Laughing Ravens

By and large, I look forward to winter. The cold and the snow are a welcome change from sweating continually in July and August. A week ago the thermometer struggled to climb into the single digits after nights below zero. Earlier this week felt downright balmy. The thermometer had climbed to nearly 30°F which meant we could walk outside in just a fleece and feel the sun's warmth.  Woke up yesterday morning to the wind howling. Bits of ice pelted the windows and bounced off the metal roof. Every now and then, a gust would push the house enough to feel it flex and bow. With the heat being drawn from the house with every blast of wind, I figured it was a perfect morning to pull the covers tighter and catch just a tiny bit more sleep.  After the winds relented and the snow settled, I took a quick walk outside. In some areas, there was snow only on one vertical face. The other side of trees and shrubs were completed blasted clean.   Iris bed, tucked in for the winter This aft...

  We're heading into the deep freeze next week. Life near zero is weird. I don't want to know the inside of my house this well. I can't really blame the cold though. I always get stir crazy after surgery. Something about surviving the surgical event makes me want to run off into the distance and just keep running. It might be escaping the hospital or being able to get up from the surgical table... I don't know. But once I am up and under my own power, I want OUT! This week I had a piece of skin cancer removed from below my eyelid. My face looks like I tried to hail a bus with my cheek. Not pretty. I thought going to a plastic surgeon would make me look cute. It said that in the brochure. And now it is wicked cold.  Years ago, we would relish time like this. Snow on the ground. No snowmobiles on the trail. Nights cold and black like ice. You can hear the trees creak. The snow is still fluffy, but after the weekend chill drops, I expect the snow to squeak. Warm sun over t...