Happy Birthday To Me

What can I say? It's my birthday. Had breakfast with my dear friend, neighbor and landlord all rolled up into one. How good is that? Blessing #1. Breakfast was served by really nice and fun folks, Blessing #2. Breakfast cooked by good neighbor and proprietor of the neighboring business, Bright Morning Inn, more blessings. How much better could a birthday get?

Dunno, it was what? maybe 12, maybe 14 or so degrees(f) after breakfast. Set out, by my lone, off to Blackwater Falls state park, down the the west end, near Lindy Point. Bought my day pass, like a good citizen, and started off down the road towards Lindy Point.

I dunno about you, but I get kinda tired and rather bored skiing down a road. It's probably because I don't skate ski, and neither does my equipment. I don't kick and glide for much more than 100 feet or so either. I guess that's because I'm lazy. So, I broke off the road, and headed off through the woods 'off piste' pretty soon. My neighbor, and Mark and Claire, and maybe some other folks went off to ski from Cabin Mountain over to Whitegrass, but I wanted to be alone. What was that line? Out of "On The Loose" by Jerry and Renny Russell? Umm (I got it down off the shelf just now) Oh yeah, here it is:

Are you all by yourself?" asked the man and
and his wife as suddenly I cruched through
the spring snow past their house trailer:
"Are you all by yourself?" asked the gull.
"Are you all by yourself?" asked the stars.
If a man is all by himself on this miraculous
earth, a neighbor is no help.

heh, and I have great neighbors. more blessings.
I haven't gotten used to blogger's formatting yet. Maybe I never will.

that said; Up onto the shoulder of the mountain, then down again. Through the blueberry glades and swamp land. Following a little draw, being particularly careful to keep my skis from getting wet. What a brilliant day. I met some others out there gently breaking track through the snow that you really would not want to step into off your skis. We have a saying about the 'best skiing day ever'. But since I was by myself, it's not the best skiing day ever, but it pretty strongly resembled it. There was an aspect missing that precludes a proper BSDE event. That's okay though. Bless her, she's home trying to beat back the winter cruds before the P.A.S.A. conference next week.

So, what was I saying? Oh yeah, up there and then back down again. Didn't even fall down. Gentle tracks down along the little water course. I gotta tell ya, I really love this place, all closed in for the winter. It's a special spot. I'd try and make some point here, but it's my birthday, and I'm not going to do it. Just enjoy the day. A few hours of this snappingly sharp, bright and cold beauty is all my muddled old head can take. That, and my knees, ankles and lower back :), so back to the car, and back out to town to sit down and write this all up to share with anyone who wants to know. It was big fun. So, Happy Birthday to Me. And thanks.

P.S.
By request; An older 'happy bd to me' read:
http://www.eruditium.org/pete/shaversagain.html