Winter officially arrived at 10:59 a.m. on the morning of Tuesday, December 21, 2021.

 

It turned out to be a sunny and pleasant day with a high of 44 deg. F.

 

The lead photograph shows a view of Jefferson Park taken from the attic of our house on Cooley Avenue -- on the south side of the park.

 

I took a one-hour garden- walk in the early afternoon -- along our driveway and the sidewalk in front of our and our neighbor's houses.

 

The second photograph shows some of the plants along our hedge in the front yard -- mostly leafless but a few with yellow leaves that are still hanging there.

 

Residents were out walking their dogs.

 

I wished everyone a happy first day of winter.

 

The third photograph shows the afternoon sun (93 million miles away) piercing through our neighbor's Christmas tree.

 

Because of nice (above freezing temperature) days in December -- some of the spring plants have sprouted and ready to flower. The fourth photograph shows a wild flowering plant along our driveway that yields small yellow flowers -- from spring to summer.

 

Smokey and Gingy (mother and son) -- our two outdoor cats and my constant companions were in the driveway as I was walking -- repeating the short route -- multiple times. The fifth photograph shows the two of them relaxing along the driveway. Smokey is in a daffodil patch covered with autumn leaves.

 

In the evening, I played one-hour of solo tennis (sixth photograph) with nine balls – one ball for each of our planets. I played without the nets – they were removed after Thanksgiving. Without the nets – every short is an ace.

 

There was no shortage of planes going overhead – see seventh photograph.

 

The sun rose today at 7:49 a.m. and will set at 5:00 p.m. -- giving us a nearly 9-hour day of sunlight.

 

The days will keep on getting longer -- with nearly 12-hours of sunlight starting on the first day of spring (March 20, 2022) -- and 15-hours of sunlight starting on the first day of summer (June 21, 2022). Then the days will start getting shorter -- until we reach the first day of winter (December 21, 2022). Then the days will again start getting longer and then shorter again ------ in an endless cycle in a mysterious universe.

 

Enjoy the winter – let’s hope it is a pleasant one!