My dear sir:
I trust this morning find you in good health and spirit. I myself am in plentiful spirit, due to the remarkable nature of our current meteorological situation. It is quite extraordinary, so much so as to have caused my esteemed supervisor to call in sick. Thus my day shall be a little brighter.
I awoke to find myself surrounded by a glittering array of snow, spread so thickly as to resemble a dense and rather wet cake. I thus determined that I should break my fast before venturing into this land, for who knew how treacherous such a journey as I planned to undertake might prove? I prepared a cup of fragrant tea, and ate of an english muffin thickly spread with raspberry jam.
During this while I was privileged to speak with my dear friend wheloc, who enjoyed a similiarly fragrant meal. He informed me that he felt ill, but was not sure as to from whence his illness arose. We together determined that he has a fever, a sore throat, and a set of slightly enlarged lymph nodes. He therefore may be stricken with that same terrible mononucleosis from which our household has recently suffered, although he is hopeful that it be merely Ryan's influenza. How quickly does illness steal upon us! However, he seemed in good spirit, and I was obliged to leave him for my morning's responsibilities. Truly this repast had strengthened me; I now was ready to plunge into that vast wilderness.
Upon the course of my morning's exercise, I observed the myriad number of natural wonders in their course. How fine it was to take into my lungs the fresh, clean air so often absent from our dingy cities! How crisp and dainty the crust of ice spread over the slush of our deplored gutters! Truly, Nature sees fit to cleanse those wretched human things which she deems a smudge upon her palette. But to those natural things which are a part of her--trees, shrubberies, and the like--her action seems a balm. How exquisite it was to view the various branches encased in ice! How this ice did capture them at their finest, and weight them down, so that I might examine them closely!
The flag itself received some of this treatment; to my eye, it seemed to be covered in the very same icy sheen, though it kept to its own lofty height. However, at this height, it did not keep still, but instead flew at the mercy of the high gale. It rasped against itself as a carpenter may rasp a lathe against his wood, then belled out in the wind with an audible snap. I observed as well that these violent actions had not gone without corporal effect: it had, in fact, begun to shred itself, and whipped its ragged edges out in frantic fashion. How strange, thought I, that such an object--a symbol of the pride and glory of our nation--might choose to fret itself to pieces. Ah well, how little I know of politics; I soon turned from it and entered instead my place of business.
And here I sit. I trust I shall have the honour of visiting you later in the day: we might undertake to plan a simple feast upon which to sup. This, I feel, could be a quiet yet fruitful activity, rich with its rewards for those who choose to take it.
I remain, esteemed sir,
your most sincere and respectful colleague,
etc., etc.