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"I had put it off and put it off, the wintertime putting away. I told myself that if I kept my shorts and cut-offs in my dresser drawer, maybe, just maybe there would be another springy, summery day. Maybe, just maybe there would be one more day on the porch, the screen door banging open and shut as Lausche and I head outdoors. Maybe, just maybe, I had one more walk in me, straight out the door, no need for bundling or salting the drive or thinking about the heinous black ice the meteorologists howl about. I thought I&amp;#039;d be the last rose of summer all the way until mid\u2013December until I finally put my warm weather stuff away. I felt like I closed the sun in the chest in the living room, with my shorts and cut\u2013offs. I woefully turned away. Oh, fickle, fickle me. How quickly had I forgotten the joys of winter spent by the fake fireside! The gas log, remote controlled fireside! I got a friend to help me with the seasonal lighting of the pilot light, and a &amp;#039;napping we will go! Never mind that the rest of the house freezes when it is burning because the thermostat is on the wall directly behind the fireplace. Never mind that I am like Dorothy in the field of poppies, falling deeply into slumber while I am on my way to Oz, or, in my case, the kitchen. Never mind the hours that could no doubt be used more usefully. I turn the remote to medium high and my fireplace poofs on. I am instantly on the floor in front of it, ready to tune out for awhile. The warmth on my face feels like the summer sun. For everything, there is a season, and this is the season for naps. D.G. Fulford is the author of Designated Daughter: The Bonus Years with Mom, written with her mother Phyllis Greene. She is also the co-founder of TheRememberingSite.org. You can find her at DGFulford.com. Photo credit: Marcia Smilack "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/a45634/friendly-fire-1150/?click=wdy-more>