It's Friday - TGIF

On this last Friday in February: 

I am thinking how the light snow that fell last night makes winter better. For a few hours, snow covers the faults of the landscape like the neighbor's political signs and the bare patch in our front yard. Snow outlines and emphasizes the structure of trees and reflects the beauty in the birds. With so little snow this winter,  I forgot how snow muffles the sound of traffic on the busy streets a few blocks away. I am also thinking how 30 minutes of yoga changes the way I feel.  I am a good sitter, a really good sitter. After a few household chores, I can easily curl up with books and knitting projects for several hours. The past few afternoons it's been too cold to walk so I've taken a yoga break. Afterwards, I feel so much better both physically and mentally.   

I am grateful for a warm house on this bitterly cold morning of five degrees with a feels like temperature below zero. I can't imagine living in places where power and warmth is an unpredictable luxury. I am grateful I am not allergic to wool and can wrap up in a sweater and a shawl. 

I am inspired by librarians who are passionate about their vocation in spite of all the efforts to ban books. If you want to read more, I suggest the weekly Book Club, a Washington Post Newsletter, by book editor Ron Charles. The newsletter is free. I can't get to all the articles linked in the newsletter (I don't subscribe to the Post) but there is a great deal available without a subscription. The newsletter contains all kinds of tidbits about the literary world. Charles is a witty, smart writer and fun to read. 

I have to dig a little deeper for fun. By the end of February, fun is in short supply. To remedy this, my husband and I are going to bundle up and drive to Seward, a small town thirty miles west of Lincoln. I want to visit, Chapters, an independent bookstore and gift shop. Although the inventory will be small, the bookstore is local to Ted Kooser and carries some of his books. I wonder if I'll happen onto any signed copies? My husband went to high school in Seward so he enjoys driving around his old haunts. Who knows, maybe we will throw caution to the wind and pick up coffees before hitting the road. You can't say, we don't know how to have a good time. ;-)

I wish you a good weekend.