I always loved storms, I loved the world being suspended, I always preferred the storm to the interrupted world. At Bedlam Farm, huge storms greeted my arrival there, monumental, wind-driven howlers from Canada that were unlike anything I had experienced and which nearly overwhelmed me, I was so unprepared. I fell down in snow and ice, could not even open the doors of the farmhouse, I had no clothes or equipment or experience with them, Rose and I battled through them week after week.

It is better now, and I love storms again. I have the right clothes, the right boots, I prepare grain for the animals for their energy, I know where the shovels are, I have a good plowman, I store water in the kitchen for the animals – and us – if the faucets freeze, today I drove to Bennington, Vt., to grocery shop, got frozen turkey (for my turkey glop, recipe tomorrow), fruit and vegetables, milk and popcorn, food for two days. In the morning, we will point the cars outward, put hay in the Pole Barn for the donkeys and sheep, settle in for the storm, which might be big – I think it will be fairly big.

My scrambling around sometimes makes Maria nervous, but she realizes now that it isn’t because I fear the storms anymore, I love being prepared for them, we have wood stacked inside and stoves going and good books to read and each other to be with. I think Maria is getting my cold, my turn to take care of her, I made her put snow tires on her car two days ago, glad for that.

Driving home from the market,I looked across the valley near White Creek, I saw the system approaching – won’t snow much here until tomorrow afternoon – and it was so beautiful it touched my heart, and I stopped the car, pulled over, ran across the road and gave thanks to the Gods for permitting me to see such beauty and majesty, for being on the road, and with the right lens for once. The winter pasture shows great promise, I am waiting for it, come to me, I whispered, I’m ready.