i think we’ve hit the turning point with the cold. needle ice is emerging and the air stings your skin when you’re outside. i knew this was coming but i never feel ready. 

there’s a list of things i still need to do to prepare for the winter: mow the yard, change the extension cord to the greenhouse, clean the sheds out. either these things aren’t getting done or i’m doing them in 20 degree weather, because the forecast has solidified already and there’s no arguing with mother nature.

my old lady mouser is still working overtime. the cold is driving them inside nightly. i suppose a skilled cat’s shake is a more humane death than freezing to death. i worry a lot about the dogs that people leave outside. the laws protecting animals are nonexistent here. it is probably the most upsetting facet of appalachia to me. meanwhile, my dog won’t even go outside without her insulated winter coat on. 

with the cold blanketing the landscape, it’s forcing me to go inward for warmth, too. instead of writing constantly, i’m developing a plan for the work i want to make this year. every season change has me revisiting what i make and how i spend my time. i intentionally remove some things and add others, sharpening focus to my mission. i also make sure what i am doing nourishes me rather than depletes me. the brink of winter seems to be when i make my most sweeping changes and this year is no exception.