"This is the Good Life"

I woke up this morning and smiled immediately.

The sun is shining, and things are bright. The rain has stopped and "now I see what's right in front of me... It's a beautiful world, I see." ~Tim Myers

It is amazing how much the sun affects us; even though the temperature is still quite low, the sun is out and the sky is blue and that makes a world of difference!

Yesterday was the shortest day of the year -- thank goodness! But the winter solstice also marks the first day of winter, which is so strange since typically the end of November and

December are characterized as winter months.

Something interesting that we all know to be true but I didn't really know why is that the coldest time of the winter, and of the year, is not until January or February.

National Geographic describes the process, stating that,

Because the oceans are slow to heat and cool, in December they still retain some warmth from summer, delaying the coldest of winter days for another month and a half. Similarly, summer doesn't hit its heat peak until August, a month or two after the summer solstice.

~National Geographic

We have been very fortunate with the weather this year, with much more sun and less rain, so I shouldn't complain....but I will just hope it stays that way! :)