I want to beat the wind. Up and out early ahead of the impending storm to enjoy the ease of a final ski on pleasantly groomed trails. A light, steady snow is falling in minute flakes to freshen everything with a sense of peace in the stillness of quiet woods. But, the weather is forecasted to fill the land with more than a foot of snow to be blown into mountainous drifts by gusts of wind. There will be beauty and effort: inches and inches of snow will need to be shoveled from doorsteps and walkways. A blizzard blows toward the trees; branches torn and lost will not be recovered. Indoors, by the fire, I've been making collages for days and days; the canvas I ski over today will be buried under the layers of new surface. Sometimes when I've covered an entire surface I'm working on with new images or paint, I forget what I pasted on the layer beneath. In these woods, this morning's images are truly of this moment, now, and only now. I give thanks for rising early and witnessing this collage of images on the banks of the river Charles.