By Elizabeth Ricketson: Elizabeth Ricketson My daughter, Emily, and her family arrived last Thursday to spend a few days with us and enjoy Vermont in February. Ski bags, a stack of comingled children, and adult skis and outdoor apparel decorated the garage and the tile floor at our backdoor. Impossibly small turquoise ski boots for Ellis, five, and Josephine (Joey), two and a half, rested on their sides just waiting to be employed. I had done a lot of prep to make sure the house was filled...

By Elizabeth Ricketson: Ricketson, Elizabeth. Something Sweet. Acrylic 30" x 36" I felt like I got away with something this morning, and it felt so good. Feeling willfully free was exhilarating. Defiant in a most innocent way. I was headed out for a run without the treacherous block of ice that was formerly my driveway. Spits and spats of snow still blow around, but the birds are returning, singing as they harken in mud season in Vermont. The month of March teases us with thoughts of crocuses...

By Elizabeth Ricketson: Ricketson, Elizabeth. "A Surround of Warmth," acrylic, 24" x 30" Gray morning sky. Eight degrees. A frozen golden mist heavily rambled along the hills. Bare tree limbs festively decorated in icy sparkles. I stretched my Yaktrax micro spikes over my bold-yellow Saucony running shoes knowing the going would be sporty. I navigated my snowy way down the drive, carefully dodging thick ice patches that would not be particularly kind to this aging body. Once I reached the...