From the time I was about 4 to about 18, the most anticipated time of year for me was any time I got to go to my grandparents' house in St. Mary's County.

Maw & Grandad had a rancher located in Hollywood, MD, pretty much right on the Patuxent River. I remember excitedly packing my bag full of both summer and winter clothes, as Maw kept the thermostat at about 65--far too cold for an underweight teenager! I'd wear my flannel pajamas to bed, and have to lay pretty still, all bundled up in my cocoon of blankets in the peach bedroom, until my body heat warmed the sheets enough for me to move around comfortably, without the shock of ice cold  cotton against my skin. I'd easily fall asleep to the rhythmic sounds of Grandad's snores coming through the wall...

In the morning, I'd wake to the warm sunlight coming through the shades on the 2 windows that faced the road, the smell of coffee drifting down the hall from the kitchen, and the sounds of the morning news from the television.

She would fix me a simple breakfast and then we'd get ready for the day--usually, it entailed going to the local Amish farms and getting the produce she'd need for dinner for the week, but sometimes it also involved going to JoAnn Fabrics, or KMart, or wherever else she though she needed to go. I was just happy to be with my grandmother--it didn't matter where we went.

Upon waking this morning, barring Luther's barks to let him outside, I was immediately taken back to that time. I was warm in my bed and didn't really want to get up; when I did, I cracked open a few windows and let the warmer-than-usual air come in as I turned off the heat. The crisp air has a freshness to it that I've been missing since the weather turned cold...and the sounds of blue jays, squirrels, and various other chirping birds has me missing my grandparents and the times I was able to spend with them.