Deep freeze

It's cold. Crisp and clear, and I certainly appreciate the view of the night sky. The stars, planets, the Milky Way itself, are gloriously showcased against the blackest of black backgrounds. It's cold, though, and I am loathe to linger too long in admiration. The ground winks back with its own reflected sparkle.
Instead of slopping through the mud, I crunch over it on my way to the barn.
The horses are thick with glossy Winter fuzz, their guard hairs standing out. I've let their bridle paths grow out, and they all sport a Tina Turner-style 'do.
I hear that more cold's on the way. The kind that will freeze the water buckets even inside the barn.
I could complain about it, but it's not raining. The brightness is welcome, though I could do with a longer day in lieu of these short, bright, brittle ones.
So each little fuzzball gets a bit extra hay, and then it's back to the now overly warm-seeming house.
The phones are all screwy again, so I'll have to assuage this bit of Winter loneliness with trying to scare up some online friends for a bit of distraction, tonight. See how everyone's doing. My cell doesn't work very well at my house.
The cold seems to add an extra layer to the isolation I feel sometimes. It has nothing to do with being alone, though everything to do with loneliness.
Even those stars seem more distant, this night.
One other thing about nights like this is that the bed sheets seem every bit as cold as the air outside. Climbing in, I huddle in a fetal ball, and try to conserve body heat. Luckily, I will fall asleep before I get fully warm, and wake up midway through to enjoy that warmth.

Snow today, wind tonight

I've heard at least five accidents in the hour or two that I've been listening to the scanner, this morning. Much of the county is encased in a layer of crusty, frozen slush or ice. What I don't get is why people drive fast enough to flip their cars over when they know it's icy?
It snowed out here for several hours, though it would mostly melt on groundfall, some of it piled up in the form of heavy, wet snow. Which froze overnight.
Kids have a two-hour delay and it's pretty obvious the second one steps outside that driving will be dangerous, something to be done with caution.
This wintry landscape seems especially foreign to me, in light of the dream I had last night: It was complete with rocking, floating on blue water, warm, soft (not hot) sunlight and the sweetest scent of Spring bourne on a breeze that was more like a gentle caress itself. Short and sweet. The details were muted, though it all felt very real. Every sense was supplied with exactly what was necessary to fool me into thinking that I was lying on my stomach in the sunshine, on a boat, with the warmth of the sun on my back, and the sweet scent of life and rebirth around me.
I clung to that bit of bliss for as long as I could, which was about a nano-second.
Next best thing is a big, hot cup of XDPNG coffee from Astoria Coffee Co.
Good thing, because the hike across the pasture's going to be cold, this morning.

Forecast is for another wind and rainstorm, tonight. Let's keep it interesting and add some sunny, warm days? I need light, dammit!

Stay warm, and drive slow.