The Blues

Alter my consciousness indeed. What do you consider the bass line, and what do you consider to be the lead? Given the variables, I'm right where I expected to be. I stop at the little front porch on the print shop, to take off the crampons and knock the snow loose. Enough supplies, I figure, I couldn't have carried more. I finish a piece of text with what Linda emailed me was a great last line. And crashed on the sofa. The hike up the hill, in slick snow, with a full pack, had taken the vinegar out of me. I didn't even eat all the sushi. Suited right up this morning, and started preparing for two days below zero. Split some Sourwood, which is a feat, and a large block of Red Maple (which was actually just the wedge someone had cut from a very large tree they were felling. It had resisted me before, but after a year in the woodshed I could see where it wanted to split. B shows up, with his chainsaw, seems it was a little piece of ice in the high speed jets, and he's got it working again. We cut some stuff. He cuts, I carry; and the oak is wet on the outside but will dry quickly in the house (lord knows I need the moisture), and he cuts two of my stash of Osage Orange pieces in half, so that I can more easily split them. After he leaves I carry wood in from the forest, and split out night time logs. Finally my legs are give out, and my shoulders are screaming, maybe five hours of hard physical work, in the cold, on rotting snow, temps just above freezing. I actually over-heated a couple of times. Temps drop tonight, then 48 hours of zero or below. I have a pile of top-loading knots, serious firewood, that fills the woodbox and all the space over to and in front of the stove, and I'll probably miss the staff meeting on Tuesday. I'm glad I cleaned up and shaved yesterday, but I'm right back where I started, dirty, and needing to shave. I might address personal hygiene again on Wednesday. It's serious business, when the temps are below zero and you don't have a thermostat. I pull a chair up next to the stove, and pull a blanket around my shoulders; not so bad.