The Weather of Together

 So far, the weather here is fine; so I get a little depressed when I read in your blogs about snow and freezing cold.

Luckily, the descriptions of decorations, ornaments , greeting cards, gifts, food, and other Christmas preparations are very, very heart-warming and eye- pleasing!

The December holidays: Christmas. and our jewish Hanukkah -  are family holidays, celebrations of togetherness, lights, gift-giving, good food. 

 The Christmas tree with its colorful lights  and the Menora with its eight candle lights, illuminate our lives and uplift our spirit.

Menora

Christmas tree and gifts

Here are some nice rhymes to go with 'weather' and 'together':

'As long as we are together /who cares about the weather'?

'You can be as cold as the winter weather/ but I don't care as we are together' 

I will help you get better/ when you feel under the weather

* web pictures

Seasons

 

Our winters are relatively short and mild, yet I wish we had no winter at all. Me and cold are not good friends.

I'm no fan of summer's heat either; it can be scorching and debilitating. It's just that one likes the freedom that this season offers: no thick fabrics, no layers of clothes, no  boots; no flu episodes, ease of moving and walking.  And of course, Nature is present in all its splendor providing endless delight.

Spring and Autumn, transitional periods, are shorter in length than winter and summer.

Spring, the season of awakening and renewal, is  supposed to come in March, but is usually late, and makes its appearance  in early April. In my country, it also brings with it what's called 'hamsin' - desert heat waves, a dry and quite unpleasant phenomenon.

Autumn is OK considering the spectacular change of colors that characterizes it, except,  that it is autumn that reminds me that each season in my life is linked to the loss of a beloved one, and that fact in itself fills me with sadness. (Autumn is also known as Fall, so probably it is expected that not only  leaves fall, but also one's  mood does).

I've even written  once a few lines on the matter. It goes like this (translation from Hebrew):

"In spring, my Mom got ill and fragile / It sure looked to me a bad sign.  In summer, when everything around was bright  / Alas! She and my brother, both died.

In autumn, with the sky above, cloudy and grey / My father and  nephew passed away. In winter, in the cold, gloomy weather / we had to part from my  uncle forever".

 *

The weather  of each of the four seasons is mentioned quite often in people's blogs; no wonder about that. Climate has a great impact on one's quality of life. 

I've noticed , though, that people who plan relocation, place climate at the bottom of their agenda or ignore it completely.  Only when they get to their new location they understand the meaning of it, but then it might be  too late .

Snow in the Sahara

Unbelievable!  Sahara is  the hottest, driest place on the planet. The last thing one would expect is snow. That's a rare weather event ( the last time snow fell there was in 1979 -  it was first time in recorded weather history ), and therefore this is real, exciting news.

An amateur photographer by the name of Karim Bouchetata captured the snow on the red sand dunes (photo above) near the little algerian desert  town Ain Sefra, known as the Gateway to the desert . He had to do it quickly as the snow stayed only for about a day and then melted away (19 of December,2016).

There are some youtube videos about this Ain Sefra place in Algeria - an oasis located in the desert and near the Atlas mountains (see, for example, the video "Algerie,  cote d'Ain Sefra- Paysages").

The snow in the Sahara desert is one of the many occurrences of weather anomality  during the last two decades, which makes us wonder where do we go from here . What's going to happen next with our climate? We're quite helpless about it.  I don't call the situation warming  or cooling of the earth - it would be erroneous -  just  anomality of the weather.

April , weather, and... more

I like it in April; the cold of the winter is gone, the heat of the summer is not here yet ( except for a day or two of desert-like weather called 'hamsin'). The windows are wide open; no heating/ cooling devices needed (and thus lower electricity bills).

I feel better and happier in  the warm weather of April.  In winter - cloudiness ,cold, and rain  affect my health; these winter elements make it easy for me to catch a cold  (which weakens the immunity system), and arouse the dull pain in my lower back (which might cause problems with my knees and legs) . 

The declutter process I've started to carry out lately, in anticipation of the upcoming Passover holiday, is spoiling my mood ; not an easy task, for someone like me who gets foolishly attached to things. On top of all, I haven't got yet  my latest purchase - the compact home Paper Shredder which is to help me get rid of old paper stuff, safely and elegantly.

Almost  three weeks till Passover. This is the time to replace a pot or two in the kitchen with new ones. I like doing this as I believe old pots are a source of toxicity even if they are considered of decent quality.

April is a good month for trips and picnics in blooming and greening Nature. Cameras, road maps, bicycles, etc.. are ready to serve their masters . Caution is  required, though, as there are many road accidents at this time of the year.