The Rattled Bone House

Woke up to a scrim of snow and despite the increasing temperatures, today felt colder than yesterday. It has everything to do with the sun, which shone yesterday and surprised us with warmth in our cars and cats sprawled in the puddles of light at windows from the Greenhouse Effect. This morning, a continuous curtain of snow fell and it was quite a gorgeous farewell as the temperatures will rise the next few days. Next week, I imagine, will thaw the earth into a wilted head of lettuce. The bergs of ice alongside the roads will gather darkness, lose their crispness.

Work was non-stop today and the weekend is welcomed. I'm baptizing the weekend with a rum & coke, "The Ted Bundy Tapes" (boring), and peering at a Purple Lizard map of Rothrock State Forest in preparation for a hike Brian and I will be doing tomorrow. I'm continuing my slow read of Diane Ackerman's books of poetry. I'm reading some John McPhee, as well, learning about glaciation, diamonds, and golf courses. Beside me, Mary Hunter Austin's print-out of The Land of Little Rain sits, waiting to be read. I am awaiting Brian's arrival home so we can zone out, watch some of "The Office", and plan the minute details of our weekend: hiking, grocery shopping, watching the Super Bowl. Hopefully I will take some time on Sunday to take Silas out on a hiking excursion in the thawing snow.

My belly is full of beans again and future adventures are orbiting around my brain. This is going to be an excellent year of growth, adventure, and learning. I like having fun. I like making people laugh. I like being simple. I like learning.

The rum is talking, so I'll stop now and provide to you some excerpts from Diane Ackerman's poetry. Enjoy. Do good. Be kind. Allow for your bone-house to be rattled.

Like this planet, I'm full of useless

information, for example: Galileo,

contemplating the Earth, once muttered

under his breath, 'it moves'".

*

I'll be dragging at Earth with each cell's

tiny ache, so you must rattle my bone-house

until the spirit breaks.

*

I think how land forms: massive, bulky,

into solid plateaux and great brawny sierras,

and am startled what touch-and-go creatures

we are on this minor planet of a humdrum star.

-Diane Ackerman