I need an umbrella.

The weather forecast indicated an 80% chance of rain today...

I was one of Colorado's natives predicting a September snowfall, and I was proven right this afternoon.  I'm so proud of myself.  I should thank the Farmer's Almanac for helping me make my prediction.

I've seen that a lot of my fellow university students bring their umbrellas to school...  I mean seriously, umbrellas?  in Colorado?  That was my initial line of thought.  But it has been very rainy this year.  Not the kind of weather I've been accustomed to for the last several years.  I guess the eastern slope should get a lot of rain, being that the westerly winds shwoosh in and meet the mountains, pushing the clouds up to get pressurized... bla bla bla... Except that up until this year, I remember a lot of fire warnings during the very dry months leading up to winter.  It's easy to forget the Blizzard of '97.

A few times this semester, I wished for an umbrella.  Like last week, there was a crazy thunderstorm and pea-sized hail crashing down on my bare head all the way from the Columbine Hall to the Dwire Hall, a 7-8 minute brisk walk, one third of a mile long, from one end of the campus to the other.  Needless to say, being soaked through was enough motivation to cut my time in half as I ran through the frozen peas.

My fellow students whipped open their umbrellas again this afternoon, when big snowflakes whirled around us in a searching dance before melting onto the ground.  It was beautiful.  I love the snow.  I drove home with my driver's side window wide open, inhaling the clean wind as it tussled my hair.  Admiring the aspen leaves, not quite yellow, against the evergreen forest, all dusted white.

I got home, immediately pulled on some boots, grabbed my camera, and let the cats outside to experience the winter wonderland of our yardscape.  Toss is the boldest of the two, and showed his fearlessness by marching off into the drifts.  It took Belle a little longer to decide that she could walk in the stuff.  I took a series of glamor shots of Toss, he's such a lover of the camera.  It's harder to get pictures of Belle because something about the lens terrifies her.

Now that we are finished taking pictures, Toss is tuckered out.  He's snoozing on top of my crochet project.  Getting monster hair all over it.  I changed into some fluffy socks and pajamas, and started a fire in our wood burning stove.  Belle has suddenly become frisky, and she is running about the house in short spurts, chirping as she takes off from each new location.  She must have been energized from licking the fresh melted snow from her paws.  I wonder if she'd ever been outside in the snow until today?