Iced Tea to Hot Cocoa

It seems to happen every year. We get these hot, sweltering, tropical days that raise your blood's temperature to just below boiling, then, we get some cooler days. It doesn't just cool to a reasonable summer temperature, oh no, it cools off to a nice fall temperature, just to give us a taste of what's to come.

Obviously, I'm enjoying the cooler weather, because I like to move and breathe and stuff, but there are those who want to hang on to summer with all their might, holding it against its will. I'm not one of those people. I like the relaxing, no pressure, no real schedule, fluff days of summer. I like having my kids home with me. But I warmly welcome the cooler temperatures, the changing colors, and leaves crunching beneath my feet.

If history is to be believed, the temperatures will warm up soon, and stay warm again for a while before really settling in for fall. And we'll welcome the warmer days, like long-lost old friends who visit. We'll be sad to see those days go, because we know after fall comes the dreaded “w” word. Winter.

Likewise, there are people who adore winter. The people who love to ski, the people who love feeling the cold air on their noses. I'm not one of those people, either. Last winter, my amazing husband built an ice rink in the yard for the kids. They were all out there every day, shoveling the snow from the rink, leveling the ice, and freezing. They loved it! I went out long enough to take photos, and went back inside to have hot cocoa at the ready.

Sometimes I wish I liked the extremes of the thermometer. I wish I could be there when my kids experience skiing, if they choose to ski. I wish I enjoyed the 90º days so we could go to the beach instead of cower in the air conditioning. But I'm not that mom. Never have been, and probably never will be.

I'm not really fussy about the weather; I just want it perfect. MY definition of perfect.