The rain was coming down and freezing upon contact one February afternoon.
When it finally stopped, I was anxious to get outside, but being in the middle of something, my walk was delayed.
The temps were quickly rising, and I could see the ice falling from the tree branches as I watched from the window.
I was going to miss my ice photos opportunity - one is lucky to get these perfect conditions once a season when it all comes together just right.
By the time I made it outside, there wasn't much ice left on the bushes, berries, branches, or pines.
A few mediocre photos made it onto my camera, and I was getting ready to retrace my path back into the house.
Then I saw it out of the corner of my eye. That perfectly shaped ice leaf - all alone hanging from a branch.
It had separated from the leaf on which it had been formed, and it was just there - in the empty space between the branches.
I snapped a few photos of this little beauty before it joined all the other ice creations that had succumbed to the warming temps.
I had been fretting not ten minutes before about being too late in getting outside.
Had I been earlier, this piece of ice art wouldn't have been finished and I would never have seen it.
And just a minute later, I would have missed it as well.
Timing was perfect for this shot, and I was most lucky.
Things do have a way of working out if we just let them.
