With the start of May, spring continues, although not in the idealized, mild, sunny days often pictured in stories. We are experiencing a typical San Diego spring, or ‘May Gray’ as it is called. The days have been overcast, we’ve even had some rain, which is grayer than normal. However, I am not in a hurry for hot temperatures, so I’ll make do with cloudy days and enjoy the sun when it peeps out for bit. While it is spring time, the pictures are for the theme of family. It is always interesting to see the pictures my son picks out for these themes, even if I don't stay on topic for them.

We are now approaching the halfway point for April. I’ve looked over the calendar, and it’s a busy month. Easter will be on the 21st, we made it through April Fool’s day, Earth Day is on the 22nd and there are anniversaries for several historical events.

With the vernal equinox on March 20th, spring is now officially here. There are lots of wild flowers in our area this year and our hills are very green after all of the rain we’ve had. Birds and butterflies are busy migrating, it feels like winter is losing its hold and spring will finally come and stay for a bit.

After the last few weeks of cold, rainy weather, I’m ready for winter to end. There was a break in the clouds today, it felt good to weed out our vegetable garden in the front yard. The ground was still soft enough to make it easy to pull the weeds.

This last weekend was a bit different, my son and I attended a science fiction convention, CondorCon. After several very busy weeks at work, I enjoyed the break, getting out and listening to authors talk about writing, watching people dressed up as their favorite characters and stepping back from every day life. We were even blessed with sunny weather, just in time for the convention and any out of town visitors to our fair city.

It’s the middle of February and winter is definitely in place, in your face and ready to rock and roll. Based on the current decor choices, gray and cloudy with some more gray and cloudy in the forecast, I think most people are ready for a change in the season. Unfortunately, it looks like winter is offended that her welcome is worn out and giving us a cold shoulder along with ice, snow, and rain, depending on how far north you live.

The month of January is moving quickly, sometimes a little too quickly for me. In my opinion, January should be hibernation time, with a couple of weeks for recovery from the holidays, but instead it is a time of increased activity and resolutions as people start fresh in life.

Happy New Year to everyone, I hope your year has started off well. And thank you to those who wished me well after I wrote about not feeling at my best.  I am feeling better now, although I would prefer to hibernate this time of year, if I had the opportunity. I am glad I don’t get sick that often.

In this week before Christmas, my thoughts are rambling, shifting, and not very focused. As preparations for the holiday increase, work is slowing down a bit in recognition of the season. There is still work to be done before taking a break but things are moving slower as people spend time with family and friends. The days are shorter, the nights longer and the lights on the houses have more time to brighten the evenings.