And just like that, any illusions we may have had about the time of year have blown away with the first gust of the 40s. The trees join us in recoiling from the cold, seeming to shiver in anticipation.

The clouds put on a moody display almost daily and I’m in love with the amount of colors, from the ground all the way around. Still green at the base, a burst of yellows and oranges in the middle, and the blue and gray above almost take on a violet shade from time to time. Everything is represented.

I don’t mind wearing the lighter layers so it’s still not a hassle just to leave the house but I know what’s coming. The thought of having to fight so hard against the environment just to get outside is a source of months worth of frustration that start soon.

I have to fight these frustrations and get out in the sun, dim as it may be, for my sanity and plummeting levels of vitamin D.