Let it snow...let it snow...let it snow.

 

 

   It is a very quiet snowy day. The roads still have snow on them, making the traffic nearly inaudible. The trees are dressed in their finest whites and there is a hush over the land. With no place I need to be, I can sit with a big mug of hot chocolate by the window and let my mind wander.

   I dream of bright red barns with rustic wooden fences and wide open fields. Thoughts of handwork quilts piled in the cabinet waiting to warm on a winter's night. A stone fireplace with dancing flames sending comforting warmth throughout the house. A pair of golden labs curled up beside my chair dreaming their own dreams. Large glass windows looking out to the woodland, anxiously waiting a chance to see a deer or two wander out.

   I have always thought of living the rest of my life in Vermont. It is my favorite of places that I have ever visited. I can picture my studio overlooking the hillside, providing inspiration. A garden and fruit trees in the summer, providing for my winter. Flower gardens providing fresh cut flowers to dress my tables. Some chickens offering fresh eggs each day. The realist and the dreamer constantly battle within me. The beauty and solitude and comfort I feel when I am in Vermont is what I seek. But, to live alone, in my elder years, out in the country, with long winters perhaps isn't the wisest thing.

   So do we listen to our hearts and follow our dreams, believing that things will be ok? Or, do we listen to our minds, our common sense, and settle for second best? The answers aren't so crystal clear the older we get.