A warm lovey semi-fiction? story based on my life's experiences and cool things that happen with furs, and the coming of fall and winter. It was provoked somewhat by  ^damienfox^ sorta, us talking about the changing seasons and the cool things that happen from the cold. And it also came from the cold day here today and the gray sky, which is making me nest furiously in bed with blankets and my parka liner instead of doing anything productive, squeee XD Enjoy, bet you'll feel really snuggly after reading this XDDD and want some nutmeg in EVERYTHING you eat and drink... XDDDD

P.S. I'm sooo open for writing commissions and please critique me on my writing here... :D :D :D

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So it happened.

I went from summer to winter, and I did it before I knew it. Sigh, I mean Anthrocon really is almost exactly the range of days when summer begins, and it's the longest day of the year, and because AC is north for me, the days last even longer than when you go further south... and everything's fully lively then, you're fully turned on and you barefoot or sandal everywhere and it's mating season for many creatures, and you feel alive and you party around fires, and hunt and dance and live the liveliest you ever have. But even in the life of AC, those are the first days that start getting shorter. And winter comes so gradually, so deceptively, that you don't realize you've lost an hour and a half of sun every day until one cold day you need to pull out your sweaters and pants that are surprisingly uncomfortable at the beginning of winter, and so warm and comfy at the end of it.... but that's how the seasons are, slow and creeping, establising their reigns four times a year.

For me there are really only two seasons, summer and winter, because those are the only ones that matter. Fall is sort of... well it's on winter's team so I don't like it but for me summer starts on that one fresh day, that one first warm day in May or April if you're lucky, when you don't have to carry that heavy coat and when you hear birds again and smell pollen and smell wet earth and life and insects, and all of creation calls you to awaken and live fully again, when you sweat from the sun and the sun tans you back to where you're supposed to be... but this is winter coming. I want to tell you about winter, I'm derailing myself...

Fall is the harbinger of winter. Fall calls you to quiet down, to look at the gray sky and not think 'Boring! @_@' but to reflect that there's been adventure enough, and it's time to go to our houses and enjoy the warmth and homes we have, I hope that we all have at least... Fall calms everything otherwise we'd play ourselves to shreds... Fall is when the Halloween decorations go on sale, the Thanksgiving ones too and the Christmas ones really do need at least another month before they're on honestly. >.< You can feel it, if you stop and listen with your body. The cold says to go in, the gray cold sky says to light your candles and hurry on in to avoid getting depressed, the silence outside, so much silence because the animals are going to sleep and the people are subconsciously listening to the same message of Fall, the silence tells you to gather with your loved ones indoors, otherwise you'll be lost and alone in the silence outdoors. And this year I listened to it. For once. I didn't completely bang my fists on the floor and whine at not having heat (though I want summer fun back really! I WANT IT ;A; ) and not having sun. I listened, and said okay, I'll enjoy going in and warming up, instead of fistshaking at how ugly cold it's going to be... and I enjoy the colder air, it is a good break. Cold just gives more excuses to snuggle (and that goes for you too, please come snuggle with me I want to so bad I really do XD I really REALLY do... ...;_;)

Soon, the Thanksgiving offers and decorations will be here, and the pumpkins will come out, and very tan brown tones of life going to sleep. Popcorn, dried straw, native blue corn and red corn and black corn cobs will be for sale, and they're not just decorative you can microwave them too... the local garden nurseries will convert for kids' fun, running through hay mazes and having yummy fattening sweet nutmeg pumpkin pies. The hay will be so rough on the skin and smell so distinctly haylike, but it's for animals... the farm animals and urban human offspring, and bronies, all animals... and the days will get shorter and shorter and colder and deader, but that's part of the joy you see. The cold and gray is our chance to hide, and pool our little warmths and little homes and little selves, and have miniature festivals of light and heat, yellow warm lights, and heat pump heat, or even better oven heat when there's a fattened turkey or chicken or ham in the oven, pies in ovens, tasty foods that we're living too fast for in spring and summer. We all fatten up in winter, we let it slide because hey, it just feels okay and comfy to have more to cuddle and be covered in.

Going to furs' houses for me is possibly the best then. Always you know you're going to a warmer place, your friends are conscious of the cold and want you to come in from it, and if you're close enough friends, they'll offer you a spot on them on the couch, and you share warmth, and affection, and no matter where you are, under snow or ice, even if it was cold *in* the house too, you are never cold with your friends, your bodies and hearts are warm. You know that together, you can't be cold. For that alone, I love the opportunities of fall and winter. I have a friend that moved away, and another friend who is still around where I live, and they gave me some of the fuzziest memories of welcoming and warmth from the cold. From just one on one time to the lively buzz of joy of many furs being together in warm light, they are pretty and lovely memories. I just love how we could be victorious against even the darkest sorrowful ice that came down outside. Snow didn't matter, it was like a blanket on houses and even if it stopped up roads, it made the magic of winter that much more real. Ever go to a snowy party, and for a minute take a break outside? Ever hear the silence? Except as soon as you hear the silence, it disappears. Not even the cold itself fully dies, you can hear individual snowflakes fall, you may hear a graceful deer a quarter mile away... the animals small and big too have their parties, collecting and bundling to share heat and life. We all make our tiny forts of heat and bits of joy, and it's right and natural to, and that's what's worth thinking on.

This winter I may forget the warmth and loveyness, I may just hate cold slush getting in my shoes, and horrible cramps and cold paws and toes that I'll surely get. But other than that (and having to shovel the driveway... maybe... I love all wheel drive XD) it's going to be a pretty winter. I really hope I can get together and feel the nests of heat and life within, and share that with friends, and share going on nature walks in front of the main door, and hearing owls and seeing deer and rabbit tracks and racoon tracks and frozen ponds and the stars in completely back skies, so much closer than in smoky summers, the quiet... the clearness.... it makes clear your mind too. It's what is necessary always, once a year at least, one time to quiet and rest and sleep a lot, to rest after the wild insanity of summer. Peace. Slowness. Contenment. As I've lived, I can recall these, and accept the seasons' rule. Best of all on December 21st, I shall sleep in the longest night, fall into the softest darkness as long as I can. It will be the first night of winter, and yet the end of its tightening grip. It is the promise that we won't sleep forever, that we won't be frozen in cold always. In fact, every day after that, I'll know the extra 30 seconds of light is there, and then the extra minute, every day, never failing, until buds sprout, baby birds and blue jays and red jays and green jays call, and cardinals sing the all clear, and life wins away the earth from the grip of Winter sleep, and I'll be awake again, ready to live and be wild and enjoy messy barepawed muddysoled shirtless sweaty fun. Soon, soon. For now, nests made of cinnamon and fleece socks and cuddles and friends. Inward to Fall, and Winter.