Snow, E.B. White and a Bloody Mary

Snow started falling at the dog park at 7 in the morning and Elmer the husky went bonkers.

By the time we arrived home, an inch had accumulated on the ground and the wind was whipping the snow into a frenzy.

I fed Elmer and repaired to the couch to read a collection of E.B. White’s essays. I always learn something new about writing when I read White.

It was rapidly becoming a snow day, so I made myself a bloody mary. Why not?

Elmer sacked out for all of five minutes and then jumped on the couch and stared out the window to watch the snow. Then he started barking at me. He wanted outside! I hadn’t finished my damn drink!

We bounded out to the back yard and played football in the snow. Elmer retrieved passes and tried to tackle me as I ran wild like Gale Sayers, and even stiff armed him away a few times.

Playtime ended and we went back inside, Elmer reluctantly. I had to coax him with a treat.

I sat down on the couch to read and finish my bloody mary.

Five minutes later Elmer was barking at me. He wanted to go for a walk!

Why not? It was a snow day and he’s a husky!

We hit the streets and by now, three inches had accumulated. Elmer began going nuts, nosing snow up into the air, and zigging and zagging. I could barely hold onto the leash!

We walked and ran for a couple of miles and checked out the beaver lodge in the park. I dearly wanted to see the beaver gliding in the creek as snow fell.

It didn’t happen.

Back in the house, I finished m bloody mary and dove into E.B. White. A little epiphany struck as I read: an idea to publish a book I finished writing in 2009 but never published. It is called One Man’s Beach and named after White’s collection of essays called One Man’s Meat, a book that exerted a tremendous effect on me when I read it while serving as a caretaker of a wildlife refuge.

Perhaps One Man’s Beach is dated, but it features some great photographs and important essays about Oregon’s legacy of publicly-owned beaches. Why not put it out there as an e-book?

After that epiphany, I sat up, and Elmer came over and gave me that look. He wanted to go out again!