I’m sitting at the counter looking out at the backyard.  A squirrel is running along the top of the fence. Beyond the fence is a wooded right-of-way.  In the summer it’s green with oak and maple (and plenty of poison ivy). The sky today has that look of Midwestern cold: a sort of uniform grey-pink merging with a snowy albedo, steam quickly disappearing as it rises from the chimneys.  If you’ve grown up in this sort of climate you can make a reasonable guess at the temperature just by looking out the window for a few minutes.

PalKid is sitting across from me at the computer, back to the window. I’m hoping the deer will come up to the fence.  They use the right-of-way frequently though the browsing there is a bit sparse.  When they do, I can turn her around to see them.  They’ll either freeze in place or leap away, white tails flashing beneath the leafless trees.

It’s really quite beautiful, but a day best appreciated sitting by a fire with hot chocolate watching through a pane of glass.