January

Last day of January. Pickup trucks full of sugar making equipment seen on the roads. Was talking with Nathan who taps the trees on our place, and he said they might be tapping pretty soon. That was back when the weather was unseasonably warm. It's supposed to get colder.

tree

Saw a car the other day with a Christmas tree on top. They must have been heading to some kind of designated drop off. I would have laughed at them except we still had our tree up in the living room. Finally took it down the other day. Pine needles scattered everywhere as I carted it to the burn pile. It was really a beautiful  tree, however. Got it at a spot in Castletown for $20. Allyn told her friends about it at bone builders, and they were a little upset. They had gotten their trees at the same place but paid $35.
I told Allyn there was a section at the lot with discounted trees. Sometimes on the weekends, I look a little scruffier than usual. I drove in there that Saturday in my old Dodge Ram pickup truck which looks considerably worse that I do even on my worst days. The salesman had immediately taken me to the discount area. Maybe he didn't think I would be able to pony up $35. Those old trucks are great!

wild and crazy

Sights and sounds of winter. Sound of the snow plow in the morning. Sound of scraping ice off the windshield. Pileated woodpecker flying across the back field in their own devil-may-care manner. Speaking of sounds, they have a wild and crazy call. Speaking of wild and crazy, have a happy birthday, Shawner!

open

Woke up to snow in the front yard. Recently we have had warm temperatures and an open winter. Squirrels running around in the open. Open water on Wood's Pond in Brandon. Dog sticking his head out of an open car window in Center Rutland. Gradually temperatures are supposed to cool off.

snow day

Woke up to a phone call indicating that Allyn's school its closed today. I work at the VAC, and it turns out they're also closed so we both have a snow day. It's not exactly a snow day, more like an ice, sleet, freezing rain day. Technically I'm retired, but life circumstances usually have me heading somewhere, doing something, so this is a welcome event.

sisters

I went to the winter's farmers market in Rutland on Saturday. I was kind of footloose and fancy free because Allyn and her sisters, and about a half million other women were raising hell in Washington over the weekend. About a third of the stalls that are usually open were closed. I talked with the woman from whom I bought a leek and some cabbage. I said it seemed a little quiet in there today. She said that many people were either in Washington or Montpelier protesting. I love this place. 

dawn

Three mornings a week I head out to a meditation in Rutland. I'll be leaving in about 10 minutes. It usually starts a little after 7:00. It wasn't long ago that the sitting started out in complete darkness. Now it is light when we start.
Yesterday afternoon Allyn drove to Albany to meet up with one of her sisters. Today they are driving to Washington for tomorrow's march. All four sisters are meeting up there. Hope all goes well.

Rise free from care before the dawn and seek adventures. Let the noon find thee by other lakes, and night overtake thee, everywhere at home.

Walden
Henry David Thoreau