Taking a Swim

Honestly! More snow!

I was on the phone this morning chatting away as my soul became more and more engaged with the tableau out my back porch window--fluffy black birds huddling on branches of what I call my "Bird Tree." Their head feathers engulfed their little faces like wreaths. The Bird Tree is incredibly messy: tall, gangly, hung with grapevines, not unlike a new, greasy-haired adolescent wearing too much jewelry. But the birds love the mess and cling to the branches and stray vines through the winter, which means I love the tree too. My Bird Tree and I are old friends, especially in the midst of the cold and lasting insideness. Here I am, happy enough but inside, with a baby on antibiotics, eating leftover Christmas chocolate and watching the snow blow across our porch roof.

I have boiled yet another pot of water in my jolly tea kettle. Here are my plans for the afternoon: to dig a deep hole in my living room, fill it with tea, pull on my bathing suit, and take a nice long dip in Darjeeling. Anyone care to join me?