We’ve had so little snow this winter in Vermont that this morning’s deep snowfall comes almost as a kind of surprise. The day before, a cold rain fell all morning. As I bent into work, I kept glancing through the windows, glad of the indoor work that morning.
This snow is the classic, pillowy powder of the most magical childhood memories. Sure, spring is far in the offing on a day like this, but the billows and mounds embody winter’s profound silent beauty.
A decade ago in my life, this kind of storm would have whooshed in with a number of worries — will the sugarhouse collapse before the roof is raked? How long can I endure cooped-upness with small children? Will our firewood hold out? These days, my worries are different, as my life is in another place. But I’ve changed, too. We’ll do what needs to be done. What doesn’t get done, perhaps doesn’t need to be done. And some sun is in the forecast for this weekend, too.
[The 1800s opium epidemic in China] was once widely interpreted as a story of a once noble society destroyed by a powerful drug, but more recent scholarship has argued that this simplistic explanation overlooks the turmoil, poverty, and widespread dislocation caused by the wars themselves which in turn exacerbated the epidemic.
Carl Erick Fisher, The Urge
Stony Soil Vermont 
Powerful quote Brett Ann!
Enjoy the snow! So far, we’ve only got a few inches of mushy stuff but it is supposed to turn to snow soon.
Looks like Vermont is finally getting a true snowfall this winter!
Give me snow over ice any day!
What doesn’t get done might not need to be done…I’m going to keep repeating that for the next while!! With 10 foster animals in the house, some of them ill, and a full plate as well, that line is going to be my mantra!
Kudos to you for some big-time animal fostering!
It’s lovely that those worries are less, isn’t it? I feel similarly. And that book is on my list. Reading two beauties right now that I am relishing and will be sad to finish. At night before sleep – Where You Come From by Sasa Stanisic I’m finding a real stunner. So many layers to it yet it flows so well it’s a pleasure to read. And in the morning, The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton by Sophfronia Scott. I think you might like them both too. Keep cozy up there!
How nice to get book recs! I haven’t read either of these, although I’m a great fan of Thomas Merton. The Urge is definitely worth a read. Stay cozy, too!
The quote is really interesting!
It’s a terrific book!