The wind was whipping through the trees today, plucking every last dry, crumpled leaf off of dry limb and whirling it around before haphazardly dropping it to the ground. Every cigarette butt and every dry, ripped piece of foliage must have been present on the south end of the University; each leaf hampering view of cold concrete walkways and each butt forcibly swept into the crevices of the curb. How each leaf and each butt ended there at the polar opposite end of campus when it most certainly began its rough and tumble journey at the far north side of campus this morning or perhaps even early in the dawn is unexplainable. Even the wind is magic. Even the wind carries a bit of enchantment as it runs through your hair and picks at the tails of your clothes. The brisk breeze nips at noses and finger tips numbing the life running through them and tugs at scarves, coaching it along into the frigid day’s air. The gray sky hangs above and sulkily gazes down on the passerby who callously clings to his coat and grumpily wraps himself more snugly in his measly covering. Squirrels scurry in a panic sensing the impending cyclic change that was so cruelly delayed by Mother. But at last, the teasing and tormenting of Mother is over and she finally brings the concluding season, ending the year on the icy note it’s notorious for. Winter is here at last.