Keeping the Home Fires Burning

I have not written for 9 days because except for a day of skiing on powder over rocks, all my energies have gone into trying to keep the house and me warm. I am tired of being cold and damp. I did not want to whine, so did not write. Except for the wood stove and a small heater under my desk, we have not had heat since the week before Thanksgiving. The weather has been in the 30's with bone chilling fog. Beyond the fire's semi-circle of warmth, the fog's dampness has penetrated the interior of the house. Last night it warmed up to 36 and sleeted. This morning when I went out to get more wood, the patio and grass were coated in a layer of ice. One hard-won load of fire wood will have to hold until the ice melts.

The wood under the rockhouse eve was double stacked and meant to last he winter.Only Willy and Koyuk ventured out to help me get wood.I guess it is just getting old that is wearing on me. I spent almost 10 years living all seasons mostly out-of-doors the Oregon and Canadian wildernesses. I celebrated my abilities to live with the challenges and inconveniences the weather brought.

Whining over - when the ice melts off the rig, I'll take the dogs on a run. The exercise will do all of us good. For they too have been huddled, mostly on top of me, for hours on end.