Tree's, Being Lost, and Long Underwear

It is officially cold.

Literally overnight all the trees dropped their leaves. Last Saturday we spent about 3 hours sweeping the area around our house and raking up the yard, pushing leaves into the "woodsy" part of the yard. We felt so accomplished until Wednesday... when a large of gust of wind came through, followed by a little rain. When I woke up on Thursday the trees were completely naked and our yard, driveway and deck looked as if we hadn't swept since last Spring!

This "shedding of the leaves", if you will, means only one thing...it is cold. And this desert rat has a tough winter-time reality to face...I am going to freeze my keister off.

Unfortunately this has effected my poor children. The Kindergarten teacher has had to send a note home to me, not once, but twice because "we still go to the playground on cold days, please send your child to school with a jacket". The second note said "You don't live in the desert anymore, between October and March it will be frigid here (even if there is an occasional "warm" day). Your kid needs a jacket so that she doesn't go outside and turn purple and have to be sent to the nurse to treat frost bite. What kind of mother are you anyway?"

I am exaggerating...but that second note did get my attention.

On Saturday my running buddy and I went for a run at 7:00 am. It was 27 degrees. I actually had to put on long underwear, running pants, gloves, two shirts, a running jacket and a "keep-your-ears-warm-headband-thing" and I was still so cold that running was actually enjoyable....mostly because my legs were so chilled that I couldn't feel them. It was like running with a spinal block. The only downer was that my friend and I almost broke out in a sweat trying to communicate with each other... our lips were numb. It is very hard to run when you can't talk. We managed to talk but it was slow...we ran 4 miles but the conversation was only about 2 miles worth...

Which bring me to another crazy seasonal changing problem. Every time the season changes, the landscape changes, and I end up getting lost and having to find my way through a new city all over again. Thankfully we are rounding out through the last season of change before we start our second year here. So I will now know what everything looks like Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall. At least now I have friend here who has lived here all her life and doesn't mind me calling her in a pinch. I like to think of it as a "Win-Win" situation. I get to where I am going and she gets a good laugh for the day. These (weekly, or so) phone calls go kind of like this: "Hey, I am trying to find out where the Jacket Store is to get an acceptable coat for my daughter who is currently at school turning purple... I thought I could find it without my Mapsco, but because all the leaves have changed and fallen to the ground all my landmarks have been changed...where the heck am I going? By the way, is it always so cold this time of year?"

So, if you don't see a post for awhile it's either because my fingers are frozen and i can't type, or I fell over during a run and can't get up because I look like a Stay-Puff Marshmallow in all my winter running gear (and having frozen lips can't call for help) or I am bundled up in my queen sized, "cookie monster" blue, heating blanket,turned up to DESERT HEAT HOT...and will be there 'til March.