Not Signed-On

The path is obvious if you look closely. One spring in Colorado there was rain and the desert erupted in flowers. The mesa behind the house, the beginning of the Uncompahgre plateau, was right out the back door, and I could achieve the top following deer trails. I have to laugh, remembering myself then. Somewhat more stupid than I am now, but I still follow game trails, just to see where they lead. The desert in flower is an amazing sight. Twice, that I remember vividly, once in western Colorado and once in Utah, I was completely overwhelmed. I got to town, though I had to overcome enormous inertia to leave the house, and I'm glad I did because the remainder bins at Kroger were full. I actually bought an apple pie because it was so lovely and cheap. I love apple pie for breakfast. Also some sausages, some potato salad, and a few more of the breakfast burritos that my daughter said were fine. On the way home I stopped at B's for a cup of coffee and conversation, he made an argument that I should just stay on the ridge, improve the driveway, upgrade the water system, hire help when needed. It's a solid argument, because I don't want to move, the ridge is sublime, all the aspects of nature. Down along the river there's a definite blush of green. Still, it's cold in the house when I get home, so I build a fire and use the electric lap-robe. JC had send a review of a new book on cannibalism that I want to read and B passed along London Reviews, plus loaned me about 150 pages of Stephen Ellis's work. Stephen is one of the finest writers in the language. Loose pages, with cover and back boards and a big paper-clamp holding them together. I read a fair number of manuscripts, my own included, and I use a shallow cardboard box that holds two piles, but I have to have my kit around me, some snacks, maybe a nip bottle of whiskey, fill the tobacco pouch and check the papers, stoke the fire, then I can get down to business. Sometimes I kill the breaker on the fridge and unplug the phone. Tonight, down in the teens, no wind, it's extremely quiet. The house is buttoned-up. I read Stephen for several hours.