I’m wearing my chaps for warmth at my computer – it was that or take the electric blanket off my bed and wrap it around myself burrito-style and sit here plugged into the wall. A cozy idea, but seemed like too much effort. Charlie’s beside me, dying to eat the fringe off my chaps.

It was negative 12 degrees this morning and I let my fire go out in the night – I woke up at 3am and thought, I really should put another log in the woodstove, but I rolled over and went back to sleep instead. This morning, Charlie had his nose buried in his fluffy tail and the cat was trying to get under the covers. When we finally did get up, I saw Eli pathetically licking the ice that filled his water dish.

But the sunrise over the snow is beauty, glowing, and the only sound is the popping log in the woodstove.