Snow-Capped Mountains...

Winter solitude--
in a world of one color
the sound of wind.
-Matsuo Basho

Ah yes, the return of winter. I came across this poem (a haiku, really) the other day. I enjoy it immensely.

For those of my readers that are unaware, I live at an elevation of 6200 ft... or 1950 meters, whichever you prefer to use. Many people think that "Oh yeah, Morocco is that desert country." When you live at elevation, at this latitude, you still get snow. The other day we got what I will call "the first snow on the mountain."

We have generally had gorgeous weather recently. It gets down near freezing at night, and during the day up to 60F (15 C). As long as the sun is out and beating on you, you feel quite warm. The other day this all changed (just for a brief couple of days).

We had a day of strong wind, a day of changing weather. I could tell (due to the wind) that it was going to get cloudy, and I knew this meant potentially getting rain or snow. It rained off and on for the better part of two days. The clouds were low enough that I knew once they cleared that there was a good chance of snow on the nearby mountain-top, which sits about 10,500 feet. I definitely was in anticipation, because the top of this mountain is brown and lacking in any color. When I first came to my village in May, I found snow-capped mountains. Absolutely striking in color and appearance.

Sure enough, when I awoke the next morning, I went outside (after bundling up) and checked it out. White tops and sun reflecting. I dislike cold (absolutely hate cold weather), but I figure if it is cold, we should have some snow to glance at.

One thing I am not exited for is trying to stay warm. As of right now, I am still wood-stove-less. I need to get on that. It is not super cold in my house yet, probably hovers around 55 degrees. Yes, I know that seems cold, but I just layer and sleep under numerous blankets and a sleeping-bag. However, the temperature in my house will continue to drop, and become unbearable.

In terms of the wood I will be using, I will be burning a combination of cedar and oak wood. This wood is likely harvested illegally, and it tells the story of the people here in this area, and country. Wood is necessary, but the regulation of wood-harvesting is difficult. The burning of wood, in addition to the lack of re-planting, and rapid population growth in the past 10 years (doubling) has contributed to the biggest environmental issue here... deforestation. In reality, I am now a part of this problem. But I need to stay warm, and this is the cheapest and safest way to stay warm in the coming winter. It is one of the moral issues that I face dealing with the environment here (the other being personal trash disposal...more later).

But, back to the return of winter!

It is cold here now, and while very serene and nice to have a fire going (unable to do this yet), it is going to be a long couple of months. People here tend to layer up and stay inside, so work becomes slow, and sometimes my road in/out of town becomes blocked with snow. It should be super-interesting, and eventually, I will post pictures.

With all of this said, I am glad to see the picturesque snow return to my village.

Much love to my readers (and anyone who reads this!) and hope your Thanksgiving was fantastic.

-Me!