Apparently there was a point this past week when almost 75% of the United States was blanketed in snow. Our little corner of Idaho was part of the frosted majority. But you know what they say, “In for a penny, in for a pound.”
It just so happened that the boys were up for a bit of a winter break from schooling, and we had arranged to snag a couple of nights at a friend’s cabin a few hours north of here. (No, it’s not in Canada. We weren’t even into the pencil part of the state yet.)
In the days leading up to our trip, the forecast gradually began to call for increasing amounts of snow. By the morning of the trip, we were building an igloo in the front yard while waiting for the local roads to clear enough for our two-wheel-drive hybrid to spin out onto the highways and byways. The igloo took a couple of hours and turned out quite nice, if I say so myself.
Encouraged by a bit of sun and rising temperatures, we set out for the cabin…because, you know, someone else’s snow is more exciting than your own. This is the part of the story that would be much more compelling if it resulted in us being stranded in the wilderness and surviving off of the carcass of a brown bear I killed with my bare hands. Meh.
In reality, we arrived at the cabin in under three hours and with limited issues. Give the boys dramamine and a device and they don’t even realize they’re physically moving through space. Driving becomes like a really slow transporter, with lots of snacks.
I gotta confess, I’m neither an adrenaline seeker nor a winter sports enthusiast. Don’t get me wrong, I love the snow. As a kid growing up in Texas, my most intimate moments of prayer were spent asking for snow on my birthday (December 10th). Since those early birthdays, I’ve spent twenty-five years living in the Rocky Mountains. But my idea of enjoying the snow is taking a midnight walk around the neighborhood and marveling at how a city can become totally hushed and enchanted. I don’t typically do engines and snow at the same time.
While pulling into the partially plowed driveway/parking area for the cabin (which required several minutes of shoveling to find the front door), I pondered the fine emotional line between romanticism and confinement…between vacation and prison. Living through the Covid-19 pandemic has perhaps soured me a tad. I remember as a youth thinking there could be nothing more romantic than being snowed in at a mountain cabin with the one you love (ie. half of the Hallmark movie specials ever made).
As a forty-something father of two about to spend a couple of nights at a snowy cabin, I couldn’t help but pray for snow plows. I mean, aren’t we confined enough these days without the threat of being snowed in? And even while cruising along the plowed main arteries, I couldn’t help think about all the side road adventures I dare not pursue. What a suckily apt metaphor for the life we’ve been living.
During lunch on our second day at the cabin, I asked the family if they preferred a snowy mountain cabin or a sunny beach condo. The wife was outvoted 3 to 1 for the sunny beach. And even the wife had to amend her vote by specifying that she preferred mountain cabins in the summer.
At the Desk This Week
Well, as I stated above, I’ve spent the last few days sorta-adventuring at a snowy mountain cabin. That also means I’ve spent no time cranking out the fiction. I’ll get back to it. Until then, on with the SNOW!
If You Wish to Start Reading The Green Ones…
[Click here to start at the beginning.]
Thanks so much for taking the time to read these scenes of Boundaries, Season 2 of The Green Ones. I’ll be publishing FREE daily scenes from The Green Ones until…I die…or something terrible happens. Seriously, I’ve got over 100 scenes written so far, and I’ll be writing more until the story reaches its natural ending. You are totally welcome to read the entire story for FREE! If at any point you decide you would rather finish the story in ebook or print format, just click the buttons below and you can do that as well. If you enjoy reading the serial releases, BUT you would also like to support me as a writer (my kids need wine!) please subscribe to my premium content for bonus scenes, exclusives, and insider access to my process. And of course, I’d be grateful if you would share this post with any of your reader friends who you think would enjoy The Green Ones. Happy reading!