Fuzzy socks padded against the wood floors as she wiggles her popsicle toes. The first “cold” day of fall finally arrived to her sunny subtropical abode.

Others would say it’s warm or comfortable, but her blood had thinned from years in 90 plus degrees most days. The higher humidity made it feel cooler than it really was.

Goosebumps covered her arms as she moved through the house. She slid open the cherry wood drawer which held her tees. She shuffled through and found a long sleeved pullover.

She made a quick change from her tank and rubbed her arms before heading back to the kitchen. Chili seemed like a good fit for the change in the weather.

She sorted through the canned good in the pantry. Ingredients came together, except for one. Beans. No way she could make chili without beans! Exasperated, she looked at the ingredients she did have.

Pulling open the fridge, she pulled out more peppers. They had plenty of them at least. Dicing and chopping, she rearranged her mind to be set for this instead. Chili will have to wait for another day.

The aromas of onion, peppers, garlic, meat and tomatoes filled the house. She served it up, then crawled under her blanket while the fan above swirled at full blast.

Star Wars, one of the new series, played on the television. Her cats mewed and crawled up, curling up on the furry throw sitting across her lap.

The evening settled in and the temperature continued to drop. The cold front is only going to last a day or two; may as well enjoy it while it’s here.