One upon a time, we never thought winter would come. Oh sure, the calendar said "December". But the weather screamed "October". Some people spent Christmas Eve (December 24) entertaining people on their patios, enjoying weather in the 60's.
And at night, some houses sparkled.
We thought it would last forever.
It didn't. Mother Nature (pictured above, at the Rose Bowl parade on January 1) woke up, and realized she hadn't given us winter yet. So she did.
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| Morning of January 5, 2016 |
These Fahrenheit temperatures translate to -15C with a wind chill of -21C, in case you are a reader outside the United States. Here, it translated to "brrr". Quickly, the cordoroy pants, heavy sweaters, boots, and wool socks were dug out of the closet.
I'll add that these temperatures are not unusual for a typical January morning. But, without much snow on the ground, I fear for plants, not given a chance to adjust to winter after a prolonged fall.
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| January 4, after sunset |
Sure, nature tried to apologize. With cold, clear, weather, the sunsets got pretty. We came out of our local shopping mall (the glare on top is from a street light) to find these beautifully lit clouds.
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| Oakdale Mall, Johnson City, New York |
The next night, the post-sunset was even nicer.
But, the true price of our extended fall will only be known when spring finally arrives.
In the meantime, I am determined to find the beauty in winter. After all, here in upstate New York, we usually have enough of it.
Just, oh please, not too much snow.
The forecast for tonight here in the subtropics is for a low temperature of 31 degrees. We've had such forecasts before and so far our "winter" has been frost-free. We'll see if it materializes this time. I hope your winter treats you kindly.
ReplyDeleteI walked around my yard today picking up fallen branches and pulling weeds. In January. In Michigan. It is supposed to get cold tomorrow with a sprinkling of snow.
ReplyDeleteThis is what happens when you complain it's too warm. (And by "you", I mean those that were complaining.) Perhaps it'll remain a fairly mild winter for you all.
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