Sunday, November 14, 2010

Try to remember the kind of November

Fifteen years ago, I was working for a woman whose daughter was about my age. The daughter lived in California, and we struck up an occasional correspondence.

She wrote me a note around this time of year, asking about the weather in New Hampshire. She loved November in New England, she said — "it's so grey and skeletal." I loved that phrase — enough that I've retained it for 15 years.

November is just starting to get skeletal this year, but it is not yet at all gray. The weather's been gorgeous, with blue blue skies. And as much as I miss the incredible reds and oranges of a few weeks ago, I love the views that their absence affords. And in a few weeks, I'll be very ready to cover those views with snow.

When I lived in D.C. and came home, it was often the weather that would make me homesick (sorry, family).

Day 12 of my month of gratitude: I'm thankful for changing seasons, and for the nostalgia I get out of every fluctuation in the temperature, every new bud and falling leaf and too-deep slush puddle.

1 comment:

Cousin Mouse said...

I used to think late fall in NH before the snow came was gray, but when I went back one November after many years away I was surprised to see the landscape was full of browns and greens. The fields had grasses and foliage ranging in color from light tan to dark red-brown. The greens were in the pines, of which there are a lot, and some foliage retains a sort-of olive green. So, not just gray!