Now I remember

During the dog days of August, I sometimes wonder what on earth made me move to Central Florida.

The weather this time of year makes me remember why.

It's glorious. You can walk out the door in the mornings to cool, fresh air. The sky is so translucently blue you can see through the layers of atmosphere all the way to the rim of space.


As Cat Stevens sang,
"Morning has broken, like the first morning,
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird...

I snapped this shot of trees and skies next to the church Sunday morning. There was even a blackbird, (ok, maybe it was a crow) but I wasn't fast enough to capture it on film.

We've been having the kind of days that make you feel good all over -- highs in the low- to mid-80s, lows in the mid-60s -- without a cloud in the sky. A soft breeze keeps the afternoons from feeling hot.




This little pond is near my house.

The down side is, it's been too dry. Hard to believe, but we're at a higher risk for fires than we were in 1998, when Central Florida went up in smoke. It's supposed to rain this weekend (thank you, Lord, and please keep the fires away).

In the meantime, I'm just going to enjoy these days. August will come soon enough. It will be swelteringly hot, muggy, buggy, and the height of hurricane season. A layer of heat haze will obscure the sky. Again, I'll wonder what on earth made me move to Central Florida.