Old Man Winter

Winter has officially arrived in North Carolina. The last couple of days have been dreary, cold and wet, and the cycle continues today.

I've actually been ready for winter for the past several weeks, so I'm excited that it's actually here. Around this time of year, there's a sort of anticipation, as the days become a little bit colder, the air starts to smell a little different, and you know that something is coming, something is chaning. There seems to be a bit of excitement with that anticipation. So now that the season has officially turned over to winter, there's as sense of harmony and resolution to that anticipation.

And now, of course, it's just pure excitement, as we wait for the holidays and start the chaotic crush of Christmas shopping. And then the renewed excitement (anticipation?) as the end of the year draws to a close and a new one awakens.

But then, it seems, the anticipation and excitement are over. And we start to bury ourselves and prepare for the long stretch of winter before us. The season has already changed, the holidays have already come, and there's nothing more to look forward to but the long, slow homecoming of spring.