On Friday night in a very packed hall I was standing all by myself, just minding my business. The hustle, noise and the raucous crowds is an indoor experience I tend to shun. I can't make sense of a forest of humans when all of a sudden, much like a shooting star, one warm smile heads for me. Having never met her, and why in heavens name she picked me, then greeted with two warm hands, I must say I took that to mean it was going to be an exceptional encounter. We chatted briefly, and in no time at all I assumed the lovely woman who probably has three point four perfect children, a tall dark and handsome Jack with a happy home, disappeared back into the crowd. Wow, I knew for the first time what star struck, truly means. Driving home in the dark set me to wondering all kinds of things. I parked in my pole shed and took a breath of some pretty crisp air. I didn't have a clue about tonight, but I was pretty sure I knew what tomorrow morning would bring. I built a fire, felt its warmth and the next thing that mattered, it was Saturday morning. Making coffee, looking out the window I see nothing decorates an evergreen like a fresh snow fall and since it's the first nascent one of the season we all know it's the best one to boot. My home, my yard, the bird feeder, heck, everything looks better with a fresh coat of snow. After a few weeks of brown decayed leaf litter the free white spruce up really lends a certain magical quality to a yard so dismal just hours ago, and now with a poof from above, presto, all better, all cleaned up, so bright white. All that snow, all the possibilities. What to do first. Oh I was wondering once again. The trout whisperer