December 19, 2016 COLD AS ICE

Woke up Saturday to 3-4 inches of snow. Called my comrade and we decided we would be better off at the gym--the roads weren't plowed and we would probably fall and break our necks. Get to the gym and it's really coming down hard--so we think we have made the right decision??? Get out of my car, and start trudging our way through the snow. Next thing I know, I'm up in the air- HORIZONTAL--I've slide tackled my comrade and we are both lying on the ground covered in snow. So much for going the safe route huh??  SOOO EMBARRASSING but even more than that--I gave myself a little whiplash when I hit my head. Fear not-- we got up, brushed ourselves off--laughed until we almost cried--and went into the gym- you see RAIN, SLEET, SNOW OR EVEN A SLIP ON THE ICE WON'T  KEEP US DOWN. Sure, I've had a headache for three days and I can barely move my neck, but it's all for a good cause right? We shall persevere. If Santa and the mailman can do it, so can we.

All this talk about snow and ice made me think of a true gem of a story by Pulitzer Prize winning author Edith Wharton called Ethan Frome.  One fall, while working in Starkfield, Massachusetts, an engineer tells the story of a man named Ethan Frome-- he has heard from villagers described as, "the ruin of a man." The engineer becomes curious about Frome whom he sees limping around the town and makes it his business to know him. He eventually hires Frome as his driver and is forced to spend a night at his house because of a serious snowstorm--end of prologue.  Wharton then takes us back 24 years--so we can learn all about Frome who was once, "the most striking figure in Starkfield." We learn that soon after Ethan's mother dies, he marries Zeena because he can't stand feeling lonely. They end up in a sad, loveless marriage as  Zeena  turns out to be a hypochondriac who needs constant attention. Zeena's cousin Mattie, who has no place to go, is eventually hired to stay with the Fromes to help take care of Zeena, cook and clean. Over time, Ethan and Mattie fall in love and Zeena, suspicious of the relationship, decides to send Mattie away. You will have to read the book to find out what happens next. All I will say is that the epilogue is quite a shock and you will not be disappointed. It's only 195 pages or about a 4 mile run that is beautifully written and unforgettable.