Winter Solstice

Summer grass is much more beautiful in winter

Today we marked the passing of the winter solstice.
I wanted to get a soltice'esk reading on the weather, so I punched the brew button on the coffeemaker and went out on the deck just after daybreak.
I knew without checking the forecast that it would be a blustery day.
I could hear upper-level winds whispering through the pine.
I stood for a long while looking at the sky.
Out of the south came a wind that blew a spray of mist across my face.
Even though there was sine ullis solibus, or as we say here in Alabama no sunshine, the sky was an odd shade of pink.
It didn't get quite as warm as predicted which is a good thing. Hopefully when the mass of cold air reaches us later tonight, it will play nice with the warm air and spare us the nasty stuff.
After coffee, we had a few errands to run. We decided to get out early to dodge the crowd. Flu is reaching epidemic levels here, and the last thing we need for Christmas is a hospital stay.
Tonight will probably be a fitful night as the cold-air mass won't be here until the wee hours of the morning.
I'm saying a prayer for our friends to the west and north of us. Y'all keep your heads down.