Mercy

Another brutal day but I had to get to the museum, touch base with D, and a meeting with several board members and a couple of construction guys to see what we might do about the rather serious roof drainage problems. Before I left home I brought in arm-loads of split wood, split some more, and split pine starter sticks. Roads not bad except for Mackletree through the State Forest, but that section of road is so lovely, even after the big spring fire, that I don't mind driving at 5 mph. A congregation of turkeys, more than 40, working the mast, and I stopped to watch them. I could have killed one with a slingshot out the truck window. When they're aggressively feeding they sound like a young war. Another snowfall (it's never really stopped completely) forecast for tonight, so I brought home another large pack of supplies. Probably can't get to work tomorrow, so plan to make a soup of some kind, start rereading Lopez, "Arctic Dreams", and the usual, melt snow, chop wood. My system last night was perfect, for the weather, went to bed early, got up at 2 and stoked the fire, cranked up the computer, answered a few emails, had a scant drink and a couple of smokes, maybe wrote a line or three, there might be a really short post, don't remember whether I sent it or not, or if it's in Mail Waiting To Be Sent, a file I love, or maybe I just love the phrase. When I think about doing a book of postings, that's always the working title in my head. Coming home there was another flock of turkeys in the remains of cornfield, just before the turn-off onto Mackletree. Sleek, glossy black against the snow. If I make the squash soup, I'll have to use evaporated milk, but I've been wanting to try that. We canned goat's milk, in Missip (essentially the same process) and it made a superior custard. I brought home an avocado, so not local of me, but I needed a treat, and better it should be an avocado from Mexico than a piece of candy. Soon as I had a fire rekindled, I ate both halves, with lime juice in the hole. Small pleasures. I don't cut myself much slack, but about once a month I am going to eat an avocado. Maybe twice a year I eat a good bar of chocolate. I love Key Lime pie and I might make as many as 4 a year. I don't have a sweet tooth. For reasons I can't explain I put a scant teaspoon of sugar in my first cup of coffee in the morning, none, after that. I make 5 large biscuits and sausage gravy for 2 of them, have a third with butter and wonderful berry jam. I'll toast the other 2 tomorrow. This weather isn't so bad. Once, in Telluride, it didn't get above zero for several weeks. That was tough, this is merely inconvenient. We have a show to pack.