December in the desert . . . .

I don’t need a calendar at my house to know that December has arrived. Yesterday was beautiful and balmy. This morning the wind is howling, 40 mph, and it’s cold _ mid-40s, but feels much colder. My sister, who’s been visiting for the past 10 days _ is leaving in a few hours to fly home to Carolina. I can hear her bumping around in my guest room, packing up for the ride to the airport. Why does leaving always sound so different from staying? I took her coffee, turned up the heat, lit a fire in the fireplace, and I’m warming the banana bread I baked last night. She’ll eat half the loaf, and try to smuggle the rest of it on board her flight. I treasure these moments, between the staying and the leaving, when I’ve nothing to do but warm things up and think about the time we’ve spent together. It’s starting to rain now. The quail in the yard are running for cover. The forecast is calling for a chance of snow. My sister is calling for more coffee. She wants to know if I’ve checked with the airport for any possible departure delays. We can always hope. Wherever you and your loved ones are this first fine day of December, staying or leaving or in between, here’s hoping you keep warm.

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