the leaves have finally decided to change color. Almost overnight, San Francisco has decided it's fall. Never mind that it's December; the calendar's just a construct and it's not much use in this town, anyway. I get ready for my first snowless winter in a few years. I still have all the accessories, but really these hats, scarves, and mittens, they're decorative in this town. A comforting reminder of how cold it isn't. But to see my breath. To blow air on my dry and reddened fingers, waiting for the light to change. My cold ears unprotected by my bike helmet. Singing down the street, dark and echoing. It's it's own kind of winter.