It's Winter When...

No matter what the calendar says, it's winter when the daytime high is in the teens, when gloves and a warm hat don't keep my fingers and head warm, when a 3/4 mile walk around the building leaves me numb, when the bright sunshine has zero warmth but I still need sunglasses, when the birds are too cold to leave their nests to eat, when soup and sourdough bread are my number one choice for dinner, when the white wine stays in the cellar in favor of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, and when my cats sleep so close to the woodstove they're in danger of combustion. The calendar says autumn... I say it's already winter!