Taking Care of Business and Connecting with Neighbors

It was a quiet Sunday morning and normally I would have tried to squeeze in a day on the hill, but figured we had things to do, and I'd gone on New Year's Day, so instead I went for a XC ski in the big field. The conditions were not optimal, but there was snow and it was fun. I had this epiphany about skiing and the differences between Nordic and Alpine, and how they are somehow allegorical to life and the different philosophical approaches to it. Downhill seems more in line with suburban consumer mentality, reckless, carefree and hedonistic. XC requires more work, is more thoughtful and more like soul skiing. Besides, XC is free while downhill can be expensive. Either way, it was nice to get out and break a sweat. I'd like to do it every day, if I can motivate.

We did manage to finally take down our Christmas Tree. It was time, the cats were doing a number on it, and there were needles everywhere, so that was a good, cathartic experience.

We were lounging around the house all day and at some point felt like we needed to get out and about. At the very least to get some fresh air, though it was a cold one outside. Anyway, Ruth wanted to get some work done and it was a good excuse to pack up the car and at least go for a ride. Unfortunately, it also entailed passing through West Leb, the ugly commercial traffic zone of the Upper Valley. We wanted to get, of all things, calendars for the new year at Borders.

Anyway, we headed out to DHMC but this time came prepared-we'd brought sleds and snowboards to play on the hill outside of work, and it was a lot of fun. It's not a bad idea to have these things on hand because you never know when they'll come in handy.

After work, we jetted out to W. Leb, battled the horrible traffic, got our calendars, and then planned on hitting the Hartland rink, but time was getting short. It was nearing 4:00 and with the sun going down, it was getting cold. We got there just as the sun was setting along the trees, and of course, it was getting cold. There was a family on the ice, the last ones to brave the tundra, and we put or skates on and went for it.

It was a lot of fun, Audrey, Nicholas, and Ruth really enjoyed it. We finally got to skate the Hartland rink as a family, and best of all, we made some new friends. The Goldblatts, I believe, Alan and Hillary. They had really nice kids, and they were nice to our kids, so it goes without saying that we'd want to try a playdate. Funny thing, they know a lot of the people we know, and their kids were Waldorf early learners who eventually branched out, much like ours. It's a small world, is it not?

My name is Fred Lee, and until the next time, thanks for reading.