Time To Break Out The Shovels...

 At 6am this morning sleet hitting the side of the house woke me up. I thought someone was throwing a bucket of pebbles at my bedroom window.

Nope...sleet.

I got up, inspected the window for permanent damage, saw there was none, then got ready for work.

An hour or so later, I saw from my office window snow swirling outside. It didn't last long, but evidence of the skiff blanketed the ground with a thin layer of white. No worries...soon the clouds cleared and the snow disappeared.

But, the storm that hit a few hours later dropped more than a thin layer, so much so, I grabbed a shovel from where it hung unused for months, and scraped off the snow leading to our garage.

Though the calendar says it isn't, today felt like winter. The sleet, the wind, the low clouds, the snow that didn't necessarily need shoveling but was shoveled anyway...it all added up. Funny, how you wish for things to be different, different car, different house, different season, then when it arrives you are almost unprepared. In the hottest summer days, I dream of winter. Now that it's arrived, you think of the things you can no longer do until things warm up.

For the next five or six months, I'll be thinking about the roads if we need to go anywhere...are they wet, are they frozen? Should we take the van, or the SUV? Do I need a jacket, or something heavier? And, will these shoes be okay for what we're planning to do?

Winter comes in second on my list of favorite seasons, even with all its issues and flaws and accommodations. When else can you see a sunset before dinner, curl up in a warm blanket with a cup of hot chocolate while flames flicker in the fireplace? When else, when it's logical, I mean.