Patterns

It's bitter outside this morning. The temperature dropped 40 degrees overnight, and the wind is wicked. The birds continue to sing as though it's spring. They are either acting as if, or perhaps they know something that we don't.

Despite the fact that winter has repeatedly teased us with false hope, there is still beauty to be seen. I really like the shadows co-created by the bare trees and the rising sun and thrown across the yard:

I experimented a little with my Picasa program, and discovered that they offer a lot of artistic options: (You might want to enlarge the first one to see the whole effect.)

I'm glad I was able to capture these before the trees leaf out.