Irrational Happiness

A term used in the local paper to describe a love of this cold gray winter day, describes pretty well the way we too feel about the winter. There's a certain gray I love, the kind that seems to hold snow in the sky, though it's not so thick you cannot see through it. Some days, especially when it starts to warm up, are pretty depressing, as the whiteness turns to gray or black, depending on how much sand was used on the roads. Then, the term might better be 'bring on the summer,' though we don't really mean it, as we continue to hope for another dusting of snow if not a full fledged storm. Today, we went off to Dobbs Woods, about 15 minutes from here, a Chautauqua Conservancy Preserve that has a lovely loop through mostly pine woods and maple. When its snowed, as it did last night, it's like walking or snow shoeing through a cathedral, as the pine branches, heavy with snow, often hang over the path, giving you a good dusting, often down your back, if you are not careful. Today was perfect, a slight path to lead the way, a couple inches of new snow, marred only by animal tracks, mostly deer, but probably some coyotes, squirrels, rabbits and fox although I am not sure. We did not see a soul, nor an animal. It was quiet like most cathedrals in Europe, empty too, though we could occasionally hear a car on the Nye Hill Road. We talked little, just enjoying the going, the cold, the quiet, the solitude, and the beauty of the landscape. Momentarily, I though we might have sun but was fooled, just another color of gray, the winter sky most of the time in the Chautauqua area. We came back to Evie's vegetable soup, sandwiches made from left over pizza dough. I spent most of the day organizing slides and sipping Turkish tea. It's nice to be able to work in my upstairs den, listen to Sirius on my computer or POD and do something useful. I am still have trouble sitting down and reading for any great amount of time, as I am not yet used to this life of leisure, of not having to do anything. Setting aside an hour each morning and afternoon for a walk, cross country ski, or snow shoe trims my day and in between, I try to get something done of significance. Lunch is always as 1:00, so I can watch The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert; invariably, I fall asleep for about ten minutes in the middle of Colbert, wake up in time to catch the guest. It's almost like clockwork. It's about 4:00 and we want to get some cross country skiing in before we settle down for drinks at 6:00, a nice time to anticipate. The sky has lost its gray brightness, as it's already beginning to darken a bit, either from the sun setting or the clouds. I really enjoy going out on the lake late, just before dusk, as its a very different sort of place, with a slight glow from the West, lighting up the snow and ice, either with a warm orange if its bright or just a luminous white if it isn't.