Today is your day Boomer! Actually, maybe tomorrow is your day. If you like the snow and cold, tomorrow is officially the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere....the so-called Winter Solstice, which in latin means sun stands still. It will be the shortest, darkest day of the year and the sun will be very low in the sky at noon. But as I look out my window at a minus 17 degree morning with 10 cm of new snow, I wonder if December 21 will also be the coldest day? According to an Almanac source, no: "there are a lot of factors that affect the temperature of a location on any given day, including altitude, snow cover, and large-scale weather patterns. Snow cover, for example, partially blocks solar radiation from being absorbed by the Earth, which results in less heat being released and an overall drop in temperature. Because of these factors, it’s not possible to point to the same date year after year and call it the coldest day." Okay.....got it. But it still means we are officially three long months away from Spring; on the positive side, every day will get longer and every night shorter! Oh joy, oh joy Boomers. Cheers and cuddle-up for the winter!
Today is your day Boomer! Relaxing in my hot tub this morning, I had reflections of the 1970 CCR song "Lookin' out my Back Door". Yes, that kind of druggy, but catchy song, about the view of your backyard. Mine is spectacular: colourful sunrises, big ponderosa pines, cheer, apple, fir, and weeping willow trees, two mountains, sheep and chickens next door, two frolicking golden retrievers, beautiful green grass and what seems like a thousand birds...including quail, pheasant, chickadees, woodpeckers, and blue jays. And what else? Well....the quiet, the solitude, and the chance for reflection with no sirens, car noise, yelling people, or neighbours invading your privacy. It was...is...just beautiful, and I am so blessed to live in a rural area in BC's Okanagan Valley. Boomers, what's out your back door? John Fogerty's "tangerines and elephants" or something like my cheeries and coyotes? Check it out and appreciate the little things in life. Cheers...

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