flax-golden

friends for hedgehogs I made you a hedgie friend! she says, handing me a spiky, beady-eyed ball of some sort of bark and artfully composed twig slices. Thanks, I say, putting him down on

implements I made the keys first. They were easier. Then each one needed a keyhole and escutcheon and set of doorknobs or handles to match, ranging from simple to ornate. Victorian and Art Deco

the short, sad life of a faceless snowman He wasn’t leaning when they built him. (Is it presumptuous to assume all snowmen are male?) Anyway, he stood up pretty well those first few days.

attendants No one told them that their jobs were finished. They were never properly dismissed or let go. Informed that their necessity had waned. They continued to attend. Even after temples were shut and

frames for nature Nature doesn’t need frames, I say, but she insists on finding them anyway. Running around like a cameraless photographer as she composes each shot. Leaving to find another when she’s satisfied.

silver bells Listen, and you’ll hear. In the snow-quiet. In the cold that envelops bare branches and evergreens alike, winding around sleds and mittens and waterproof boots. The bells are ringing. Even if they