After coffee and scones this morning, I succumbed to the lure of my comfy bed and am now journaling from said comfy bed.  Getting up early and staying up just isn’t going to happen this morning.

It’s deep winter, and my thoughts turn to winter dreams, those lucid dreamings and ramblings that curl the edges of my lips into a self-indulgent, whimsical smile snuggled deep in goose down, a quilt, and a plush blanket with satin edgings.  In my bed of winter dreams, my winter dreaming begins as reading in this goose down refuge  and indulging in dreams and fantasy that smell like vanilla. Winter dreaming comes on after winter has lost its novelty, and spring is still a month or so away.  I think it’s a form of hibernation perhaps…but don’t really care and just surrender to the down and indulge in early bed times and reading something that pulls me into another magical world.  There are stacks of books waiting to be read and what better way or time.

The east winds are back and howling in Portland today according to the weather report.  They are predicting up to 75 mph winds there which means must faster winds here as wind picks up speed when blowing up the mountain. It also means power outages here.  It’s not unusual to lose power for several days at a time in the winter here on Mt. Adams, and you adjust or move.  I adjusted.  This isn’t to say that I went all Grizzly Adams.  Quite the contrary.

Deep, compact snow and ice, freezing balls outside, and no electricity.  Could you deal with that?!  In my determination to exist quite comfortably regardless of the conditions, I have and can run a generator for electricity which keeps me internet-connected and running a wireless home network, propane heaters that heat the house quite comfortably without electricity, and a propane cook stove that stands ready to provide a hot meal, coffee, or tea.  So life just goes on while I’m off the grid.  Winter here is so Henry David Thoreau at times…but wouldn’t he be surprised at my high-tech version of “roughing it.”  I would probably get an “Oh my God!” when he saw my posh winter dreams bed and a “you’ve got to be kidding” when he understood wi-fi.   No, this isn’t  your mother’s cabin in the woods.  It’s a haven of peace, tranquility, and creature comfort regardless of weather…with wifi.  It’s a nest well-feathered and not by accident.   After four days without electricity  a few years ago, I resolved to have life go unchanged in the face of power outages, deep snow, and zero-ish degree weather which are the norm here.   With a well thought out system of interconnected power strips for the technology, I can go from grid to generator in less than ten minutes and remain internet connected.  Heating is constantly propane and, well, there will always be stacks of books to read.

I continued  my reading of Twilight last night snuggled under my winter covers.  I absolutely love down and this book.  It’s an amazing winter reading combination!   Anyway, Twilight is really engrossing, creepy, and romantic all in one.  Edward is an everywoman kind of everyman.   At any age, ladies, you’ll heart the chivalrous, forward thinking Edward.  He understands woman-ly nuances.  He gets it.  He understands NOT giving the flirty waitress more attention than you at dinner and keeping his eyes on you when the waitress is being overly attentive to him!  Need I say more.  There are some men who need to read this and learn.  Okay, one in particular that comes to mind.  The setting may be high school in Forks, but the actual story and Edward are so Dove dark chocolate delicious more than that.  Tip of the literary cap to fellow English major and talented author Stephenie Meyer for such a wonderful story and deep, dark, rich characters.  Digressing, I wonder who her inspiration for Edward was in life?  Anyway, the movie is great…the book is greater!  But isn’t that always the way.  It’s an easy read.  I was spirited away to Forks and the rainforest and read half of it the first night.

-Patricia