Spirit.

  
I’m sitting here in the park along the canal near the house. It is 60ºF, the sun is shining beautifully. Aside from the limited amount of sunlight this year, today could easily be mistaken for any given day in March in this area, just with a little bit less amount of mud from snow melt.

This doesn’t really get one in the holiday spirit.

The forecasters have been saying for months that we would have a mild winter this year due to the largest El Niño in known history. So far they have been correct. A quick look at the next 10 days has more of the same temperatures and weather during that time.

If the clouds cooperate I plan on going for a night flight tonight.

I spent the first half of the week working Greenville, S.C., and it struck me that not everyone is dependent on snow to get into the holiday spirit. It’s never really dawned on me that snowflakes and over the hills and through the woods and all that is a northern thing. Jingle Bells must sound ridiculous in the desert.

It gives me a whole new perspective on the holiday season. New perspectives at my age are good.