The first snow of the season. Corvallis, OR.I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes. It's been a hectic fall and I've not slowed down since moving. And so it's only now sinking in that I have relocated. Permanently. As in never again to live in the desert. I am starting to miss the familiar sunny vistas of the Sonoran desert...the crunch of burnt gravel underfoot...winter plants abloom and flourishing. Lately it seems like the grumpy grey skies and short winter days here at the 44.5N latitude leave my desert-adjusted eyes wanting more.
But there is a bright side to this less bright location: I'm happier. The foggy haze of morning and the early onset of night make everything taste better, smell better, feel cozier. I can truly enjoy soups again. And red wine. Gathering with friends is more intimate and enjoyable. And the cold weather and muted shades of morning in Corvallis offer lessons in leisure...they encourage the occasional sleeping in (something I never did in the desert), deep mugs filled steaming and to the brim, jammies worn 'til noon (while studying, of course!). I'm reminded of the words of one of my favorite poets: I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I'm rediscovering how much I enjoy living in the Pacific Northwest. Perhaps it's better to feel sunny than to see sun...?
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