Winter is coming, slowly and steadily, it will be here before I'm ready. I don't mind the cold. There's a lot to be said about thick, warm blankets. There are more reasons to drink hot coffee. Warm, thick sweaters, thermals, and hooded sweatshirts can be...comforting. I dusted off my big black boots weeks ago. This is the time of year I like to take walks at night, when the neighborhood is already asleep or, at least, in for the night. I feel invisible in the dark, looking at the stars, looking at neighboring homes, watching my breath disappear behind me. I like to walk through the playground at the end of my street and sit on the bench for a few minutes--the swings still unless there is a breeze. I love the sound of the dead leaves scratching along the paved streets, dogs barking in the distance, sometimes the coyotes.

What I dread is the darkness. Even now the days are growing shorter and shorter. The mornings are so dark...I didn't even notice that they were coming so much later. I get home from work, walk the dogs, eat...and already it's dusk. My energy and whatever brightness I've managed to summon for the day seem to sink with the sun. I feel lethargic--and it's only October. I can't imagine another six months of artificial heat and light, stagnant indoor air. I'm going into hibernation. This little groundhog poked her head out of the ground a few times, took a few timid steps, basked in the sun for a few days, and will now disappear again...