This morning was weird, because it was 63º at 5:30 a.m. Our normal high for November 18 is only 48º, so you’ll forgive my disbelief. It can’t possibly be that warm, I thought, so I bundled myself up in a thick hoodie and stepped onto the porch. Immediately came back inside and swapped that hoodie for a much lighter-weight one, because yes, it was that warm.
What a strange weather year 2020 has been, which I suppose is par for the course anyway. Below zero one week, 80º the next. Back down to the teens, back up to the 70s. There has been no consistency, rhyme, or reason.
I wasn’t too upset today, though. The warm weather meant I could walk outside instead of on the treadmill. And over the next hour, I was treated to the most stunning sunrise in recent memory as the sky gradually evolved from jet black to vibrant orange, red, and purple.
But my favorite color of all? Blue. I came across this map showing the shift in voter margins across the country from 2016 to 2020, and was very happy (and admittedly surprised) to see Pennington County, which I have circled for the geographically averse, enjoy a fairly significant increase in the number of Democratic votes this election cycle. Hell, even the middle of the state is trending in that direction. There’s hope for us yet!
It’s a fascinating article from NPR (aka “the liberal media”…ROFLMAO) by the way, and helps explain exactly how Biden won. If you doubt in any way that he did, you’ve been drinking far too much Kool-Aid. Like these people. I hope you get your head out of the sand before January 20, 2021, because my livelihood (and YOURS) depends on it.
Still not sure if I’m writing every day this month…
Mark My Words 
That sky….oh wow. Just amazing. You’re so lucky to be out walking watching this unfold in front of you (or above you, I guess)… 🙂
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Agreed! I had no idea this was going to happen when I left the house this morning. It was still too dark to see a damn thing at the time!
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Gorgeous sunrise. I still remember the best sunrise I ever saw (only one I can remember). It came up over the mountains. So beautiful.
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Ooh! Do you happen to have a photo of this sunrise? (I kind of hope your answer is no, because it sounds like it was impressive enough to sear itself into your memory for eternity…which is far better an accomplishment than any photograph).
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The answer is no, but sadly, I can’t see it in my mind still. It was so long ago. I also remember seeing more stars than I thought possible one night somewhere near Yugoslavia. Can’t still see that one, either, but the memory was that it was amazing. I’ll take what I can get.
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I clearly remember seeing more stars than anywhere else one night in Crater Lake, Oregon. The Nevada desert was a close second, though…and the South Dakota prairie is nipping at its heels in third place!
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Gorgeous pictures, but clearly your neighbors are slackers not to have their Christmas lights on in the early morning dark!
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To be fair, all the houses with decorations are on the opposite side of the street…and they did have their lights on still!
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So is this like the Hatfields vs. the McCoys? Christmas lights versus no Christmas lights?
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So far, at least! I hope to buck the trend, of course…
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We’ve had that crazy weather here as well. One day I’m watering my plants, the next morning a hard frost kills them. I laid in the sun last week, this morning it was 18 degrees. It’s climate whiplash.
As you can see by the map of my state, southern Maine is blue, central Maine is… pink?, and the northern part (which Mainers refer to as the county) is a different world entirely. I’m surprised it’s not shaded red hot red because that’s what it is. We’re one of the few states who split their electoral college votes and though we never used to, we have for the past 2 elections.
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I think splitting electoral votes is an excellent idea. Nebraska does it too, which is why 4 of their electors will vote for Trump, but two will vote for Biden. I think it gives a more accurate representation of a state’s unique differences.
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Our weather this fall has been warmer than usual. Go figure. I like your photos of the colors you see in the sky and I like your preference for the color blue. Living in the land of red all. the. time. I find like-minded blue lovers a refreshing breath of fresh air.
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Same here! I hate being surrounded by so much red. You’re every bit as refreshing to me!
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Yes
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Yes
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Beautiful word.
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So, being a few dots of blue surrounded by a sea of red is very disheartening. It’s the same for us in our state. Seems like a bizarre time capsule that will not play well in the future. Meanwhile, Rapid City is on the national news as Covid cases spiral out of control and your governor maintains that “people are happy to be free…”. That word “refreshing” seems unattainable at times. Yet we strive for it. Stay safe out there, Mark!
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Don’t get me started on our governor. Noem’s an idiot. Things would have been a lot different if Billie Sutton had been elected. It was really close, by the way. Not that that matters!
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Ok, I know what “NPR” stands for, and “YOURS” was just a capitalized version of the second person possessive pronoun, but you’re going to have to enlighten me about ROFLMAO. Something something something something my ass off??
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You’re not familiar with that classic acronym? Well, good guess, anyway! It’s Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Ass Off.
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Ahhh. Thank you Oh Learned One.
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