A winter most welcome is viewed from this silent sunlit room. So far this season the snows have held back. One day we had six inches of snow fall suddenly and then it was gone. Today the temperature is set to reach 45 F (7 C) in early January. Within the past eleven years we have had 30+ inches (76 cm) on the ground that would remain close to the whole winter through. At my age I do a mental calculation. It runs like this. In some years it has snowed as early as late November and at the latest I remember measureable snow on May 4. I have thus cut my exposure to snow imperiousness by 2/7ths. Yeah.
Last night almost made up for yesterday morning. Secundus came home with a list of homework and did seem to work on it. I will send off a note to several teachers to find out if the work made its way in. He ripped into Empire Falls with a passion. He pointed out literary and historical allusions that I had missed. The allusions were real. His attitude in general seemed improved. Primus worked on his homework too. He was able to identify the work clearly and articulately. Yeah.
I did not get to read much last night. I have a Buddhist work buried in my brief case. Maybe tonight. This morning I forced myself to revisit Merton. Dipping into his thoughts was as always quite refreshing. The monk in talking about the mundane of winter’s cold communicated an emphasis on his joy at just warming by a fire. It wasn’t a cracking wood stove he spoke of but rather the blue flame of an old freestanding propane heater that used to be some common in southern cabins. Sometimes just coming in on a cold sunlit winter day can bring an awareness of the wonder and joy of life.
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