Sun warm on my face. Blue, cloudless skies. A gentle breeze. Michigan in January? No way.
Yes, way.
Today, in fact.
Today I wore my new winter jacket when I walked this morning, but started sweating and had to unzip it after 10 minutes. (Frankly, I'd be perfectly happy if I didn't have to wear this extra warm jacket again all winter. At least I was smart enough to look for an online coupon from Eddie Bauer before I bought it.)
Today, I hung curtains on the outside clothesline at 3:00 in the afternoon and they were sun dried, wind-ironed, and ready to hang at 4:00.
Today, I sat on my back porch steps wearing only a hooded sweatshirt and drank hot tea while the dogs chased squirrels around the pine trees.
There is something unnatural about this gentle winter. The ground is dry, the grass is still green(ish). Who can believe this is winter, after the last two years of harsh daily snows and pervasive gray skies.
"Payback's going to be hell," someone said the other day, expecting that winter will kick in with a vengenance. And this morning, the weather forecaster did warn us of impending winter doom by the end of the week- colder temperatures, a rain/snow mix, and a jet stream that brings long-lasting cold in its wake.
You'd never know it by today's weather, though. Just like life in general, the world can be rosy and warm one minute, but turn icy cold and brutal in the wink of an eye.
Still, it's been lovely while it lasted. At least the weather is testament to my New Year's Eve prediction that 2012 would bring us "more than we expected." More warmth, more sunshine, more nice days than I can recall in all 55 of my Michigan winters.