01.08.13 Twelfth Night has passed and I’ve taken down the Christmas decorations and the ornaments off the tree. I’ve left the still-fresh Noble Fir in the living room, thinking its little colored lights will add some cheer in these dark days, though I know it’s supposed to bring back luck to keep a Christmas tree this long. The January Thaw arrived on the winds across the lake last night and it was 39 degrees when I got up. My usual running roads were glazed in ice from the melting snow and I had to abandon ship, even with  the Yaktrax strapped to my shoes. It took me close to an hour to sand and gravel the road down to my house so the repair guy can fix our furnace.

They say you must have a “mind for winter” to live here. I need to put my head back on and lose myself in a book…