The Middle Ages in Europe, beginning with the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire and followed by the invasion of the barbarians, are generally divided into three periods: Early, High and Late. My Middle Ages are progressing in reverse, beginning with the departure of the barbarians, when the kids left the nest, and instead of […]
January in Vermont
It’s January in Vermont. My retired neighbors have driven south for the discomforts of perpetual summer, while my more affluent contemporaries are packing for their Caribbean vacations. I’ll miss their companionship, but I won’t miss their complaints, and if they really hate winter, they might as well leave. I’m staying home. I love the winter […]
My Year of the Dog
2014 was my year of the dog. We’d lost Bonnie, our canine companion, in August of 2013, and adopted Leo in January of 2014. During the five months we were without a dog, we also lost our bees to a bear, our flock to a fox, and our garden to deer. We needed a dog. […]
Morning Chores
Before I can make the hundred-foot dash from my back door to my desk, I perform morning chores. These chores follow breakfast, which comes after an hour of writing by hand before dawn. In winter, my first task is to heat my studio, a jewel-box of a room with six windows and no internet. Even […]
The Fleeting Moment of Ice
In a typical Vermont winter, there’s a fleeting moment of good ice, for skating. Yesterday was it. Good ice depends on cold weather and no snow. Good skating years occur when winter snaps the water shut. Last year, winter arrived in late January with wonderful, deep, snow that made for fantastic snow shoeing in the […]