Thursday, January 13, 2005

The thermometer must be broken. The temperature never climbed above 19F today, and now it's falling fast. I split a week's worth of juniper and pine this afternoon, and my brother and I hauled it all inside. My inventory of the fuel remaining under the rotten tarp in the little courtyard discouraged me a little. We may get to March; plenty of time to track down a firewood vendor with some pricey leftovers to spare me. I never knew I was such a moon-loony until the past few months, or maybe I just became one. All today's sunlight, and here just glimpsing that sliver of yellow moon hovering above the junipers on the western ridge, frozen in its track behind the just-extinguished sun, thawed my heart and spirit and brought on tears of recognition. Oh familiar face! beloved! even in such slender silhouette--how I've missed you! Maybe this time the thaw will last. East of the house, from the blue shadows near the pond, a group of deer--two does and some half-grown young ones--advances warily toward the llamas' hay scraps in the pasture. Each pauses, stock-still, before leaping easily, silently over the barbed wire to eat. 5:52:56 PM    comment []

Got down to 12 below zero here last night. It's +20F at the moment (nearly 11 a.m.). [Wow. I guess I was mistaken. It's 11:48 a.m., and it's just now +15 degrees F.] Here's my brief walkabout. Frozen creek: Chilly llamas: Back of the house: 10:53:20 AM    comment []