Time has no meaning in the dark...

Juno checking in on the progress

We are still stuck in a bitter cold snap (-40) and I have officially gone through my first phase (and hopefully my last this season) of cabin fever.

Its so frustrating to be so angry at something I cant control but I am glad that my loved ones are safe and warm thanks to a whole lot of extra construction to benefit both dogs and humans.

Our new furnace is working wonderfully and our wood stove is such a comfort at night, no longer the life saving necessity of last year. Is so nice to enjoy warmth for warmth's sake and see the flames of the fire burning as a comfort and not as a crisis of busted pipes or frozen sewer lines.

I am eternally in delight at the simple things, watching the toilet water go down on its own, running water from the tap... geez, I feel like Im fresh out of my old cabin! Even though Im not, that experience will always be close to the surface and the strength of survival remains very clearly in my mind.

I wont go through the obvious... why do I live here, why do I put up with this cold and how could anyone see the beauty in all of this... I hear it all the time from newcomers here and my brain tends to switch off after hearing the first question. The real answer that sums up all of this is that life here is a constant way of feeling alive, feeling a bit on the edge at times, but truly and honestly alive... and extremely grateful for everything, especially the very smallest of things.

Even though I complain and wish that the cold snap will break I am still generally happy with life as a whole. Things could be better, I could be out on the trail with the dogs, enjoying life to the utmost, going outside for long periods of time without every piece of winter gear draped over my body to keep warm... but that is not where I am at the moment and not where I was last night.

Last night was heaven, a tapping into my future and into the power within... yesterday, ALL day, was art day and I was so happily, blissfully and completely lost. I havent been there in a long time, and realisticly I didnt know if I would ever be there again.

But I was there, truly there in all my expressive power and it showed. It showed in the passing of time on the clock without my knowledge, with the calm center of my mind this morning and with the results left on paper. I hesitate to show all of the image but here is a sneak peek.

What I find I am enjoying most is the expansive progress that starts with a single idea and expands into something that I cant seem to imagine on my own.

What does this mean? In short it means more creativity and artistic output which leads to more art, more prints and more visual awe... I am looking forward to experiencing this process more than you can possibly understand... what a bright future awaits!! :)