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Nose for News by Sarah Stultz

Well, folks. It’s here.

You know, that four-letter word that in my perfect world wouldn’t show up until the week of Christmas, and then disappear again the next week as fast as it came.

As I write this, I’m mentally preparing to go out trick-or-treating with my son. It’s going to be a chilly one — not only for the kiddos but for us parents, too.

As I’m typing, I’m hearing my co-workers talk about the cold and wind, too, and we’re all day-dreaming of living somewhere warmer. Isn’t that awful — it’s technically still October as I write this, and winter has not even officially begun, and we’re already done with the season.

Uffda! It’s going to be a long winter.

Would it be horrible of me just to buy a bag of candy and give it to my son and call it good in exchange for not walking around in the cold?

As tempting as it may be, I figure we’ll give trick-or-treating a try, make a few special stops to some close church friends and then let Landon dictate from there how much we do.

If you know Landon, you know he doesn’t like the cold much either, so I doubt it’ll be a long outing tonight.

You can tell he’s my child because he doesn’t tolerate cold weather well. In fact, our family pretty much hibernates half of the year, so don’t plan on seeing us sledding or taking part in any kind of outdoor winter activity.

While this makes for a long winter sometimes, this year I hope to get a couple house projects inside done.

Thanks in advance to all the people who open your doors to the trick-or-treaters this Halloween, as I’m sure it’s tempting to just snuggle under a blanket next to the fireplace and read a book or watch a movie.

For now it’s time to rummage through my desk and see if I have any hot chocolate in there.

As I listen to the wind howling outside, I’ve got to pump myself up for the festivities of the day and warm that chill that’s been running through me all morningw.

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Wednesday.