Into The White

      Now that it's mid-December, the tops of buildings, trees, and benches are covered with "caster sugar", as I used to call it. The trees are not completely bare yet; some of the dried-up leaves are still hanging on. Outside the window, I spot a thin tree standing in snow with its leaves scattering over the white. 

When some of the snow melts away, it leaves footstep-shaped patches of snow. It reminds me of tales of snowmen, walking around when we don't see them. 

In Seoul, these days, the temperatures go down to approximately -12°C in early morning. But as the day warms to about  3°C, the fluffy snow melts to slushy lumps of ice. 

I remember an article I read on BBC News a few months ago - ancient artifacts were discovered on Norwegian mountains due to rapidly melting snow patches. Snow is a really curious thing; snowflakes - as small as 2-4 mm in diameter - cast thin sheets layer by layer on whatever they are falling on, sometimes becoming thick enough to preserve Neolithic weapons and Iron Age tunics through the ages. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23849332