It’s been snowing, just a bit, for the past three days. Drove into Oneonta yesterday with a to-do list...make sure I save up all chores for one day...got them all done but missed the recycle center; I forgot they close at 3pm.

So I left off the idea of a propane fireplace as a backup for the electric furnace propane heating system...just had to go with the dream of a wood-burning stove. Turns out, so I’m told, they offer better heat, and are a fraction of the heating bill.

Ok, he was the salesman, but this is what he said, I would burn about 3 chords of wood a year - totaling around $450. Propane, on the other hand, was a few hundred a month. If this is true, the stove (and approved trailer chimney pipe) would pay for itself in a little over one year.

Turns out wood stoves have to meet higher air quality standards than ever. Maybe someday I’ll buy a 5-acre wooded lot; they say with simple wood-lot management, you can have all the wood you need for the year and keep the forest in tact (thinning out the woods in a healthy manner). It may be that the environmental folks may see things differently, I don’t know enough about it yet.

Anyway, last night I noticed it has been about a week and the mouse that is living in the ashram (Ganesh’s mouse?) still hadn’t invited himself into either mousetrap - they are harmless traps - the mouse is caught but unharmed. It seemed the mouse didn't even go around the traps, as evidenced by the lack of their calling card (ie, mouse droppings). In fact, for some strange reason, the mouse mostly seems to return to the silverware draw...ding! A light-bulb moment; now I’m thinking like a mouse; why not put the trap in the draw...it fits perfectly.

Late last night, from my slumber, I heard a faint metal click coming from the kitchen, and I thought, mouse found the trap. Sure enough, this morning, one cute mouse was sitting inside the trap (there is a clear plastic top - like a sunroof - mouse-roof? - to see inside). He ate the goody I left for him - organic honey graham cracker bit with organic sesame seeds mixed into Jif peanut butter (sorry mouse, as I don't use peanut butter, I got a jar from the Country Store in Gilbertsville.

The mouse was cute, and not really seeming to be afraid. I was told to drive to some open area away from the home so he wouldn't come back. But what about the neighbors where you drop off the mouse? Not sure what to do, and mice being nocturnal, I closed the draw, leaving him, or her, in the dark for me to take care of other issues.

Working on the Gita Peace & Paradise workshop flyer for Long Island in Jan. Jean from LI has been kind enough to help edit and give another set of eyes to the flyer.

Time to shovel a path to the garage. I notice I am in much better shape than the other day when I first shoveled. Also I paced myself more. But since the first day I shoveled, my body feels decades younger...strange.

City folks, let me share a secret with you about snow and cold; everyone says to me, ‘oh, but its cold upstate’. True, but it is a pure cold; a cold that invigorates the spirit. And the snow...it is light and powdery - pure, sharing sattwic (purity) feelings as you shovel. And shoveling snow is a gift from God. It’s just one more action that can be done - out in nature, fresh air, snow flakes, no hurries, no worries.

Of course we are talking 1-2 inches of snow. To be truly fair, I’ll have to get back to you after I’m shoveling 3 feet of snow (or get a snow blower).

Besides, with all this activity, the length of time I used to feel the need to do other forms of exercise have reduced. I rarely need to do yoga poses - that’s because when shoveling snow, Im already doing the ‘plow’ pose - snow plow that is.

So the driveway was back to being driveable, and it was time to take mousey (I’m calling him/her mousey for now) for a ride. Another first for me, driving in the snow upstate. The roads are rather slippery - testing my brakes, steering around curves and sliding sideways a bit... really just a bit of testing...nothing serious if you’re careful.

Where to drop mousey? There is always a house in sight. This reminds me of the story of the guru who gave each of his two disciples a bowl of kicharee (basmati rice and mung beans) and a picture of God, and said, go and eat this where no one can see you.

One of the disciples returned after 10 minutes with empty bowl and God’s picture in hand. He said, ‘I just went around the back of the ashram where nobody was, and ate the kicharee.’

The other disciple did not return for many hours, and when she did, was disheartened. She said, ‘I’m sorry master, I failed the task; wherever I went, the photo of God was there watching me’

And so I thought of this story looking for a place to free mousey and not inflict him on neighbors. Then amid my thoughts, and careful driving, suddenly there was not a house in sight. This looked as good a place as any to free mousey. And so I stopped the car, got out, walked to the side of the road, bent down and opened the trap. Mousey wouldn’t leave. So I tilted the box until mousey found himself sitting in the snow.

Much to my surprise, mousey didn’t run away frightened...just sat there wondering, then looking back at me, ‘now what?’ he seemed to say. ‘You’re free’, I thought, and stood and turned back to the car. Mousey then hopped under the snow and was gone.

I wish I stayed a bit longer to share the moment; maybe even offer mousey one last graham cookie for the cold road.

While I’m well at the beginning of my merit badges for surviving and living in the country, I did successfully catch a mouse and free him, unharmed, and navigated the snow-filled winding, hilly roads.

Maybe it doesn’t sound like much, and it’s not in the big picture, but they are two new life lessons under my belt, leaving me with more confidence and ready for the next adventure God has in store.

I wish I thought to take a picture of mousey to show you all - in the trap and in the field...you would have liked her.; and I think he would have liked you too. Jai Sri Ganeshji.

And that’s the view from the ashram porch

Shanti aur Sat Yuga (Peace & Paradise)