Day 37

The snow was wet and sticky, for a little while at the end an icy rain.  Then the temperature dipped way down and so this afternoon, even after the weak sun has shone most of the day, every tree is outlined in white.  It is as though Krishna, the mischievous god, had roamed around in the night, tracing each tree with a white crayon.

My exercise today was plodding through the woods, where I found a deer-bed.

You could see the where the warm body had lain, clearly imprinted in the shallow snow, under the protection of a thick weave of cedar branches, a good choice during the storm which dumped about 9 inches everywhere else.  

Also hauling wood, taking care up the steps not to bother the mermaid, who is sleeping.    

Mermaid, tired from surfing, asleep under the rhododendron.

My friend Kate who lives in on an island in the Hebrides (where I have always wanted to go after falling in love with Gavin Maxwell and Mijbil when I was 12 and read Ring of Bright Water), wrote a post on women born in her sign, the, year of the Dog according to the Chinese Horoscope, with a link to an interesting site where you can look up your own sign. 

Sculpted Chinese Zodiac: 12 animals, one standing for each year.

The 12 year system describes how people perceive you or how you present yourself.  There are also animals designated for each month, (inner animals), each day (true animals) and also for each hour (secret animals).  So you may appear to be a Dragon because you were born in the year of the Dragon, but internally you may be a Goat, truly you may be a Rat, and secretly you may be a Snake!

So of course after reading the attributes of people born under Kate's sign, which she said was surprisingly accurate, I looked up the rest of my immediate family.  We also have a Dog (Jess), as well as two Goats (Emma and Anne), two Monkeys (the boys), and a pig (Tim). 

I agree with Kate, there were several credible attributes for each person, it was quite uncanny, and I rarely follow such things, but it is interesting to know about all the theories of origin, the mystery of what makes us who we are.  (I am an animal that I loathe, by the way, and I think secretly I am really a Dragon.  At one time I thought all goats should be eradicated off the face of the earth.  They are such destructive animals, and ate all our new little trees we had planted at Nombulelo, the school where I taught in Grahamstown.) 

My two Monkeys are very different people and there are several attributes which relate to one and not the other, but I can see both boys in this excerpt, "Monkeys are hard workers once they have a piece of the action. The bigger the piece, the better they do. Monkeys like to travel, and they want to do it first class. They need a certain amount of excitement in their lives."

And my Jess, a Dog, like Kate.  "They are extremely protective of themselves and their loved ones. With a passion for fair play and justice, they never fail to rescue you time after time. They may rant and rave, but they never rest until they right the wrong. They are true humanitarians and suffer with the world.
Once Dogs classify you, they rarely change their minds. There are few in-betweens. Dogs perceive things either in black or white. You are either friend or enemy." Jess has always been like this, since she was a small girl.

And the stubborn Goats, Emma and I.  "The goat is known for gentleness and kindness. They also worry. (You see, we can't help it!)  Sometimes clumsy in speech, they are always passionate about what they do and what they believe in. They are compatible with Rabbits, Pigs, and Horses. Goats like to set their own hours and will not tolerate too much discipline. They are also very offended if they are criticized."  Yes, we are both like this!

So Pigs are very loyal and kind.  They are compatible with Rabbits and Goats.  According to the website, "Pigs do not dazzle or shimmer. They possess the old-fashioned chivalry that grows on you until you totally depend on it. It is so easy to trust Pigs. They have a calm expression and a sincere manner. They are blessed with endurance and work steadily at tasks with great patience until completion." Yes, all this is true, except that Tim definitely shimmers.  He is, after all, my knight in shimmering armour.