Winter slips away too fast when you live in the desert. We have two seasons here, summer and not-summer, and it is this not-summer that acts as our winter. By December and January, the desert sees some cold days that could be considered seriously chilly, but these are rare, and then before we know it, the days of February march ever closer into April, and while it may not yet be summer, we know it is around the corner.

Somewhere in December, it happens that one morning, we get to collect our scarves, gloves, beanies, and even a shell, but within days, we see them sitting near the door and wonder if we shouldn’t just put them back into storage.

Then, in January, it happens: the forecast predicts a cold front with the promise of temperatures in the 30s. A simultaneous shiver goes up, as does the joy that we’ll be able to bundle up for a day or two. But here comes February, and those warm clothes by the door begin to gather dust, and we lament that summer is inching closer. And then it happens again, and in mid-February, the temperature dips below 40 degrees. While we have grown accustomed to the colder days of the season, the air is dryer than usual, which means that as we doff the multiple layers, we are building life-threatening static charges that produce sparks when we touch one another or ground ourselves. But we love our version of winter and enjoy these opportunities to wear long pants, wool, and thick socks.

During the evening, our bed is covered with a down comforter that, no matter the chill in our place (we keep the heater turned off as much as possible), always keeps us comfy and cozy within its snuggly embrace. The seat heaters in our car get a good workout these days, too, with butts the first thing warmed as we leave for the morning. If only the seats and steering wheel were cooled as the 110-degree days of summer soon take over.

Whoah, was that a teenager walking to the bus stop in shorts? Yep, winter is certainly slipping away.