Winter Solstice

Happy first day of winter!  It's a chilly 50 degrees here in Phoenix which means it's time to break out the sweatshirts and be a little more bundled up.  Yes, many of you think that couldn't be cold but since I've lived here for 17 years now my blood has thinned and tolerance to truly cold weather has lessened.  Anyone who knows me knows that I like things on the cool side.  During summer my air conditioning is always on full blast because I don't like the extreme heat the valley of the sun has to offer.  Now is the time of year, however, that we enjoy a much needed break from the heat of summertime.  This is the payoff for living in Phoenix.  I do miss the snow, especially this time of year around the holidays, and I definitely miss fall in the midwest when it gets chillier and all the leaves turn such beautiful colors; but living here definitely has its advantages.  You don't ever have to shovel sunshine and the only salting needed is on food and the rim of a margarita glass.  I guess I would characterize Phoenix's winter to be like fall in many other places.  I still wear shorts and a t-shirt around the apartment when I'm in lounge mode and some of my Phoenix friends find that absolutely ludicrous.  I guess I'm still at least somewhat warm blooded, but I do don more warm clothing when I head out and about.  They say that's how you can pick out the tourists in town; they wear shorts and t-shirts and think the temperatures are balmy compared to where they come from.  With the days being short and the darkness being longer it's definitely easier to sleep, which is always a good thing.  Sleep hasn't been a strong suit of mine for a while but I'm finding it comforting to crawl into bed and get all cozy under the covers!  It's coming more easy to me these days, especially since my apartment is more put together and the bed isn't covered in clothes like it was!

I've received a couple of Christmas gifts, though I've told everyone I'm not in a financial position to give them this year and don't want anything.  My friend Jacque from group gave me a really nice gift card to Macaroni Grille which I used to go to lunch yesterday.  She was giving me a hard time because I commented about going there and having this really cute server.  She wanted me to go back and be bold about giving them my number.  That's not going to happen since I'm just not that brave, but I appreciate the sentiment!  I had fettuccine alfredo that was out of this world!  The other gift arrived yesterday in the mail and it was a big box of chex party mix freshly made by my brother Barry.  It's an annual treat that brings back a lot of memories of my younger days.  I've already polished off quite a bit of it, but in the spirit of the holidays I did share some with my friend JK; the rest is mine though!  Many thanks to both Jacque and Barry for the wonderful gifts and I hope they both know that they were thoroughly enjoyed!  I wish I was in the position to be able to give gifts because there are many people I'd love to buy something for, but it's just not in the cards these days.  Food and shelter take precedence and there's just not that much left over after those things are taken care of.  It sucks being poor but I'm very grateful that I have my basic needs met.  Thankfulness is important regardless of one's situation and I'm trying to make gratitude a priority. The Lord's prayer asks Him to give us our daily bread and I believe He is doing that for me.  Have I won Publisher's Clearing House or the lottery?  No, but I'm lucky to have what I need and I'm grateful to Him for providing it to me.  My hope is that you all have everything you need in abundance this winter.  May your home and hearth be warm and full of joy and may the new year bring you many blessings!  Happy winter solstice!