Almost 30 degrees this morning, at 5 a.m. The weather has been so strange. I am sitting on the couch in my red bathrobe, in front of the dark fireplace, listening to the hum of the humidifier and thinking about sunshine. Tom and I discovered that our house is very close to the side entrance of Baxter Woods, and I am looking forward to walking there today in the thawing slush. Baxter Woods is a 30-acre nature preserve, mostly pines and oaks . . . not my 40 acres of Harmony woodland, but something nonetheless. It's sweet to have it around the corner.

I have been prepping for a few upcoming teaching gigs. As I've done for the past couple of years, I'll be leading a January-term session at Smith College that focuses on teaching K-12 poetry. My 10-week essay-writing class for the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance begins at the end of this month. Starting in March, I'll be co-leading a 12-week Telling Room poetry residency in a local high school ELL class. I'll also be judging the state Poetry Out Loud competition in March. So much busyness this spring

Today, however, I'll be editing, editing, editing. Gradually my little study is gaining comforts: adequate lighting, for instance, and a chair for the cat so he won't bother me while I'm working.

Someday, I suppose, the plumber will come.