New York City, December 18, 2017

★★★ The sunrise made no difference. Around the edges of the schoolyard, there was still some exhausted snow. The thaw had been just enough to make it necessary to think about which coats to use. The real arrival of daylight took a few more hours, as the clouds thinned. To the north was a precise blue and to the south was an incomprehensible white haze; off to the east and the west were fuzzy grays. It was too warm to bundle up but too creepingly damp and chilly to ignore or enjoy. The haze remained, pearly and enchanting up close, grimy in the distance.