May 12, 2010 5:45 am
Just woke up, opened the window wide, and deeply breathed in fresh, cool, clean, almost-summer morning air. The glow of the just-about-to-rise sun is back-lighting the mountain top ridges, so that every tree-top stands out in sharp relief. The birds are singing, calling out to each other, welcoming the morning.
The weather folks are forecasting low-to-mid-twenties-Celcius days for the rest of the week. Summer is definitely on its way. Old man winter has made some valiant efforts in the past couple weeks to slow down summer’s arrival. He has managed to cause some havoc on the mountain-pass highways. But here in the valley, the best he’s been able to muster is some gray, windy chill. And just enough rain to green the dry brown hillsides, to raise the creek and lake levels a bit (to everyone’s joy), and to make the world smell wonderfully fresh and spring-like.
Even winter’s ability to produce long dark cold night has been gently, persistently suppressed by summer’s sun. No wonder the chilly, grumpy old geezer seems to have finally decided to retreat into his icy fastnesses. All his best efforts in prolonging the icy season – which wasn’t even as icy as usual this year, thanks to his young upstart nemesis, El Nino – have only resulted in brightening and beautifying our surroundings. Fresh green growing things are bursting into full bloom, and the Sunny Okanagan is living up to its moniker once again.
And yes, the sun has now risen! Welcome, beautiful new morning!
