More snow than Chamonix!
That is the headline for ACL Winter ‘08. Thus far, Apple Canyon has had five 6+ inch snowfalls since December ‘07; and three 8+ inch snowfalls. Plenty of 2-4 inch snowfalls in between, too. This is how winter should be.
I love it, dudes & dudettes!!!
It’s only February something-or-other, so now buddy Frank decides to finally come out the ACL. Snow’s been on the ground for nearly three months, it’s quite and peaceful, and he lives only 2 1/2 hours away, so he was quick about getting out for a visit. Not that I want to make him feel guilty for dissing me all these months, but what are freinds for if not to make you feel good about yourself.
V-Head brought out his little snowmobile, aptly named Little Red for its scarlet bonnet. It’s an ancient Yamaha nubby-track, so when you’re riding in any kind of snow depth, you have to keep the fucker gassed to avoid getting stuck in the snow. This thing gets stuck on a trail somewheres out here, that’s where you’ll find it till spring rolls around.
It’s a bright sunny day today, a piping 2 degrees … but supposed to warm up to near freezing. The forecast is for major snow tomorrow afternoon, so we’s gots ta git the funs in wore it’n lassed. (Do you like my trailer-trash talk?) I’m working off a bit of a hangover, but there’s remedies for that affliction just behind this post.
I want to give V-Head … and Jimbo, who’s on his way out now … a taste of the small town pub scene, so I’m taking them to Pop-a-Tops at lunchtime for a Thumb Burger, beer fries, and $1.50 beers. Can’t beat that with a two-foot stick.
(more photos are to come!!)
In the winter, people want color. It’s the snow that does this to us. As beautiful as the white blankets are, resembling clouds, marshmallow cream, cappuccino froth, or someone’s idea of Heaven, this beauty is daunting after a while. This is especially so when the sun comes out – the blinding reflection of bright white-as-white-can-be.
Color combats this suddenly felt disorientation of whitewhitewhite. Today, I picked up an African Violet that grows in a small gold-painted pot, I put in against the window, and a joyous feeling crept into me when those pail violet petals burst through the snowy background. There is no wonder, my oft-historical mind thinks, that poetry grew from such beauty, contrasts of nature, metaphor for life and all it gives.
Poetry is replete with images that burst into a fertile mind – hell, even the television-addled mind – where they make emotion come to life because what comes from the page is what we all feel at some time in our lives. If you’re lucky, you get to feel every emotion on a weekly basis.
Sounds like the title of a porn flick, huh? She should be so lucky!
Alas, it’s title to the middle of this blizzard under which I sit up in the cozy Apple Canyon chalet. I awoke to the bristling sounds of wind pushing the house left and right. I peeked out the window blinds, but my myopia didn’t let me see further than the storm window and a bundle of what could be trees away from the property.
I got up, shuffled to the slider at the porch—this time my glasses stuck atop my nose—and pulled back the drapes. All I could think of was, “I wish I was a little kid, cuz then rotten school would be closed but mom & dad would be at work so I can go sledding and have a snowball fight and jump off the garage roof into a snowdrift and … shit! … maybe even die!!!!!! (or at least break my leg but that would suck cuz then I couldn’t go skiing i want to ski i want to ski iwanttoski).
So anyway, I put my contacts in, donned winter gear, complete with ski goggles and warm gloves with the little wrist thingies so I could take photos without losing my gloves in the snow … and I took a long walk-hike-trudge through the snow. I guess I could have used the XC skis, but the snow is 2-feet deep in the drifts and, as fun as that would be, funner is the effort it takes to yank my leg out of the snow from knee-deep depths. Think of Walter Payton high-stepping into the end-zone. Yeah, that would be me, more or less. Now snow shoes would be ideal…great for a good, long hike in these blizzard conditions.
The best thing about walking around in a blizzard in ACL? I know where I’m going even in white-out conditions, so likely won’t die. See, if I had died, I wouldn’t be writing these words. So save the lectures.
The white stuff is coming down steadily hard. It’s 11 a.m., and forecasts predict it will continue like this till around 3 p.m. At about 1 inch per hour (that’s 2.5 cm for all my euro-metric friends), I’m looking at another 4 inches to fill in my sledding tracks and cover the bit that I shoveled just for kicks and to give y’all perspective (do you like how I easily drop into southern-speak? Yeah, I thought you would).
BTW… yesterday I finished writing a complete draft of my novel. I’m happy.
Now if only the wine and liquor hold out — and food — till I can get to the store on Friday.
