Cold Night

It was cold pulling the clothes off the line, the crystal clear evening air has the promise of a cold night in store for us. Not cold like up north, but cold for us, a freeze. Its the kind of cold that makes you think of hot chocolate and pulling up the hood on my sweatshirt. Its the kind of cold that makes your skin feel good and puts color on your cheeks.
The clothes were cold and I was more than happy to get them in fast and fold them in the warmth of the house. Even though its cold, I am still glad to have just my clothesline for drying our things. If it wasn't for the clothesline, I would not have seen the sky turn pink and blue as the sun set, or hear the little house wren scolding me for being too close to her territory. I would have missed seeing the first star appear. I certainly would not have felt the profound joy of having fingers thaw by the warmth of the wood stove if I had never been out in the cold.