What a lovely day for a rambling walk. Bringing along a six-year-old turned an hour-long hike into 2 1/2 hours of climbing on rocks, telling stories, and playing games. We heard some birds, including a pileated woodpecker that flew over our heads, laughing. We walked on creaking ice, splashed through tiny streams, admired frozen vernal pools, and crunched through needles, acorns, leaves and twigs.

Now I’m sitting in my warm house, enveloped in the smells of garlic and roasting chicken, soul-fed.