school closings

Hard to imagine I'm not still asleep, dreaming, when the websites for local school districts have posted "code blue" at 5:30 a.m. Outside not a drop of snow has fallen but the darkness on the horizon is obviously an approaching winter storm. Silence so dense the humming electric box is annoying, walk further into the still cold morning air and the cloud cover is so close, the sounds of distant planes replace the electric box with eerie dull rumbles. What a delight to have an entire day off, not a "2-hour delay" or "early dismissal", but a legitimate "Snow Day!" Didn't dare hope yesterday, (knowing the forecast), but followed usual routines in anticipation of another work/school day. My mental juggling game of desires sans expectation evokes a pleasurable sensation of playing with the Universe. Now I anticipate adding sunflower seeds to the bird feeders, bringing extra firewood in, then birdwatching from indoors warmed by the woodstove and witnessing the beautiful transformation of views from these farmhouse windows. A perfect reason to stop everything and watch the snow fall on trees, river and fields. Maybe deer will come close for the green grasses in the yard. Today I will dream from within this nest of outfitting my ideal cacoon, aboard my beloved sailboat...Soon Spring will arrive and she will be "splashed" back into the water once again, and Rascal & me will resume our adventures. In the meantime I will relish this day's pleasures...perhaps drive over to the marina in the snow to say "hello" to Rascal, climb aboard her and tuck into my sleeping bag for a winter's nap in her belly. (This of course is fantasy...not the part about driving over to visit Rascal but the nap will most likely occur on a futton in front of the woodstove, where I'll dream of napping aboard on a future winter day when I've installed better matresses and a delightfully petite, Dutch built pellet-burning fireplace against her bulkhead!)