It’s December and soon will be Winter Solstice. The sky is dark and crisp. I rise fairly early before the moon has even set. It is my morning ritual to greet the moon. Even though the moon is well off its super full moon, it is still really bright. I can see several planets in the morning as well; Jupiter and Mars, and I think the other might be Saturn but I can’t be sure. The planets all seem more visible in the morning than at night. I love to be out in the peaceful stillness before the world stirs. Even the birds are still asleep.
The weather is not screaming winter here like our friends in the north. It was in the 80’s this week and moving into the 70’s through next week. I can’t complain. I love the warmer temperatures, but it has confused the plants. My tomato plants are heavy with fruit again. I haven’t pulled them yet because I don’t know how long this warm weather will continue. We have swung back to dry weather after our extremely wet fall. Here in California, you never know when the rains will come. It all depends on the jet stream and whether the high front sits off our coast as it is doing now.
No matter how warm it is on the Solstice, we will be lighting our yule log to greet the return of the sun and longer days that will come in slow increments until February. We burn frankencense to bring prosperity and good health as well. If it is cool enough, we will heat up cider with lemons and cinnamon and perhaps a little brandy.
Reflections Outside My Window 