In my head I think, "Well, of course they broke up. He saw me and remembered what true love is, and two weeks later they're toast." But, well, reality is very different from what goes on in my head, and I'm home alone while D and Roy are at a bar downtown.

We went out cross country skiing today. The quiet creaking of snow beneath my skis. Gentle whirring of the fish scales on the downhill. Snow coming down thick and heavy.

This is the Nechako River last weekend:

There is ice coming down the river, and the edges are starting to freeze. Eventually this river will freeze over.

There is an island in the river that is a regional park, but a couple of years ago a huge ice jam tore out the footbridges that gave access to the island. However, seeing as the sloughs are frozen over, we were able to slither over to the island and hike around the trails.

D was mushing on ahead in the ankle-deep snow, when I looked up and noticed this:

Cottonwood bark is highly sought after for carving, and in this case, the carver didn't wait for the tree to die. I looked closer, and there were faces carved in several trees in the area. This is a type of graffiti that I love - somewhat secret, curious, magical. Surprising. D would miss it all if it weren't for me.

I'm still so happy here. I feel free. I feel like I've spent my life floundering in a huge sea but now have found a comfortable little pond in which I can finally touch down onto land.

And beyond everything, I am having fun: