I'm supposed to be driving to Monson this afternoon, but likely I won't be because we've got a winter storm warning and up to eight inches of snow forecast. So that means I'll be zooming with the kids tomorrow while also kitten wrangling and dealing with noise and disruption because . . . [drum roll] . . . THE GUY IS COMING TO INSTALL A NEW FURNACE.

We've been without central heating for three weeks, and we've done okay. When the kitchen oven died, I do admit to feeling disheartened, but on the whole we've stayed cheerful, fed, and mostly warm. However, temperatures are supposed to drop into single digits by the end of this week, so thank goodness we're getting our heating troubles solved before life turns dire.

Because I'm probably not traveling north today, I'll have a few more hours to get other stuff done: planning for January's Monson Arts reunion class; a chance to catch up on editing, and maybe also to mess around with materials for Poetry Lab's incipient Substack journal. Yesterday I made a big pot of turkey stock and used some of it for butternut-squash risotto, so velvety and full of flavor. Today I'll reserve another couple of quarts for that classic post-Thanksgiving comfort, turkey noodle soup, and stow the rest in the freezer. I'd like to go for a walk before the snow settles in. I need to get cracking on Tennyson's Idyls of the King.

In the midst of all this I'm also working on scholarship stuff for the Conference on Poetry and Learning. If you are able, I would be so grateful for any donation you can make to our fund. Every dime will go to supporting participants who would otherwise not be able to attend.

And if you are considering applying to the conference and have questions about whether or not you'll be a good fit (short answer: you will), please reach out. I would love to see you in beautiful Monson this summer.