Snow is once again falling quietly but steadily on the Sawtooth Valley ski trails. The trails at Park Creek look pretty good and can be recommended for flat tracking for sure, but at Alturas Lake, strong winds have totally obscured trails with shifting drifting snow. Grooming there is scheduled for today, the 23rd of December…. the day upon which, 127 years ago,  Vincent Van Gogh sliced off his ear. in a swirl of psychosis and general delirium. He described experiencing “Sometimes moods of indescribable anguish, sometimes moments when the veil of time and fatality of circumstances seemed to be torn apart for an instant.” ”

“Hmm, that sounds familiar” thought Divinius as he pulled his stocking cap down firmly over both of his ears, turned the snowmobile key and rode off to groom through the drifting white snow under the swirling pulsing sky.