This is terrible! No, Happy Holidays, Everyone! What's terrible is the Weather Service is actually predicting a chance of rain this afternoon! This after a month of only 4/100 of an inch of, what was that, hoar frost? The thermometer hasn't been above 32F for weeks now and there has been a string of nights lately in the teens - including last night. A high of 33F predicted for this afternoon and, it's gonna to rain!! Weeelll, there's a better than 50% chance of snow everyday beginning Tuesday so I think we may be finally getting out of this dry spell. I just hope that we don't have too many people dipping too deep into the punch bowl over the next few days - the roads are gonna be like glass!! Here is a Holiday quiz to occupy your odd holiday moment: Which of the following holidays DOES NOT occur in December? Boxing Day Kwanzaa St. Nicholas Day Candlemas >>>>>>>>>>>>>If you guessed Boxing Day . . . you are incorrect. Boxing Day is the first or second weekday after Christmas Day in many British Commonwealth nations. That odd name has nothing to do with fisticuffs but rather with "boxing" up offerings for the church. If you guessed Kwanzaa, maybe because it wasn't around when you were a kid . . . you are incorrect. It is actually a week long celebration that begins December 26th. It was "invented" in 1966. If you guessed St. Nicholas Day perhaps because you were being very clever and thought this might be a trick question . . . you may be very clever but you are incorrect. St. Nicholas Day is usually celebrated on December 6th or December 19th (in most Christian Orthodox countries). And yes, St. Nicholas = Santa Claus. And that only leaves Candlemas! This is the correct answer because Candlemas comes on February 2nd. There are several traditions associated with Candlemas Day: Ceremony upon Candlemas Eve Down with the rosemary, and so Down with the bays and mistletoe; Down with the holly, ivy, all, Wherewith ye dress'd the Christmas Hall Also, yes it is! It is Groundhog's Day! Celebrated on February 2nd in the United States and Canada. The groundhog tradition comes from the weather lore of western Europe associated with Candlemas. Me? I've got my stash of food & goodies and if'n the ground is gonna be covered with ice and snow - I'm done with my winter walks. Maybe, I can poke my head up again by February 2nd! Steve

wow, you have some real beauties.I love that Tropical Sunset and Tuscan Sunset, too Tahitian Sunset is a beauty, too.I don't have much blooming right now and what does has blooms is burnt up and the blooms are very small.They need fertilizer again,but its just too hot out there for me. Jean

And, fwiw, this is a good pic to discuss editing on. The image above was edited some, and needs way more than I could get to approach the real sunset. While a photographer can take a mundane "scene" and jazz it up with editing, the editing to the one above is really about compensating for not capturing the real scene. Mostly as a matter of contrast, I suppose, I didn't get the real image of the great brilliant "silver lining of the thunderhead and the halloween orange of the lower strata. Also add in the dark purple of the passing storm. I can discuss this freely because I didn't have time to even try to take great photo. Getting all those things, in my experience, is hard enough even if you have the time to try. So, editing, when it imparts something that isn't there, can be a little , what,inaccurate? often editing helps but still doesn't make up for the difference in the image and the scene. Photographic skill, ha, and equipment. Personally, I have no reservations in trying to edit to make up for any lack of skill or luck in getting across what I was seeing/taking. I can understand if some purists see that differently. And, here is another one from last night where the bright part (thunderhead) contrast gets blown out, but the darker parts of the pic down lower have better detail. In the big picture, pardon the pun, its hard to get pure white and halloween orange in the same picture. The eye can see it, but getting the camera to capture that great of contrast, for me at least, is hard.

I too really enjoy your pictures, but I will not tell you the (S) word is coming M-T-W but you did not hear it from me in ND, you know the state just west of you. Maybe we can send it south. Marie