Life on the high desert plains of northwestern Nevada never runs out of surprises. Every day brings something worth noticing. HHH and I are blessed to have the time and health to get out and enjoy this beautiful place we call home.
Saturday, we had an errand to run in the town to the east. Overhead, the skies were grey and gloomy. Nothing particularly remarkable about that.
But the horizon?
That was another story.
Beneath that blanket of grey, the horizon glowed orange, red, and yellow. The colors looked almost otherworldly. An unexpected show unfolding along a familiar road. Its sheer beauty silenced us both. For a little while, we rode quietly, lost in thought as we took it all in.
Sometimes, words would only get in the way.
It reminded me of the green flash that can appear just as the sun dips below the ocean’s horizon. Something fleeting. Something you feel lucky to witness.
Only this felt even better.
We were home.
I grew up beneath very different skies. California’s Central Valley had some of the greyest days I can remember. There was little wind, and those big, puffy clouds I love weren’t a regular part of the scenery.
The heat could arrive by the end of May, bringing hundred-degree days that seemed determined to last until mid-fall. Then came the fog. Nothing magical like pogonip. Just a blanket of dense fog. Sometimes it felt as though the grey settled in until May, when the whole cycle began again.
Here at Winterpast, each season gets its turn. Four wonderful times of year, each with its own weather, colors, chores, and little surprises.
Right now, the fall mums are finishing their show while the roses were frozen by the first frost of the year. They weren’t ready to surrender the garden to winter. I understand.
Soon enough, Winterpast will settle into her much deserved winter rest. But for now, there are still flowers to admire and mornings that deserve a second look.
Saturday reminded me how easily an ordinary errand can become something worth remembering. We had somewhere to go and something to do. Along the way, the sky became the most memorable part of the trip.
I appreciate those moments more and more. Having HHH beside me to share them. Having the time to notice. Being healthy enough to get out and see what the day might hold.
Another chore is always waiting at home. Something to clean, something to fix, something that needs my attention.
But an October sunrise won’t wait until the list is finished. The cleaning will.
As this new week begins, I hope you find a little time to notice what is happening outside your own window. A tree changing color. One stubborn flower still blooming. A beautiful sky above a familiar road.
Here at Winterpast, autumn still has a few things to show us.
I intend to notice every one.