Please read this...Go figure: 71 degrees on 12th day of December?
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<p class="p1">And so this is Christmas...</p><p class="p1">...well, almost.</p><p class="p1">Not quite sure how it happened, but the big day is just over a week away. But you'd never know that the Yule tide was coming in soon, thanks to rather warm temperatures we had during the past week in Union County land.</p><p class="p1">Last Friday night, I was sitting on the front porch, listening to bug sounds. On the 11th day of December. At least there weren't any mosquitoes. </p><p class="p1">Then, around midday last Saturday, the dashboard on my trusty laptop showed that the temperature in the great outdoors was 71 degrees. Yup. 71 degrees on the 12th day of December. </p><p class="p1">A baker's dozen days until Christmas, and Mother Nature gave to me, December weather that was nice for everyone, even a partridge in a pear tree. It was so warm, we could actually open the windows in our humble abode. Go figure.</p><p class="p1">Earlier in the day, I took a stroll downtown to the heart of the metropolitan area where we call home. I had a couple of items to take to the post office, and wanted to pay a visit to a Christmas Shoppe offered by the folks of the Union County Historical Society.</p><p class="p1">I guess I was on a bit of a mission, except that I did not really know what the mission involved. I figured I would find what I needed to find only if I happened to find it. Whatever "it" was.</p><p class="p1">Well, call it a Christmas miracle. I didn't even know what I was looking for, and I still managed to find it. Even better, the price was right. </p><p class="p1">Since it was so nice last Saturday, I decided to motor to the Trail of Tears State Forest to do some walking in the woods.</p><p class="p1">On the way to the state forest (and on the way back home for that matter), I kept my eyes open for wildlife. Didn't see much, though. I'm guessing it must have had something to do with the time of the day. I did spot a couple of past tense possums in the middle of the road. Well, I think they were possums.</p><p class="p1">The state forest wasn't a very busy place last Saturday. I saw a few people, but mostly the woods were mine for the enjoyment. </p><p class="p1">As is often the case when I head to the state forest, I simply paused and listened. Off in the distance, I could hear what I thought was a raptor of some sort. I am not an expert when it comes to such things, though. A couple of other kinds of birds were making bird noises, too. At one point, a flock of geese flew over, far above, heading north. Maybe they were trying to find some cold weather.</p><p class="p1">Mostly, I just listened to the wind blow through trees. I spent about an hour in the woods, enjoying the calm. And the unusual, balmy December weather. What a far cry from a couple of years ago, when we paid a visit to the state forest on an icy Christmas Eve afternoon. That day, it truly was C-O-L-D. </p><p class="p1">By the time you read this, I'm guessing the weather will be more seasonable. Perhaps a little more Christmasy. Truth be told, an ill wind was already blowing in some changes last Sunday night...</p>