I’m not sure when the first gnat showed up, but it probably was in December, which wasn’t a particularly cold month. Maybe for a gnat it was.

What I remember of December was it was rather balmy, not one of those deep-cold winter months when the temperature dips below zero for a high and snow is measured in feet. I don’t think I wore a winter coat in December.

Like I am wearing one now – near the end of February – and it’s a new one because I had recurring issues with the zipper, and snaps were tearing off. It was a good coat that treated me well for many winters, and one too many replacement zippers. The coat wasn’t designed for zippers, and it wasn’t worth rezippering one more time, only to have it snag again.