A mild mid-January & glorious sunrises…

Sunrise from our back deck…out across the cold fields.

Without much fanfare, mid-January has crept into the picture. And here in northern Illinois, one might get the impression that it’s late February or early March with this weekend’s milder temperatures ranging into the low 40s. A good deal of our snow from a week ago has dwindled, and ever-widening patches of grass out back are appearing by the hour!

And although this is nothing to get too wound up about, we all seem to be comparing and contrasting this year’s winter with that of last year’s polar vortex experience and agree that it’s a much more agreeable sort of winter! Having dry and bare pavement and sidewalks makes things much easier to navigate. In short, we’ll enjoy it for as long as we can.

The last several days have begun with beautiful sunrises, and they are fun to watch as they fully climb up above the horizon way out to the east from where I write. And though I prefer those dreary rainy days to really motivate me and get me into the proper writing frame of mind, it’s hard to beat one of these glorious sunrises.

Here’s to a good week ahead as we move into the next part of winter…

View image | gettyimages.com

 

Home…warm & safe

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Home.

It’s certainly good to be back at my familiar cluttered writing desk after a couple of weeks away from the regular routine of working on my books and blog posts. Our trip to Michigan and Ohio was good, and we managed to travel on days when the weather was cooperative. And the drive back across northern Ohio and Indiana was without problems, unlike it would be had we waited one more day to head for home.

The Polar Vortex has descended upon us, and, at this writing, it’s a mere −17°, and if it’s any consolation, this is as cold as it’s going to get. We had significant snow during the last two days, but it has moved out, leaving clear skies and bright sunshine—and these sub-frigid temperatures—in its wake. Fortunately, it won’t stay this way for long as it’s going to gradually warm up throughout this week. Tomorrow, for example, it’s supposed to be 7° and even reach above freezing by the weekend.

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On mornings such as this, I realize just how fortunate I am to have this wonderfully warm and comfortable house, plenty of food and drink, and this cluttered writing desk with my trusty old MacBook doing what it does best. I also think of those who have nothing, or very little, and are struggling to survive this dangerous condition. Makes one wish there was something that could be done immediately to ease their plight. Even two tiny birds struggled past my window a few minutes ago, no doubt seeking some kind of shelter from this arctic day, and I can’t be sure if they will succeed in doing so since, for them, there’s just no place to go!

Winter from our back deck

So I will spend much of today getting caught up here and continue the revisions and edits for The Bet. I will check the blogs I follow to gain some further inspiration. And I will be thankful for being inside, warm and safe. I hope the same for all who read this. Be careful…CortlandWriter