It's only shiny and pretty when you're warm.

It started to snow last night, just as I got home. I love snow and if it's gonna be cold and wintry outside, I think we should get snow just to cheer us up and make going outside fun and shiny.

An' it IS cold. Cold cold coldcoldcold. Brrrr "where are my mittens?" cold. Too cold to camp outside in a canvas tent dressed as a colonial camp follower. Since I am pretty tough, it has to be  COLD for me to say that.

You see, I reenact the American Revolution all year long in PA and the surrounding states from early March until Christmas day when Washington crosses the Delaware River.  If at all possible I sleep in a canvas wedge tent and weather is NO object. I'm a little bit tough that way. Rain, I'm in. Cold, hand me that straw and I'll burrow right under it. Snow... snow is like the prize at the bottom of the box! If I have to be cold when I climb out of my straw and get back into my petticoats and stays and cap I delight in seeing snow outside my tent flap! Then I go and break the ice on top of the water in our wash pans and put the pail on to boil over our open fire.  But I digress...

At home, I'm a little bit like that too with the snow. De-lighted. I looked out the window 19 times last night before bed to see if it was sticking- YES! It's been 50 degrees for weeks out there, finally we have a cold front and the snow is staying! (I am alone in my snow glee, sadly. Bearded Bob does not share my joy. We will hear SO much more about the differences in our approach to nature in the future, I promise you. For now I will illustrate our difference this way:  As we sat and enjoyed doggie time last night I said, "AH, snow for walking tomorrow morning." and BB replied, "Yeah, I heard it was snowing outside on Facebook." Then we looked at each other and laughed.)

So, back to last night. The dogs would much rather sleep on the bed than the floor but I hate when they sleep on top of the covers and pin me down. It's like being trapped in a coffin. So, I throw them off the bed about twice each night because apparently they are too dumb to stay home and feed themselves for a weekend but smart enough to tell when I've fallen asleep.

Last night at 2 am I wake up, wake the dogs up and make them get down, then hear a big crash in the wind outside and see a bright flash like lightning. Last time I saw that a tree fell and our backyard caught on fire but this time, nothing visible going on. When I turned around to go back to sleep post dog-scolding I saw that my clock is out. The power is out. I got up, the whole side of our street is out as far as I can see.

We called the power company and reported the outage and they said they had gotten other calls, they were sending a truck full of big guys. Nothing to do but go back to sleep.

3am. Third dog scolding.
3:10 am. Dogs back. Whaat? Oh, they're getting cold. I caved and let them in the bed. I then spent the rest of the night listening to them dream and feeling all eight paws chase rabbits. BB is in heaven. He loves a good dog sandwich.

Zambonie au Vin.

5 am. Still awake. I have decided that this dachshund would fit just perfectly into our crock pot.
6:30 am. Oh happy time! Everyone please jump on and off the bed while BB gets dressed to take you out in the beautiful snow while I try to cop a few minutes of sleep without my arms pinned to my sides. Oh yes, and give me a Licky Facial as soon as you finish your breakfast because I love the smell of dogfood in the morning. Smells like... victory.

Woah! no, it smells like no power! So BB goes off to work happy because there isn't enough to shovel out there because of the wind and I have two FROZEN puppers burrowing back into my covers because I have the only heater in the house inside my body. Get. me. outta. here.

But no. I am working from home all day today. Brilliant. I leave them in the bed warm and I get up because I'm in such a bad mood from no sleep and rabbit chasing and (I feel like I might be ranting a little, can you hear it?) cold dog-food-breath noses and AUUG! no coffee maker. The floor is freezing and did I mention I sleep naked and there are big linemen in bulky snowsuits on every pole at bedroom window level??? Shouting to one another.

Holy crap. Why do I keep putting off buying a robe?

I turn the shower on to drip to prevent pipe freeze, pile all the blankets on the triumphant and gloating sad frozen doggies and go down the (possibly icy) stairs thinking about dramatic thoughts of how I will work hard on something to stay warm today. I take my cold cup of yesterday's coffee over to the thermometer to see just how grave my situation is and it reads 50 degrees! FIFTY. The very number I thought was too warm outside for weeks.

Then I see a shouting bulky lineman walking through my yard toward the other guy on the pole. Red faces, they look really cold. They are at work. I am suddenly very humble in my freezing fifty degree castle with no wind. They have to stay outside where it MUST me more miserable than anything I have ever volunteered to enjoy while camping. I am not tough, we have blankets and straw mattresses and a fire! They have their gloves off and are using tools.

I'm hanging my head. There are people who live on the street, they are outside too. They. are. tough.

I sat right down and drank my cup of leftover cold coffee and began to give thanks. I have a roof. I have a floor. I can't believe it, I complained about how cold the floor was and then I put on warm shoes. I have warm shoes. Coffee in a cup. I didn't even light a candle this morning as I do on so many mornings when I sit and meditate. It just didn't feel right to have even that warmth and light. It felt right all of a sudden to be uncomfortable and thankful. I was thankful for matches and candles though.

I am thankful for cold. And for the fact that I look at snow and think its a shiny, wonderful prize.

...then, the power came on and I heard the coffee maker and heater start. Just as I was sitting there deciding that I would work in the cold house today and keep appreciating my roof and floor and laptop battery. Thank you, Goddess.

Tomorrow, I will light that candle.