Color theory

Today was steeped in cold November gloom and gray Monday drizzle. You would think that ten years of Michigan winters would be adequate preparation for this kind of thing. By now, I should be used to overcast skies, wind whistling through windows, chapped lips, chilly fingers, ridiculous hats, and a distinct lack of light by late afternoon.

But I'm not.

Truthfully, I don't think I'll ever be ready for winter. Each year, it seems to catch me by surprise. One moment the world is verdant, alive, beautiful! The next thing I know, the trees have lost their colorful leaves and it's snowing. Goodbye, sunshine and happy summer memories! Hello, clouds and months of uninspiring slush.

I decided what the world needed was some color. A mustardy yellow skirt, a green coat, and a stripy scarf... what else could have put me in the right frame of mind to leave my room and walk (nay, skip!) to 9AM Music Theory? And should one's choice of outerwear really dictate the overall cheeriness of a given day, anyway?

Regardless, I spent the day in an unflappable, blissful pre-Thanksgiving-break daze. On a day of dismal weather and drab skies, I was on a kind of chromatic treasure hunt. By the time practicing, homework, and classes were done, I found the warmest lighting and brightest colors in my co-op's kitchen where (in my newly-elected capacity as one of Old B's Tasty Things Makers) I was making cookies.

They were by no means the best cookies in the world, but I did as well as I could in the given circumstances. I wouldn't normally choose to make vegan lime shortbread, but limited ingredients pushed me in that peculiar direction. It won't be happening again, believe me. But check out those yellows and greens! A warm, lit kitchen is undoubtedly one of the best place to be on a day like today.

When the days are short and my nose is cold, is it so silly to take pleasure in finding and enjoying these small snatches of color?