CABIN FEVER

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. 

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. 

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

When experiencing cabin fever, a person may tend to have distrust of anyone they are with…

…and an urge to go outside even in the rain, snow, dark or hail.

Hey. Wasn't it around here that the Donner Party got snowbound?

One therapy for cabin fever may be as simple as getting out and interacting with nature.

Research has proven that even brief interactions with nature can promote improved cognitive functioning and overall well-being.

Temperatures were warmer today than they were all week but the deep cold left the river frozen.  The big trumpeter swans who usually swim in the shallows had probably gone to a nearby creek fed by a warm spring.

The cross-country ski track was under several inches of new powder.  There were recent footprints in the tracks, probably left by the two coyotes I saw trotting along across the river.

Harriman Ranch looked like a picture from a Christmas card.  

Some places are like people: some shine and some don't.

It’s amazing how a little fresh air and a blink or two of sunshine can cause an attitude adjustment.

Guess I won’t be taking an ax to DH at least this week.

Redrum!  Redrum!

Those icicles have been known to kill people, Ralphie!

Just outside the window over my desk is a row of crystal spikes.

 Over the past few days they have begun a sinister advance toward the thin pane of glass which protects me from death as a result of exposure to winter conditions.

The icicles have gradually morphed from ominous spears to sharp and curving claws drawing ever nearer to the place where I work.

The rounded shapes have become more menacing and blade-like...

…and are now so close they almost touch the house.

Yesterday an arctic front dropped down out of Canada and sent temperatures well below zero overnight.  A bitter wind brought wind chills down so low even normally stoic Idaho schools were closing their doors due to frigid weather.  Tonight it may be worse.

Icicles have been known to kill people.

Just ask Ralphie.

  If this blog becomes suspiciously silent over the next few days please send hot chocolate and tickets to a Caribbean beach.

Here's a link to a YouTube video of ice falling off a TV tower into a parking lot.

TRYING TO BE POSITIVE--Yes, I'm Positive I'm tired of Winter

Just like the last time I posted this one.  It happens every year.

We never learn.

I like these cold, gray winter days.

Days like this let you savor 

a bad mood.

Bill Watterson

Who would think that those branches

would turn green against blossom,

but we hope it, we know it.

Johan Wolfgang Von Goethe

Winter lies too long in country towns,

hangs on until it's stale and shabby,

old and sullen.

Willa Cather

In the depth of winter I finally learned

that there was in me

an invincible summer.

Albert Camus

There's a certain slant of light,

Winter Afternoons--

That oppresses, like the

Heft of Cathedral Tunes.

Emily Dickinson

Reality continues to ruin my life.

Bill Watterson