March 29

Woke up to seven inches of snow. It looks like a beautiful postcard, everything in shades of black and white or sepia tone. The sky is one color of silver white, while the snow that coats everything is a brighter white. Dark brown, snow-covered branches wave, snow-covered ground gives way to deep silver rippled lake. Geese float across the water, bobbing in and out for food. The red-wing black bird is singing away as if it were sunny and warm. Meanwhile the snow keeps falling straight down, too heavy to even float in the air.

I found a camera. This is not the exact view from my window as the window is higher up. This is the view from my deck, but it's pretty close.

March 18

It's been a while since I described the view from my window.

The snow is gone. The lake shows no signs of the thick ice that covered it just two weeks ago. Today it is a smooth plate of dark silver, reflecting the black tree branches and the hazy white light of the low sun. Right now there are fifteen geese swimming in the center. But soon they will be joined by five times that many. A pair of Mallard ducks stick to the edge, searching for a good place to build a nest. The French pussy willow's white buds grow fatter everyday. But the grass along the banks is still yellow brown. The trees still bare. They know that it is only March and that we had snow as late as May last year. Still the air is full of bird song- honking geese, quaking duck, twittering sparrow, call of the robin. The air smells of warming earth and new beginnings.

March 10

The day after... the rough draft of the book is done. Today is my day off. It's soggy out-rain and fog. Sump pump goes on and off keeping the basement dry. I can hear geese flying in and off the lake. Some ice still floats on top of the water. I saw a muskrat dive under it. How do they stay warm? Robins, red wing black birds, finch, sparrows are all twitter-patted. Singing and fighting for territory rights. Good news-the French pussy willow tree has fat white buds on it. The birch tree has round red buds. My nose itches.

Time for allergy meds, lazing on the couch catching up on books and movies. Tomorrow...revisions. The circle of a writer's life.