CoalFungi of Bluster

Still struggling to muster exuberance of any kind, even a modicum. I am theoretically enthusiastic that the Philosopher has opened the gates to potential visitors! I would zip down there this very week, but the weather is apparently going to be horrendous starting tomorrow. I'll be ticked off if it all turns out to be a bluff, but the weather maps look pretty bad, so I think we will get some degree of freezing rain/ice/snow. We're trying to work out when we can go, dodging around medical appointments etc., and have suggested some possibilities to the Philosopher, but he hasn't responded yet. I talked to Queenie and tried to call Madame to check on her progress toward moving, but she didn't pick up. Maybe tomorrow.

Up until now, the weather has been sunny to an incredible degree for this area. I've been out for a walk several days in succession. It's not always cheering, because sometimes it just makes me go "Why am I so tired!" Today I found a handy fallen branch that I turned into a walking staff. That always makes me feel hardy and adventurous. It was a big help as I made my way through the still-slippery icy patches in the woods. The snowdrops I saw last week are buried again. We've passed into the phase of Bluster, and the wind has that restless and impatient feel of spring, tossing the dry leaves and the bare branches around in search of something it left behind in November. Even if it snows again, I know that things are getting ready behind the scenes, in many layers of expectation, like a Mozart overture. Soon enough the curtain will rise, and wonders will burst upon the scene.