Winter is coming...

I love it when I can spot patterns or parallels across different facets of my life. For instance,  right now I’m reading Game of Thrones, and one of the repeated mottos in the book is “Winter is Coming”.

Every time I read the words of that omen, a chill runs through me. It’s true, winter is coming.

I’m glad that I spent some time basking in the gloriousness of the Fall colors in Aberdeen this past weekend, because a freak wind storm came through yesterday and blew almost all  the leaves out of the trees. There was a 'stark' contrast between the foliage yesterday morning and the bare branches today.

Last week

 

This morning

It makes it hard to ignore the facts; winter is coming.

I’m sad to see Autumn leave but excited to see what Winter in Scotland will look like. I’ve been amazed by the three seasons I’ve witnessed so far, so I’m sure that a snowy landscape won’t disappoint.

Still, I’m a bit anxious about what a full winter will actually feel like. Fall and Spring are pretty short here in Scotland, but Summer and Winter span for whole chunks of the year. Since Louisiana winters are more akin to Scottish summers, I have little personal experience to draw from.

My strategy is to prepare for the worst. I’m imagining Russian proportioned blizzards and days on end of no sunlight. Hopefully if my expectations are that low, I won’t be traumatized by a few snow days and sub-freezing temperatures.

One thing that has already been made crystal clear is the fact that forests in Winter no longer provide a protective canopy from the constant rain of Scotland. Bailey and I learned that one the hard way this morning. Uh oh.

And this is only the beginning.  Winter is coming...