winter already?

Early this morning, I was awakened by a hard rain coupled with lightning. Later on (when I finally decided to roll out of bed---I have no problem taking advantage of a quiet, Saturday morning), I woke up to this view: that's right, snow on my beloved Mount Olympus. Though it has been unseasonally cold the last few days, I feel a little cheated, as though we went from late summer storm to early winter snow in just six or seven hours.

Please, oh please, Utah, don't skip over fall!--most beloved of seasons: pretty leaves, warm jackets, light scarves and brisk evening walks. There is no weather better than back-to-school weather, if you ask us. If there is one complaint I have about this state, other than its inability to offer a decent writer a decent job, it is that the "transition" seasons, spring and fall, go too quickly. Winter, beastly blanket that it is, is allowed to drag on and on--from brown-snow March to Aprils that force us to continue to scrape our windshields.

Sorry for the negativity, but I'm still getting over the fact that our pool is closed. This view from our balcony is my favorite; isn't Mount Olympus awesome?--like some sentinel guarding the city. It's a landmark begging to be personified. The way its cliffs reflect summer sunsets is absolutely beautiful, and I need to warm up to the idea of its icy, new wardrobe.