Yesterday, on a whim, I applied for a job with Maine Public Radio.

Okay, not entirely on a whim. It’s a fundraising support position that I’m perfectly qualified for, and my partner has been encouraging me for some time to find work closer to my nephew and niece in Portland.

Most importantly, all I want for Christmas is just one full-time job with benefits and my own desk. This gig economy thing is for the birds.

So when the Saturday after Thanksgiving found us walking down to the lake to check the thickness of the beautiful clear ice….

(Not yet thick enough for ice skating.)

…and then continuing around the lake in the thin blanket of early winter snow….

… I couldn’t help but fantasize a bit about living in snug little Maine houses with snowy roofs and lake ice and big old pine trees.

(Yes, I know these lakeside cabins are not winterized … but aren’t they sweet?!)