Seeking Warmth

I needed to get away and clear my mind for awhile, so I drove up to Washington Park. The parking lot was almost deserted. I had it to myself except for the crows who were searching for a warm roost in the face of the coming storm. The grey sky seems to have swallowed the color of the hills, causing them to huddle together in tones of grey and sepia. The wind brought the smells of the arctic down from the north and you could almost see the snowflakes congregating in the clouds, waiting to transform the grounds into a sparkling white wonderland far in advance of January, when the snow usually flies.

The cold wind speaks of lonely. Of a need to scurry home to family and friends and turn the lights on all around for fear the wind will follow me inside. I want warm fires, hot apple cider and a good bowl of soup. Instead I head for Knob Hill for a walk through the neighborhood and a trip to Paper Source. The colors are brighter here and there is the beginning of a feel for the holiday season. People are walking with a little more swagger and joy and kids are running from window to window trying to decide in this year of much reduced living, which toy they want from Santa this year. Christmas decorations are going up along the street and there are friendly greetings heard everywhere.

I passed this house along the way, offering a free poem to passerbys. A wonderful treat for those of us who love the presence or presents of words.

A window from a local designer features elegant undies for sale...and here, the grey blanket of clouds and beginnings of rain has not washed away the colors...

The miracle of fall leaves is that no two leaves are the same color. As if an unknown hand carefully painted each one before they fell to the ground.

A colorful offering of soap dressed up the window of a local business. But even here, it is too cold to wander the streets for long. So I make my purchases and head for home and the comfort of an old quilt and a cup of tea.

As I settle down to work on the laptop, my big grey tom instantly appears....he loves the little fan that blows the hot air on the left side of my computer and doesn't hesitate to snuggle in beside it to find his own piece of comfort and warmth. Welcome to winter.