The stars like dust (or was it the dust like stars?)

A light dusting of snow last night, maybe a half inch of fluff. The sun has vanished it, except in the shadows, where the stuff persists. That tells you something about the actual air temperature.

But the snow glittered like mica flakes while it lasted, even sparkled in the streetlights as it fell. I wonder why the Christmas decorating gods quit using mica as a snow substitute in things like our antique Santa display? Carcinogenic? Or just that it was a royal PITA in the cleaning-up-after stage?