Now

02.01.2026

• About 1/3 of the way into Ray Nayler’s latest, Where the Axe is Buried and I’m hooked. So far it seems not to address much of the biological/ecological aspect that I loved so much in The Tusks of Extinction and The Mountain in the Sea (though there’s still time!), but the rest is right in my sweet spot. It’s thrilling to have another “favorite author” writing contemporaneously. I look forward to whatever else he publishes in years to come.
• We’ve had historic snowfall for our area over the last couple days. By my measurements it’s around 12" or so. It’s really, cold, too, so it’s a very light, powdery snow. Not great for building snowmen or throwing snowballs but great for sledding. It’s been a treat to introduce my kids to what was one of my favorite winter activities growing up in Ohio.
• w/r/t that snowfall, I am so grateful and fortunate to be in a position where a) we still have heat and electricity and are otherwise extremely comfortable inside; b) we’ve not had any urgent need to leave the house for any reason over the last few days; and c) we’ve know it’s going to warm up and melt off before too long. These three things (and probably more that I’m forgetting) in combination create a situation where the snow and cold are all joy.