Icing on the cake

Early this morning we lay awake listening as ice-covered tree limbs crashed to the ground in the woods, and we wondered what sights daylight would reveal. It's a shiny white world where pine trees struggle to hold up ice-laden limbs and icicles drip from the edges of everything. My college cancelled morning classes, a wise move considering the treacherous circumstances, so I'm planning to stay inside and grade papers all day in front of the fire while enjoying the savory aroma of potato soup bubbling in the crockpot. I know I'll have to pay for this day off eventually, but for now, I intend to cherish the ice.