The day was still not very cold, despite some clouds, but it was cool enough that I needed to wear my hoodie up when I went outside, except for a couple of hours in the afternoon. It was supposed to get colder later in the week, but in the latest forecast it doesn't. Worse, the chance of rain this week has been downgraded from 60% to 20%. I've begun to fear that the closest we'll get to rain this season will be the drip that the faucet in my back yard has developed.
But we're not out of water yet, so I can still make tea, and Sierra Nevada can still brew beer, which is even more important. And while the mostly clear sky will contribute nothing to the water table, it does provide a nice view of the stars. Around midnight, Orion will be posed in exactly the right spot for me to get a good view of him from the chaise lounge on my back porch. I'll probably go and hang out with him for a few minutes. He's quiet and undemanding, so he makes a pleasant companion on a not-so-wintry night. The waning moon won't be up for a while yet, so we won't be disturbed in our contemplation— unless another flock of noisy geese comes by, of course, but they never stay for long. I hope they stay away, though. I'm in the mood for silence.