense growth . That night , however , there was an entirely different appearance to it . The fierce winds of the storm had driven the snow through in such a way that each tree trunk was marked with a vertical stripe of white , in exactly the same place on each and every tree .The effect was no longer a dark forest of brown pines , but rather a large , light stand of slender birches ! How odd to witness the total transformation of a very familiar place .It is a scene not soon forgotten ! My camera is not stowed in the car , come winter , so  there was no way to record the sight on film for posterity . Words must suffice...