FROST BITE NITE

I awoke to a frosty dawn and skated across the icy lawn but the sky is clear and promises a sunny day. I left my wet laundry on the line all night but today it will dry. I pulled up a lot of deceased garden vines and stalks and filled the compost bins. Always so much to do and the work is never quite done. But it is a lovely day to be out in the yard and under the heaven blue sky. Butch and David arrived to measure the window space from inside and outside. They say I will have a 3-pane affair. The middle pane will be stationery and the outside panes will slide to open and close. It sounds splendid.

TEA TIMES

When Justice came to see if I had an after-school snack for him he saw the ladder in the house and shuddered. He said, "If you have something for me to do let me know. You shouldn't be climbing that ladder. What if you fell?" I saw his point and appreciated his concern but replied, "I was making my house ready for a joyful winter journey by hanging pictures of family and friends. This is so personal that I must do it for myself." He saw my point, too. I heated up a bowl of soup and made us each a cup of hot tea. He exclaimed, "This is a new brand... and very good!" He was right. I had purchased an obscure/cheap brand of English breakfast tea and found it quite delicious. We each enjoyed a second cup of the fine penurious brew. Soon Annie arrived with Wallis and we all went to look at the Deer River duplex Wallis will be renting in November. It will be a challenge for her to get to the support services in Grand Rapids but housing in that town seems to be reserved for pipeline workers. When Annie returned Wallis to GR Geezis decided to ride home with me. We stopped at the post office to pick up my mail. We have an agreement that she opens my first-class mail and reads the messages to me as I drive us home. The letter was from Jim Vickery but she didn't read it because he had returned my magic glasses. She put them on and was amazed to find the world transformed. They cast such a splendid spell upon her that she could not read the letter. Today has been very cold and the garden has perished.

WINDOW CHALLENGED

It's been cold, wet and dreary. I am not looking forward to winter in a house without a window. I have a couple of options to explore. I could purchase a sheet of plexiglas and put that up or simply stuff the hole with rigid foam left over from insulation project. That would put me in the dark and require more energy to light the place. Or I could go back to candlepower. Weather has prevented me from yard work so I decided to watch an instant play netflix movie. I selected "A Room With a View" and enjoyed it greatly now I must read the book, Forester.

CAMP SMOKE

Charles came to hunt ducks and camp with Tom and his family. So we all met out at Pidgeon River Dam on Sat and Sun. It was a joy to see all the kids having so much fun. The hunters got a few ducks and we got plenty of camp fire smoke, too. Lila and I talked about going to Europe in March. It might be a lot of talk or it could turn into a real plan. As we sat in a camp circle eating our burgers and beans a great gaggle of geese flew over. They were quite high but their voices carried to us below. Of course, I thought of that old verse: "Something told the wild geese it was time to go. Although the fields lay golden, something whispered 'Snow'."

FRIDAY WITH CEDAR

On thursday I had seen a bug that looked exactly like a walking leaf. It was on the raspberry bushes in front of the house. When Cedar got home we picked some cherry tomatoes. Then we went to the Foss to sit down and have a mini-picnic. Then as we were watering the potted plants I found another walking leaf. So she got to see it, too. After a short time Annie arrived and we showed it to her. She was amazed at the beauty of the bug. Friday is the day I spend with Cedar as she has no school that day. We worked on my list of things to do. Then we went to GR to the bank, library and Arby's for lunch. We had a terrific time. When I got back to DR Justice said that I'd had a call from Wallis. She needed help to cash a check so I returned to GR. I would take her to my bank. She gave me $20 for helping her out. There are new phone lines coming down our road and I think I can get one to the house so I could have a phone and get back on line. Then I can write to anyone anytime!

FARM BY THE LAKE

I left for Bagley yesterday and returned minutes ago. It was a beautiful day to leave and it's beautiful today as well. I was a guest at the Farm by the Lake family retreat center. The farm is a gift from Richard C Davids, naturalist, author, editor and teacher. My lodge for the night was a log cabin with room for 8 so I kept bumping into myself. When I got to the cabin I saw a note on the door, "NELL". But the caretaker had given me specific directions so I knew I had arrived but I thought Nell would be pretty surprised to find me in her cabin. Nevertheless, I made myself at home. The next day I would discover that Nell is the Northern Exposure Life-long Learners. I selected the single bed under the large upstairs window so I could see the stars. There is a 1 mile+ hiking trail but I was too tired to walk it. In the morning the lake was crowded with fog dancers, the birds were swimming through the sky and a fine looking deer was waiting at the entrance/exit. We exchanged greetings and he walked calmly into the trees. I went to the Grace Lutheran Church where I would be speaking to NELL. What a delightful group of learners! I felt we'd been friends for years.

FIRE DREAM

In the dream I had arrived at my home which had been hopelessly damaged by fire. The house was located on a street corner, there was a fair amount of traffic and passers-by. A police man said I could go inside to look for anything I wanted to keep but not to go to the second floor as it was not safe. I asked him how this had happened and he said there would be an arson investigation as two witnesses had seen Buck driving off in his pickup just before the fire. (I don't know anyone named Buck and the neighborhood did not look familiar. Nor did I know the cop.) I entered the charred ruins and saw there was nothing left but piles of ashes. I said, "I had so little and now I have less." My heart was crushing in my chest but I rejected the grief. I told myself, "I will not be held in emotional bondage by a pile of ashes." Through the walls I saw a man hurrying toward the house. He was a small man with a short salt/pepper beard and spectacles. He wore a black Scottish cap, beige jacket, white shirt, navy blue pants and carried a loaf of bread under his left arm. He came into the house, embraced me and put the bread in my hands. Then he quickly left. I thought, "He must be one of Jesus' friends." (I think he was doubtful Thomas.) As I stood surveying the ruins of my life Annie entered with Cedar and Geezis. They gathered close around me. Then Annie climbed the stairs. "Look!" she called. So we all climbed up behind her. Although I could see through the great holes in the floor it did not collapse under us. I could see through the roof, too. The house was no longer on a busy street corner but out in the forest surrounded by beautiful trees. I looked above me and saw about 30 baskets hanging from the rafters. They were a bit charred but still intact. When I opened my eyes I was at Ann's. "This is not my house," I told myself. I wondered about those baskets. Did they contain all that I need for the rest of my journey or would I find them empty. Empty... but ready to be filled with what was vital to complete my life. It was too early to get up so I went back to sleep. Immediately I was in another dream. I could feel something in my left hand so I opened my clenched fist and found an assortment of tools. They were very small but I thought they would be quite useful so I wanted to keep them. I saw a very shiny article among them and examined it closely. It was the eye of a needle. No needle just the eye. It fell fom my fingers to the board floor and rolled into a deep crack. I tried to get it out but none of my tools fit into the crack so I began looking around the room. I discovered I was in the back porch of Mom's old house on Tract 33, Cass Lake. The house is torn down and no more than landfill now. But in the dream it was as it had been when I was in high school. I knew it was a dream and I tried to stay asleep so I could go inside and talk with Mom. But suddenly I was wide awake and feeling quite alone. But I heard someone moving about in the kitchen and got up to find Ann and Kitty ready for breakfast. Soon Dar arrived and the quartet was complete. I said, "The delegates are all here so we will begin the conference to resolve troubles all around the globe."