There are many kinds of window shutters, but they fall into two broad groups: those with horizontal slats, which can be opened and closed from the inside by manipulating a connecting vertical rod, and those that are solid. The solid ones are made of two layers of interlocking planks—the outer layer is vertical because of weather, the inner horizontal. They are heavy, too. This is what I chose for my house, but I did not think much about my choice back then. It was a no-brainer, as the juvenile expression goes. Solid shutters are growing on me now. When they are all bolted down, one feels sheltered—not only out of harm’s way, but also cozy. The outside world is shut out. One is by oneself. As of late, this is what I do after dark. All it takes is to close the shutters. And this is what I just did. As if by magic, the house has turned completely quiet. Now it feels warmer. It feels smaller, too. My burrow. My shell. My rugged skin. No prize for guessing which kind of shutters is of older vintage.