So I Guess Don’t Hold Your Breath

[image error]I call this one “skiing through downtown.” Because that’s what I’m doing

This morning I drove down the mountain road in the early light, and when I cast my eyes skyward, I was pleased to see the multi-colored arc of a rainbow. It appeared to end in the forest just beyond the field where our friend John’s big work horses nosed at flakes of hay, but I’ve chased enough damnable rainbow ends to know that no matter how determinedly I trudged through the snow, it’d always be just a few steps ahead of me. Yeah. I’ve smartened up to that game.

I cannot remember the last time I saw a rainbow in February; this might be because it’s never happened, or it might be because my memory’s nothing to write home about. It had rained in the night – not hard, and not enough put much of a dent in the snowpack, but the air was warm and heavy with moisture. I could feel the heaviness in my step as I did morning chores, a quiet weariness, as if my nightly slumber had drained rather than rejuvenated. Even my thoughts felt thick and uncertain.

February. Everyone’s talking of the upcoming sugaring season, disappearing firewood piles, remaining hay stores. Maple syrup prices are down. The price of fluid milk is up from last year, down from last month, and remains far below the cost of production. Saw logs are low, too. At least the frequent snows mean the plow guys are making money. I drove home amongst them last night, before the storm had turned to rain, the car slipping and spinning in the fresh snow, and I was reminded of how much I like driving in the snow, soft on the gas, counter-steering through the corners. Not fast, not like when we were young, but a little loose. Truthfully, it’s the safest way to drive in snow.

We are looking for an Instagram-compatible iPhone (4 and up, I believe). Does anyone have one they’d part with cheap? You will be rewarded with blurry photos of work horses standing under February rainbows. The next time we get a February rainbow, that is. So I guess don’t hold your breath.

Music: In anticipation of tonight’s Drive-by Truckers show, I offer this version of one of my personal faves.