Cold, Cold, Go Away!

I 've been housebound with a cold the past two days. Today we're having another winter storm with gusting winds, so it's not too bad keeping warm by the fire. Bob went out early to ski with friends. The wind chill is registering at minus 10, so I'm sure he'll be ready for a bowl of steaming soup when he gets home.

How do the birds manage to survive in this cold? I try to keep the feeders full in the winter and have many daily visitors. This morning, I went out in my heavy coat over pj's, lugging the bird seed to the lodgepole because I took pity on my feathered friends. Half way there, I fell through the snow to my upper thigh and got snow down my boots. I wasn't wearing gloves because it's impossible to manipulate the suet feeder unless I'm bare-handed. I could just picture the headlines, "Crazy woman in pj's found frozen solid by bird feeder."

Just as I was beginning to write this, I saw movement in the back yard. The large male red fox was passing through. He seemed skittish, looking back frequently over his shoulder. He didn't hesitate, moving quickly through my yard to the forest beyond. Then, just a minute ago, I glanced outside again and there were two foxes, the male following a smaller female back into the yard. By the time I reached for my camera, they were gone. I don't think either of these is the small "tamer" fox who seems unafraid to approach me when I'm outside.

I wonder if they are being more watchful because there is a coyote also patrolling the property as part of his hunting range? On Sunday, we saw coyote tracks crisscrossing one of our ski trails. Whoops - a third fox has just followed the path through the snow made by the other two. It's like Grand Central Fox here today!

A postscript to my last blog about one good thing: If your one good thing involves another person, share with them. One good thing shared just compounds the positive!

One Good Thing

We're having a winter storm in Breckenridge; it's been snowing for over 24 hours. I skied yesterday with Susie in untracked powder but low visibility. Today, I took a solitary cross country ski on the back trails. I did happen to meet "Paul Bunyan" coming down the Burro Trail while I was climbing a side trail nearby. We talked through the trees a few minutes. He was a burly man with a black beard wearing a green flannel shirt, bright red scarf, and old-time ski knickers. He had a large pack on his back, so I asked if he was coming from an overnight at Francies Cabin which is part of the Summit Hut system. He said he was just on a snowshoe walk, carrying a lot of photographic equipment along. I would have loved to take his picture but really didn't trust to get closer in case he also had an axe in his pack...

Since the start of the New Year, I've been thinking a lot about some advise given to me when I was a very young woman. I was working at my first job as a social worker after graduating from college. For some reason, after a few months of training, I was chosen to carry a state experimental caseload of unwed mothers. I cannot imagine why they chose such an obviously inexperienced person, an English major with a minor in Psychology, not to mention a newlywed with no real knowledge of sex, let alone small children. Bureaucracy sometimes works in mysterious ways. Before I began "counseling" the women assigned to my caseload, I was called into the elderly Director's office for a talk. Basically, Mr. H talked and I listened. He told me about the "one good thing." What he said has helped shape the rest of my life.

Mr. H said he realized that I was very young and hadn't been exposed to some of the issues I'd soon encounter. He advised me to always set my mind to find the one good thing about a situation. No matter how hopeless and discouraging a life seems, there will be one good thing. That advise to be alert for the one good thing stuck with me. I saw that it was a very positive approach to life. I tried to teach it by example to my children. Now I'm as old as the elderly Mr. H. I have grandchildren to whom I've started talking about "one good thing." And now I've passed Mr. H's advise on to you: If you start every day looking for the one good thing, often you end the day realizing that there were many good things. If so, feel blessed and be happy.

The birds are in a frenzy at the feeders. There are flocks of Chickadees and White-breasted Nuthatches. I try to count them when they ground feed, but they rise and drop like choreographed fan dancers. The Nuthatches hop headfirst down the trunk of the tree. A female Hairy Woodpecker alternates between pecking at the tree trunk and keeping an eye out for the Steller's Jays who are causing their usual disturbance.

It's one of my lucky days - I'll have more than one good thing to remember by nightfall.

Silence

Breckenridge is hectic with visitors this Martin Luther King Weekend. We brought Amanda and Ben to Breckenridge last Thursday after Kindergarten so they could ski with us on Friday. We made Peppermint Ice Cream on Thursday evening. We've been making this ice cream a few times a year since our own children were small. It's easy to make and yummy to eat, especially with homemade fudge sauce. Our Grandchildren know the drill and help by unwrapping the peppermints, chopping them, and mixing the batter. Of course, they also like the job of licking the paddles when the ice cream is ready!

Jim, Michelle, and Jack arrived Friday evening for a weekend of skiing. All the children are progressing on the slopes. At four, Jack still needs tethers, but Amanda and Ben can ski on their own with just a helping hand now and then. In fact, Ben skied through the woods from our house to the mountain with Pop Pop Saturday and Sunday. Bob took him all over Peaks 8 and 9. Ben likes to ride the lift up high and doesn't seem a bit afraid of steepness. Back home, the children play in the snow until dusk, so we have some tired bodies (adults included) by bedtime. When the family left yesterday afternoon, the house seemed unnaturally quiet.

From the desk in the loft, I can see the birds at the feeder. The Steller's Jay is causing his usual disturbance by flinging seeds until he gets just the one he wants. The Pine Grosbeaks have finally come - I was wondering where they were this winter. The male's red head and chest are brilliant against the snow as he forages the fallen seeds, vacuuming the mess the Jays make.

A squirrel has started visiting Waldo, climbing up the lodgepole to peer into his eyes. It looks as though they're communicating something important about the day. Waldo always greet him with a big smile.

Today in our little corner of Paradise, Peace and Quiet reign! The sky is blue and the sun is turning the icicles to crystal. The forest is patterned by sunlight and shadow. Bob left early for a few ski runs before the mountain gets busy. When he returns, we'll cross country ski up our back trail with Rick and Chaco.

Rocky Mountain High

What a beautiful, blue-sky day we're having in Breckenridge! Three of our Grandchildren plus their Daddy arrived last evening and are now on the ski hill with Pop Pop. Getting two five year olds and a four year old in their ski gear brings back memories of years past when we had four little ones to get organized. This season, our Grand-twins can get themselves dressed, snowpants pulled up, jackets zipped, and helmets + goggles on their heads. That's a big improvement over last year - they're getting to be "big kids."

Yesterday, I downhill skied for the first time this winter. It's a late start for me since we spent the Holidays in Denver. However, what a great day it was - powder everywhere and not bitter cold. We pretty much made fresh tracks all over the mountain, including Chair 6 and the T-Bar to the higher terrain. I found myself whooping and hollering several times, skiing alone through the silky untracked snow. Though I've been skiing for 37 years, the sense of freedom and elation from gliding down a trail with the mountains rising all around is still a big thrill. Luckily, some experiences never grow old.

The birds are busy these days at the feeder. I have Gray Jays visiting periodically. They look like pudgy old men in gray overcoats. They're heavy and manage to swing the feeder when they land. Then, they fly to the ground and eat the fallen seed. Both the Steller's Jay and Gray Jay are bullies, so while they feed, the smaller birds hang out on the upper branches waiting patiently for their turn.

My Grandchildren are very interested in Waldo, especially now that he's keeping warm by wearing a red wool scarf. Like their Grammy, they check him in the morning to make sure he's still smiling. He always is! I hope you are, too.

Going Public

I've decided to change to an open blog format rather than use "invitation only." People have been contacting me from my guest list, telling me they're having some difficulty either accessing or replying to the blog. Hopefully, an open blog will be more user-friendly. I'll continue to moderate comments privately. Let me hear from you, so I can judge whether this new format is working.

Bad Girl

Happy 2009!

I have my PA Dutch New Year's Day dinner in the crock pot. Bob says you can take a girl out of PA, but you can't take the PA Dutch out of the girl. Our whole house smells of sauerkraut. I continue the only tradition my mother passed on to me : It is necessary to eat pork and sauerkraut on New Years Day to have Good Luck the rest of the year.

On my run this morning, only a few people were in the park. I practiced my "stranger smile" and got smiles and Happy New Year greetings in return. It was a nice way to start 2009.

I've never made a New Year's Resolution. Resolutions seem so unyielding and therefore, too hard to keep. However, I've been thinking for some time that I might like being a Bad Girl. I've spent 64+ productive years as a Good Girl. It seems that before it's too late, I should have a go at Bad Girl. While I don't think it's necessarily true that blondes have more fun, I'm pretty sure that Bad Girls do. A Bad Girl has a certain aura that commands respect. A Bad Girl is never too compliant for her own good. A Bad Girl dispenses with niceties when necessary. She might even let loose with a few cuss words if the situation warrants. (Never, of course, in front of small children.) Writing this, I'm realizing that most of my really good friends are already Bad Girls. I think I need to join this Bad Girl loop.

Yes, I've definitely decided it's good for me to to be bad.

Bad Girl - that's my new mantra!