The Nest

The weekend! Most students spend theirs sleeping in late and then partying. I, on the other hand, spent about 3 1/2 hours outside on this 20 degree, breezy day - walking to the grocery store (for butter and cheese, bananas, onions, and cream) and building our fort. We've christened it "The Nest". The roof and the largest wall are all covered with sticks. Tomorrow we will finish it by building a rock wall on the opposite side and covering everything with small twigs and leaves. The open side looks out on to the Hudson River - a stunning sight from any viewpoint, but simply breaktaking when seen from our lair. The woods are absolutely silent, save for the occasional squawk of a raven or the powerful cracking of ice sheets in the river below. Everything is frosted with snow.

But it is far too cold to enjoy the view for long. It will be nice in the spring and summer when it's warm enough to be able to sit for an hour and watch the sun set (perfectly framed by the large window).

The perfect remedy for today's activities was a hot shower and delicious dinner. Using my family's homegrown grassfed beef, my friends and I made meatballs (ground beef, sauteed onions, eggs, oatmeal, salt and nutmeg), with boiled potatoes and cream gravy, and broccoli on the side. Nothing beats a hearty meal made with beef this good. Yes, I think I'll take a day of fort-building and meatball-eating over a college party any day!