I actually slept. The air was cold, windows were closed. For the first time, we started up our wood stove. And I slept.
I don’t sleep well during hot weather. Something about cold weather makes me want to curl up in the bed like a bear hibernating in its den.
We finally had a dip in the temperatures in the last twenty-four hours. As opposed to the last several weeks, today, it didn’t even make it out of the 40s.
I bundled up with a vest and jacket and took the dogs out for a walk around the neighborhood and it felt like fall. For the first time in a long time. The air was crisp, but not so biting cold that you needed a hat or gloves. It smelled like dried leaves, and it felt good to inhale and let that coolish air fill my lungs.
I felt like I had a litle extra zip in my step. Hiking up the hill from North Boulder Creek, I wasn’t getting all sweaty like I have been during these hotter temperatures. And it wasn’t just me. Shawnee and Simon, with their thick coats of fur seemed invigorated by the colder temperatures. Zipping around the woods, chasing tennis balls, romping through the leaves.
Walking back to our Nederland home on this fall day reminded me of why I love it here so much. Being able to walk on a quiet dirt road, looking at the Aspens devoid of their leaves, and feeling like winter may just come after all gave me hope. Just the slightest bit of hope, that things will be ok.
