Flowers and Fire

During the week of December 3 the temperature was in the high sixties. The early rhododendron near our back door got the message and began to bloom. This plant usually puts on color after the snow drops come up. I took these pictures today, December 11. The Easter pink and violet are holding. This is not a case of being nipped or blighted in the bud but of spring in winter. There's snow on the ground. I don't think the plant will bloom in the spring.

The wood stove has been going all day. The dead wood J. took off the cherry tree is ash; now we're burning mostly Norway maple.

The steam from the pot of water on the stove slicks the kitchen windows. The foggy coat on the glass breaks and drips. Beyond the glass you can see green--faint through the wet. If I stepped outside I would see vivid green grass.

"Winter under cultivation

Is as arable as Spring"--Emily Dickinson

While I find heat in winter, Dickinson may be writing of other things: true winter. How will I manage with when the temperature drops below zero?