Wintering. The cold snap lasted several days, with temperatures twelve to fifteen below zero in our corner of Wyoming, the one opposite Yellowstone National Park. Patches of white splash the hills and valleys, no rhyme or reason to design. Pretty, though. I’m able to write in my hut for the less frigid temperature. It takes too long to heat the space to use it for three hours or so when it’s below zero.

This morning, as I settled into my daily meditation period, I considered the flame burning in its small votive-sized vessel. This rests on a small dish I brought back from the Fontainebleau, France, chateau gift shop, illustrating its sublime architecture by an old engraving. The original structure conceived as a mere hunting lodge, it was enlarged over the decades. From the storied, horseshoe stairway, Napoleon bid farewell to his troops before leaving for Elba, forever banished from the motherland.

It has been a difficult year. Anyone on the planet would have to agree. The list of creatives alone who have passed away seems longer than usual, and I’m not surprised they gave up the ghost, as they say. Which brings me to this word, spirit . . . I’m in my seventies. Growing up, we said Holy Ghost when speaking of the third person of the Trinity, and then Ghost was changed to “Spirit.” My Benedictine friends pray to the Father, Son, and to the Holy Spirit of Father-Son, to distinguish it from an actual entity.

Finishing the Job, 1/3

Author Page

Alt: a cartoon rhino is standing in front of a check pinned post sign

To an exile from the Southern states—lo, these fifty-four years—the sweet sound of a soft Georgian accent attracted me. When coming into town for this or that, I would notice Catherine, newly arrived to our little western town as she walked her dog, Sammy, a Golden Retriever/Basset hound mix (in my estimation). The woman wore black most of the time. I suspect the fashion choice was meant for simplicity: a black knit top and black leggings, white blonde hair falling to her shoulders, an exquisite complexion, and sporting large, gold hoop earrings.