Schizophrenic Weather

That we've been having a very mild winter is obvious even to me, who has lived most of my life in California and where 45˚Fahrenheit is a cold day.  We've rarely dropped below that here, and here we are nearly halfway through December.  What we do have is a plethora of rainy days.  Not pouring down rain, not all day long rain, not flooding the streets rain, but some rain nearly every day.  Gray skies, wet sidewalks, smeared dog droppings kind of rain. 

We've learned not to leave the house without an umbrella, how to maneuver on the narrow sidewalks with packages, umbrellas and other pedestrians, and most importantly, to wear boots at all times.  I'm actually dreaming about wearing some pretty flats or pumps rather than being prepared for puddles at all times.  There are worse fates, I suppose, but I do love those shoes.

For a few weeks I thought we might not see the sun again until spring, but one day I woke earlier than usual and noticed that it was shining.  Rushing out to play in the sun, I felt, if not physically heated, emotionally warmed.  Then, by midday, the dark skies were back.  A revelation: it's sunny in the mornings!  We've been trying to reset our body clocks, which tend to have us up late at night and sleeping til mid-morning, to allow us a few hours of that blessed sunshine.  It's sort of working.

At least we see enough sunshine to remind us it will come back someday.  The forecast for next week is snow.