february 19 and i am writing that the seasons are changing . . .
we have noticeably more hours of sunlight than we did just a few short weeks ago. each morning, i get up and walk through the house, turn up the heat and turn on some lights and start the coffee pot. for a few months, the sky is dark, and still dark when i emerge from the shower, get dressed, and pour myself a cup of coffee, the sun not yet up over the horizon line of the neighborhood. for a few weeks, i arrive at work (at 8:00) before the sun has made its appearance.
each evening, i leave work sometime between 4:30 and 5:15. for a few months, the sky is dark when i am heading home, the sun already low, shining somewhere else, further west.
this morning, i was up at 6:15, the waning moon shining brightly in the lightening western sky, clouds stained pink in the eastern sky, the sun ready to make an appearance over eastern montana before 7:00.
the air today is warmer, even in the early morning.
and i have a beautiful box of fruit and veggies to eat and share and cook with. the vibrant colors feel like summertime and hope.
ben headed out early this morning; he'll be teaching all day today and tomorrow. we are already starting into the season where staffing and preparation and fire load will demand that he live and work at the station eighty-six miles northwest of home. fire season used to be shorter, more predictable, late june through mid-september, with a few random fires outside this fairly predictable timeframe. but seasons change. and there have been three fires in the coverage area ben is supervisor for in the last two weeks. in years past, no one in montana would be thinking about preparing a wildland engine and bringing it into service in february. those engines would stay winterized and out of service for at least two months yet. last week, at least one engine up in jordan got prepped and brought into service ready status. the seasons are changing.
maddie will graduate at the end of may. she has her summer job lined up and she knows where she is headed for college in the fall (just across town) and what program of study she will be starting.
isaac has one week of hockey left. next weekend is the state tournament. and then he will be applying for a job.
i am sorting through pictures and boxes, getting ready to make memory boards to display at graduation parties. and i am going to find a way to spend more time outside and more time writing. i'm not just sure how this will work out, but i need these two things. i feel most alive when i have been out, breathing deep, walking or biking or paddling or sitting with the sun on my shoulders. and i write to find out what i think and to share what i think and how i feel with you. because no one wants to be alone in all of this. and we want to be reminded to notice the moon in the sky, the sun coming up, the color and taste of an orange, the sound of laughter, the changing of seasons.
today, notice something about the season you are in. notice something that is changing. go gently, love fiercely, and be wonderful.