Changing with the seasons

The landscape here continuously changes, and the winter birds are flocking. Now mosses and lichens are stars of the forest floor. Tree mosses grow their brilliant displays, iridescent in the sun. The evergreen running cedar stays perky all winter long, even under ice. I, on the other hand, tend to lose some of my bounce. I want to linger under the covers later in the mornings, and must sometimes force myself even to leave home. Hiking--easily one of my favorite pastimes--is no longer a pleasure in the coldest temperatures. As temps rise out of the thirties, I'm okay, or if the sun shines, I'm invited outdoors no matter how chilly. But lately January's been in a cold and drab mood, punctuated by rain rather than snow. The "day light" lamp given me by M. for those of us affected by the shorter and duller trends of winter works to trick my psyche into thinking it's getting more sun.

I have the lamp set up at my computer, a place where I spend time every day. Two days ago, under the fake sun, I finished my current book-length editing job and turned it in. But, due to an IT error on my part, my edits did not show up on 21 pages of the manuscript. I was obliged, then, yesterday, to re-do those pages so my client could view the edits. There are everyday reasons for me to spend screen time, not the least of which is now the composition of a book on the history of Narrow Ridge with the working title Greening the Kingdom Together, the story of a 44-year-old eco-initiative located on 600 acres of Appalachian wilderness in East Tennessee. Hoping the book will throw some light on what this place is about. But while the three-fold mission of sustainability, spirituality and community remains, Narrow Ridge, too, changes with the seasons.