It's not snowing: enjoy it

It’s the first thing in the morning, when your alarm goes off. You wake up and you look outside. It’s dark. Really dark.

You check your clock to make sure you didn’t wake up prematurely. Sure enough, you wake up the same time you have woken up all summer. But it’s not the same.

Though it may seem like a cold and dark existence outside, cheer up buttercup! You are actually living in the best time of the year.

Many call it “autumn”. Some call it “fall”.

But as a person who is enduring his fifth year in Wyoming, I know better than to call it that.

We have entered what I call “pre-winter”, and it is the best time of the year.

There is no set time for pre-winter. Sometimes it begins as early as August, and lasts until November. Sometimes, it lasts for a solid week in October. Regardless, this year, it began on Sunday.

It’s a time of year where summer is a not-so-distant memory, but the wrath of cold weather has yet to rear its ugly head. And, yes, it is the best time of the year.

Why, you ask?

It’s very simple

Clothing

Wyomingites have developed a wardrobe which is unlike any other in the world. If you are like me, you probably have as many Carhart coats as you do shorts. The best part about pre-winter is that it allows you to pretty much wear what ever you want.

It’s comfortable enough to wear shorts without being “that guy” who feels the need to prove how tough he is by wearing summer clothes in the dead of winter.

Conversely, it’s a time where you don’t have to bundle up to go to work like you are Sir Edmund Hillary about to take on the summit of Mount Everest.

You have wide range to wear whatever you want. For some, that means finally getting to wear “fall fashions” or whatever. Me, I see it as a opportunity to put off doing laundry for a few additional days.

Sports

Football. Need I say more?

Probably. I have a word limit to reach, after all.

There are few better things then enjoying your weekend watching college and professional football. Chances are, in pre-winter your team is not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet

Unless you are a Jacksonville Jaguars fan — I mean let’s be honest, your team didn’t have a shot from the get go.

As per Poke fans, you are still able to attend games at War Memorial Stadium without either; A) boiling alive in the aluminum bleachers with no shade cover or, B) experiencing the true home-field advantage of being up at 7,200 feet by freezing your tail end off.

Also, playoff baseball gets under way, NBA basketball tips off, hockey takes the ice and high school wrestling starts to get going.

I think Soccer also begins too (?). I don’t know. I can’t verify that. I am an American, after all …

Sleeping

America’s favorite pastime gets a well-needed improvement during pre-winter.

I didn’t have air-conditioning in my house throughout the summer, and I know some of you didn’t either. For me, that meant spending many nights laying on top of the sheets trying to sleep in a pool of sweat.

But that changes, and it’s awesome. Now, you can crack open a window, dip your room down to a comfortable 50 degrees, wrap up comfortably in a pile of warm blankets and snooze through the whole night while listening to the leaves rustle.

Doesn’t that sound nice? Yes, it does sound nice.

Driving

While driving in Wyoming is always a treat in the summer time, and flat out sucks in the winter, there are distinct advantages of driving during pre-winter.

Biggest advantage is jumping into a warm car.

When you are getting ready for work during pre-winter, it’s probably going to be fairly chilly. But that’s ok, just head outside, warm up your car and go back inside to finish getting ready.

Come back 10 minutes later and it’s like you are jumping into a cozy toaster of goodness. Are there better things in this world than jumping into a warm car when it’s cool outside? Absolutely. But I can only think of like five things right off the top of my head.

It’s that good.

Pre-winter also tends to have decent road conditions, lower gas prices and amazing views of changing aspen colors.

Have you gone over by Medicine Bow National Forest recently? Do it while you have a chance. I promise you it is worth the drive.

Yes, summer is gone and of course winter is fast approaching. But right now, take some time to enjoy the season of pre-winter. Pretty soon we are going to have that dirty four-letter word falling from the sky and you will have to find your parka to head downtown, your team is going to be eliminated from the playoffs, it will be too cold to sleep and driving anywhere is going to be a son of a female dog.

Have fun now.

Winter is coming.