Isorhythm

It snowed here the last week in January. Five inches, and we were out for two days. It's been years since I've had real, school-canceling winter weather, and it was refreshing. It gave me plenty of time to test out my new camera: Our front porch was covered in paw prints. I hope they found someplace warm to sleep! It doesn't look like much, but the unplowed roads really were treacherous. Each time we ventured out, we saw at least one car swerved off the road. Whole sections of street were solid ice. Not even the mail came that day. Cat prints! Cat prints everywhere!

Continuing the trip to Pittsburgh after Christmas, Christopher and I stopped at Mount Davis, Pennsylvania, to grab our tenth highest point. The mountain was covered in snow, so we opted for a 0.8-mile hike to the peak. There's very little elevation gain from the parking lot, so we could enjoy the trail and take our time. The trail was completely ours. I guess two days after a snowy Christmas isn't peak hiking season. The only footprints we found belonged to critters: The peak itself was wide and flat and covered with stone monuments detailing the region and its flora and fauna. It would have been a nice spot for a picnic if the mountain hadn't been covered in snow.

Christopher and I spent nine days traveling and visiting family this holiday season, so we built in a couple "alone" days to keep us from going crazy. After leaving my mom's the day after Christmas, we took a detour to snatch the Maryland highest point before heading up to Pittsburgh. The point is marked and the trail well-kept, but because it's not in a park (or anywhere special, really) you have to know what you're looking for or you'll miss it completely. And since half of the mountain is owned by a logging company, we actually started in West Virginia and hiked back into Maryland to reach the top. Because we'd driven most of the day, we caught the peak just before sunset. I was worried that the snow would slow us down, but the incline was never too steep or too slippery. And everything was gorgeous and glittery.

Eat green everyday. Take more weekend trips. Cook seasonally and leave food comfort zones. Find places to walk and hike. Read more nonfiction. Read more fiction published during my lifetime. Watch more movies. Attend more operas. Take more pictures. Be mindful and present.

December has been busy with gifting, travel, and preparing for the new year. I'm ready to head south, put things back in boxes, and start fresh.

These two have become the best part about coming home after a long day updating student records: Mitts & Kitts

Mittens, one of far too many stray cats that hangs around our house, crawled into our bike closet a few weeks ago and gave birth to Curious (picture 1) and Chips (picture 2). They live in a tupperware bin lined with an old towel we put out for them. I'm tracking their progress at  Mitts & Kitts .

What if Ponce de Leon did  find the Fountain of Youth, but his price for immortality was to live forever as a cat? I'd like to think that's why this lone cat was patrolling the old stone stronghold at El Morro.

When I moved from Florida nearly a year ago I didn't have a clear plan, and things were in limbo for a good six or so months before I decided to move in with Christopher. As such, many of my boxes are only now getting unpacked in the slow process of settling in. While I'd kept my camera in my purse and continued to snap photos, I'd thought my connector cords hopelessly lost until this past weekend when I opened a box and a bunch of electronics spilled out. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the past two years or so: Downtown Dothan, Alabama, where my mom was born. Christopher and I up and decided to make the drive from Tallahassee for no other reason than that we hadn't been there before.