I love several "atmospheres." I love days when it's cool and cloudy and rainy, especially in late September and October, after we've been through one of our burning hot Texas summers.

I love the rare winter snows we get here because of the way snow reflects light and muffles sound. It's such a special occasion when snow falls in the Dallas area.

More than anything, I think I like winter sunsets, watching the sun go down behind our house, the back of which faces west. I like to sit out on the patio, bundled up in a blanket if it's cold, and watch the light change from late afternoon light to dusk and then dark, when the last remnants of the already set sun color the far edge of the horizon a dark, blood-orangey-red. I don't go back inside until the stars have fully come out. This scene goes especially well with a nice glass of Merlot. I've never tried it with a joint, but someday when I get through requiring a sharp, full-time brain, I may do that.