victory where one finds it

Still snowing and another day off from school.

this day, uncrossed

Oh joy.  Oh bliss.  A true-blue snow day. 

(It's not really yellow snow; it's the light as I tried to catch the millions of pre-dawn sparkles.)  And although it is not Friday, here is the perfect snowy poem for you.

"Let other mornings honor the miraculous.

Eternity has festivals enough.

This is the feast of our mortality,

The most mundane and human holiday.

On other days we misinterpret time,

Pretending that we live the present moment.

But can this blur, this smudgy in-between,

This tiny fissure where the future drips

Into the past, this flyspeck we call now

Be our true habitat? The present is

The leaky palm of water that we skim

From the swift, silent river slipping by.

The new year always brings us what we want

Simply by bringing us along—to see

A calendar with every day uncrossed,

A field of snow without a single footprint.

"New Year's" by Dana Gioia, from Interrogations at Noon. © Graywolf Press, 2001.

the wonder of winter

 I love snow.  I relish the silence that comes with snowfall.  Waking to the ethereal lightness of snowfall is a delight. 

 The photos never do it justice; it's magic.  Enchanting.  And I hope, for once, the weather matches the frenzied news reports.  At least on a school day!

 A little Mary Oliver to stay in shape for her upcoming conference...

 

Over the local stations, one by one,
Announcers list disasters like dark poems
That always happen in the skull of winter.
But once again the storm has passed us by:
Lovely and moderate, the snow lies down

from Beyond the Snow Belt

scenes from the week

 Love this shot of Blanca, using two laptops to complete her presentation prep.

Some of the costumes for I Feel Pretty from West Side Story.

Costumes for Autumn in New York

And my city never fails in delivering pennies found on the sidewalks.  SO lovely to be back in civilization again; went to the Aveda school in Seattle to get my hairs cut.  Country living is very isolating and car dependent.  I am so looking forward to living in the middle of town again.

oy vay

 

Don't remember the last time I was this thrilled to see a break in my work hours/days.  It's been a less than pleasant week/term, but I consider it a confirmation that I need to absolutely trust my instincts.   I sensed back in November that this particular class was not a good idea, but I allowed my financial situation to make the decision for me. 

And I deeply regret it.

Ah well.  One more week and my regular classes will begin and a move into my own space downtown. 

odd knocks

Chinese Foot Chart

From The Niagara River by Kay Ryan

Every part of us
alerts another part.

Press a spot in

the tender arch and
feel the scalp 
twitch.
We are no 
match for
ourselves 
but our own release.

Each touch 
uncatches
some 
remote lock.
Look,
boats of mercy

embark from 
our heart
at the 
oddest knock.

whether the weather

I won't say that it rains that much here; but today, I had to dust off my sunglasses to drive.