The weather has turned cold here in North Carolina over the past few days. I am so glad that it is finally starting to feel like Autumn or "Fall" as we say here in the southern part of the country. Yesterday morning, my youngest daughter, McKenzie woke me to have me come see the six deer in our back yard. They just stood there for the longest time staring back at us, through the glass, observing us as curiously as we were them. This is my favorite time of year. I love the way the trees look when they are completely bare of all their leaves. I think the trees are the prettiest when they are stripped to their basic and most simple form; the trunks and branches totally exposed for all to see what has been covered up and hidden all summer. My mother hates the way they look and says they are ugly and naked.
My mom and I are so different, sometimes I actually wonder if I was switched at birth. She loves the Spring and Summer and everything that comes with that time of year. She enjoys yard work and planting flowers, gardening and getting her hands dirty. She doesn't mind getting hot and sweating. Myself, on the other hand, am a cold weather kind of girl. I love it when it is too cold to do anything outside; when you have to stay in by the fire on the weekends, watching a movie, reading a good book and snuggling up with a blanket on the sofa for a cozy afternoon nap. I think Winter time is God giving us a well deserved break from mowing, weeding and all that other stuff that makes us sweat. Did I mention to you that I absolutely hate to sweat. I know it is good for you and all that, but I still hate it.
We lived in Florida for a few years, when my husband was in the Navy and I did not like it at all. No offense to Floridians, because it is a beautiful state filled with some of the nicest people that I have ever met, but I missed North Carolina so much. I missed the distinct change in seasons that they just don't have in Florida. They have hot, hotter, hottest and most hot and for a girl that hates to sweat that is not a good place to be. We had a fireplace in our house and for the life of me, I could never figure out why. I think one time, during the winter, we actually turned the air on very cold and built a fire to enjoy. Remember that I already told you how I get bored very easily; well that makes this the perfect place for me to be. Just about the time, I am starting to feel like I am in a rut, the season changes and we are off to something new and different for a few months. I get to go from shorts and flip flops to sweaters and boots and it keeps me happy.
North Carolina is a beautiful state and if you have never visited, you should give us a try sometime. We have so much to offer with the mountains and the beaches all in one place.
