At church this Sunday they were having a genteel argument over whether 2010 is the first year of a new decade or the last of the preceding. Most of the snow from the big storm has melted in two days of warm and mild weather.

Now an arctic front is moving in promising dry cold and wind like a knife. Already I’ve had to put extra salt on the steps.

I watch the sun. I promised myself not to look at the almanac until after the New Year, because now the sun stands still and the days are not getting longer quite yet. I run in and out of houses, overheated for the most part. The elderly complexes are well-protected from the elements. The triple-deckers usually have a designated room where a space heater wins out over the drafts. I would like to go on a retreat, but that’s not how we live, or make our living.

There’s still something special about this time of year. I’m keeping the tree up for a while.