My Morning, December 3, 2014

One downside to living in a remote area is the lack of nearby goods and services; the closest movie theater is an hour away, closest Walmart is 80 miles south, and the closest shopping mall is roughly 140 miles out. The same case goes for other things, like an animal shelter, DMV, the list goes on and on, and I was reminded of this distance from everything when I got a reminder that I had a dentist appointment an hour's drive away today. Since it had rained I thought there might be ice on the road-- and I knew it'd be hard to get out of bed since it would be chilly in my apartment and I'd be tired from getting off work late-- so I wasn't really looking forward to the drive. I woke up in my cold bedroom, started the coffee in the kitchen, and enjoyed the quiet of the morning like I occasionally (a.k.a. rarely) do before brushing my teeth and heading out the door.

One upside to living in the Owens Valley, though, is the views. The clouds hovered dark and low across the valley like a gray lid. The smell of wet sagebrush and autumn leaves hung in the air, kept fresh and condensed by the cool of the early morning. Blues and purples broke up the monochrome horizon. As the drive went on the clouds drifted lower, wispy offshoots detaching and meandering like errant cotton balls in the breeze while the big pillows overhead flowed along. The Inyo Mountains in the distance looked azure and floating above the clouds, and the Sierras to the west were shrouded in the grayness blanketing everything above me. Driving in the cool morning, smelling the familiar fall smell in the air, all of that made the drive so much more worthwhile.

The clouds broke to reveal the freshly snow-capped mountains on the return trip. Puddles of water glistened in the washes near the roadside, and the breaking clouds uncovered miles and miles of blue overhead. The valley transitioned into December seamlessly and unexpectedly, and I took a minute to stand outside my apartment to feel the sun and cool breeze on my face when I got back home. On top of finishing errands and getting a clean bill of oral health (hella rad), the weather was gorgeous, and I got to experience it for a little bit.

Today was pretty. I hope more wet weather comes our way, and I hope to experience more pretty moments more often.