Freeze Frames

Fall in Colorado is best summarized with just one, little, compound noun: roller-coaster.

With the temperatures readily fluctuating as much as 20 degress in the span of a single day, I find myself wearing a t-shirt on a Monday and my fleece pajamas on a Tuesday. I also seem to hover near the thermostat: yes, yes, I know my digital thermostat that's programmed for the winter schedule should be my steady go-to. But fall in Colorado means I cannot seem to get warm: what worked comfortably for me in the dead of winter the year before appears to be lacking considerably in the face of my four layers and mug of cocoa the following auturm. So, I bump here. I bump there: I mean, seriously, will the environmental patrol come take me away over a measly one degree...or two?

I mean, what's a girl to do?

Well, a couple of weeks ago, Old Man Winter answered that with a resounding, "Freeze 'em to death!" I mean this literally since this first ice storm effectively strangled the remaining veggie crops, porched-pumpkins, and lingering asters. Yet, I looked out the window and found myself enthralled by the precise lines and crisp, frosty air. It was like it whispered, "Ahhh....clean." And the early winter wonderland was a reminder that freeze frames out of place in the cycle of our seasons aren't less valuable simply because they mean the occassional degree bump or extra layer of socks; rather, they're God's hot pink Post-It that proclaims, "Yes, I'm still here. Yes, I'm still in charge. And sometimes you just need a little ice to remember the value of what keeps you warm inside.