Actually, it might be too late.

You might already have gone to grab a light jacket. And, upon opening a closet that hasn't been accessed much since spring, you saw not only windbreakers and such but also the Big Berthas. You know, the coats you haul out in January or whenever there is a need to wear something with the approximate thickness of a mattress.

This sight jolts some people. It reminds them that not only does summer not last forever but you-know-what is coming.

Silly? Sure. Most of us survive winter, year after year. Deal with it. Right?

But it's also true that many of us know and love at least a few winter wimps.

So if you happen to live with someone who is a bit timid, shall we say, about the seaon that follows fall, here's what you need to do: Make sure the light jackets are not in the same place as the survival-wear. That way, even the biggest frost-o-phobic can reach for something to put on when there's a slight nip without having to confront the cold hard facts of the calendar.

Of course, this jackets/coats segregation is not always easy to accomplish. Some of us, after all, don't have adequate closet space. But that's a problem for another day.

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