Happy Tuesday,

Much of Vermont woke up this morning to sleet and freezing rain, and for the first time this year I started my car a few minutes before driving to work. I drive down a short but very steep hill on my commute, and was alarmed at first to see a car overturned near the bottom of the hill. Thankfully, the driver was just fine and patiently waiting for a tow truck. He mentioned his anxiousness and extremely fast heartbeat were keeping him warm.

I always stop and try to help motorists with disabled vehicles, and if a major storm is brewing, I’ll even throw a chainsaw in the trunk if I think of it. Last winter, while taking the back way home from a friend’s place in East Middlebury, I had the opportunity to clear a tree from the Lincoln-Ripton Road. It’s a rarely-traveled dirt road, but I had plenty of help loading the tree into the pickup truck of one of the passers by. Something tells me that tree is keeping him warm on these cold nights.

I really like stick season—buildings, lakes, and land features otherwise hidden behind the leaves are visible for a short time before the snow comes. Hunting season hasn’t begun yet, but it won’t stop Owen and me from exploring the woods next weekend in bright orange, just in case.

As always, thanks for reading, and keep in touch.

Matt
matt@smalldog.com