Freeze Up

Following a week of warm weather, fall begins to show its age as it grows hoary with frost and ice and snow flurries. For a few days now temperatures have been in the teens overnight and, as the bird water dish testifies, not above freezing during the day. Moreover, we should expect more of same for the next few days or so, says the weather forecaster.
Rivers show no ice, but ponds are skimming over quickly, forcing ducks and geese into stubble fields and rivers. The noon sun looks weak and low, not scheduled to make a significant move from now until early February. Several compensations come, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the New Year, and low energy prices, at least for now.