This morning was a miserable day as far as transportation is concerned. Public schools were canceled and private schools were postponed. Walking to work today was more akin to skating, and at times walking in the middle of the (empty) road was the only safe option. Along the way, once could see such a thin layer of ice coating everything from brick sidewalks and car windshields to tree buds and cedar shrubs. It was a beautiful sight but I was mostly preoccupied with staying upright.
Once I got here however, outside my window was a sight for sore eyes. Cedar Waxwings, American Robins and glossy Common Starlings were all flocked together on an ice-encrusted Crab Apple tree. The invasive and annoyingly ever-present Starling was dominating the conversation but the Cedar Waxwings stole the show with their sharp yellow and red accent colors and stark eye mask. I watched from the window for awhile but then moved outside so I could hear the combined voices of dozens of birds flying hither and thither, eating and fleeing from students walking by. Most students didn't give the birds or their frigid snacking tree a second glance but one did, and that was good enough for me.