No white Christmas

Living in the high desert of Southern California means really cold evenings and mild days in the winter. The past two or three years, there have been a couple of snow days each winter, averaging about 6 inches. This is weird, because for 10 years prior, it hadn't snowed here.

The skies are clear and blue. Bare trees jut out, and I know they can't wait for spring either.

The garden is dead, except for a few chives, onions, and mustard greens. Consecutive cold days make for tasty dark bitter greens, but even just several days of heat will make them super bitter, almost making them inedible. These mustard greens are really bitter.

The lovebirds don't seem to mind the cold days. They hang out on their swing, crack millet seeds, chatter loudly with one another, and go into their nest boxes/houses to huddle up.

Inside, something is blooming. It's a simple yet beautiful flower that reminds us there is beauty in winter - even if there isn't any snow outside. Besides, I don't miss living in Chicago and finding parking spots to avoid snow plows, or skidding across a sheet of ice on a country road, or having to wear four layers of clothes on top of mittens and a scarf whenever I had to go outside.

With Christmas in just a few days, I'm glad that the weather is beautiful and clear. I have to take my driving test on Friday anyway, so I'm hoping for clear skies and no morning fog!