Also, I baked a very tasty chocolate cake.

I know I can be very tardy getting back to comments, but I could really use your feedback, friend-readers.  After a 15-year hiatus, I'm going to regularly spend time in a gym.  It felt really good to get the fan whirring on the rowing machine, but I broke down in confused laughter several times because I just couldn't find the right tunes.  In normal life I'm pretty picky and, I'll be honest, judgmental about music.  But the rules don't apply for kitchen jobs or the gym.  I had a good streak of Lady Gaga songs, and a bit of luck with remixed-for-120-140bpm-90s-pop-hits, but dozens of workout playlists were ridiculous and/or awful.  I'll stand by my No Rap, No Country policy, but otherwise I'm desperate for your suggestions.  (Or maybe I'll just loop "Born This Way" for 45 minutes.)

That's really my only problem.  Otherwise, life is good in the way north.  I mean, stumbling across the snowy path to the rickety pallet you stand on to dump the old fryer oil promises to continue being a weekly issue for me, but there are some basic solutions I can employ, like letting it cool off first, and walking slower.  Ditto with cold hands while skiing: bring extra gloves.

Looking over a few notes from the past weeks, two fantastic things happened that restored my faith in civilization -- the election results, and my friend helping me obtain a space heater for my room.  I'm fairly self-reliant (and experienced with wearing several sweaters at once), but being able to count on and contribute to our communities and shared resources truly strengthens us.

This is a really charming cabin the summer forest service people live in.  Look at the snow!!!

Dusk is now happening about 4:15pm, and it is lovely.