As I write this the wind is blowing fiercely outside my window and there is two inches of fresh snow on the ground. The forecast for this week calls for sub-zero temperatures and more snow tonight. (Yay!) Lucy and I walked the trails today but tomorrow I will start breaking in my ski trail. I am lucky that they groom over 4 kilometers of trails out back for cross country skiers, but that won’t start until we have a good base of snow for the grooming tractor to have something to work with. Until then, I get a little extra exercise!

With the ‘white stuff’ finally here, I thought I would dedicate this post to a final farewell to Autumn and share some pictures taken in the last few weeks around here. These are my favorites as they seem to evoke a sense of stillness and peace…

As of late, all I like

  is quiet.

Far from my mind

  the vanity of things.

Stripped of all resources,

  what I have left is the joy

Of hanging around again

  in my forest.

~Wang Wei

Empty mountain,

  not a soul to be seen.

Only echoes of voices

  sounding in the distance.

Ray of of setting sun

  in the deep woods:

On the moss

  a final burst of light: green.

~Wang Wei