Somedays I feel like I'm so busy doing busy work that I never have time to just look around me and see what is there in front of me.  I check my Instagram and envy the people who find beauty in their midday cup of coffee.  Do you ever feel that way?  Like you are rushing out of the house in the morning before light, dropping off the kids at school, getting caught in traffic, working in a cubicle all day, then doing the reverse until you are home?  When I vowed to take advantage of my time before getting back into the rat race, I started looking around me.  I've noticed clouds and trees, and then out of the blue, there was this little guy just sitting on the lawn one morning.  I hate to admit it, but I think I might have missed him a few weeks ago in the rush to get from the car to the house.  It's the little things like this butterfly that make me hope I remember to keep looking wherever I end up in the next few weeks.

This is something we've had way too little of this year in Southern California: winter weather.  While the rest of the country has been suffering with massive snowstorms, we are in a drought.  Locally, we just made it through a large wildfire, which usually doesn't happen in January, and without rain, we will certainly have more in the foothills that are hidden in clouds in these pictures.

The more personal side of this weather pattern is how it's impacting me.  I'm one of those weird people who is actually more energized when it's cold.  I find the heat just draining, and I can't focus even when it's in the 80s.  I'm much more productive when there is a chill in the air.  But lately I've had to take responsibility for the lack of productivity in my life that has nothing to do with the weather.  This is going to be a long one folks, so settle in with the warm beverage of your choice.