A snowy morning in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont

We woke up with one of the most beautiful snowy mornings in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. We had not had this type of snow for as long as I can remember. The snow was so soft, light, clean and shinny all over the lawn and driveway. It was a perfect morning to get up and rush outside into the snow with our dog, Salem-Hieng. Hieng means black in Kmhmu, a native language of what used to be known as the Kingdom of Laos, or the Lao Larn Xang (the Lao Million Elephants). He is a good dog and friend. Many times he would be by my side when I am alone in the woods, or alone at night going to our shed to bring loads of firewood inside the house. If not for Salem-Hieng, I would be scare and afraid of the woods and darkness. Growing up in the Kingdom of Laos, now the country is known as the Republic of Lao, we were brought up with all different kind of scary and ghost stories and folktales. We were taught that the spirits of the death such as the ones we know and our ancestors, who used to live in that particular area will never faded away. They will still be there until they are born into another living in this existence. Despite the fact that I believe in science and have been living in the Western world longer than in Laos or Asia, I can't help myself getting scared in the darks and woods.