OUTSIDE

About OUTSIDE

January at the marina: halyards frozen stiff, the Byram sliding gray under the bridge, snow coming across the water with nothing in its way. OUTSIDE takes the village at that hour — plowing driveways, clearing walkways and steps, pushing back the ridge the town plow leaves at the end of a drive. Cold work, and there is no talking yourself out of it once the phone starts. But there is a particular pleasure in standing at the top of a cleared drive at first light, breath steaming, everything squared away. Port Chester gets on with its morning and nobody has to think about the snow at all.