Record Highs in Maryland

The temperature went up to 72 degrees yesterday (2/6), a record high for our area. In the late afternoon, the wind picked up as I left the house for my walk with George through the woods. The skies were gray when I left, but by the time we got to the other side of the woods, the sun was breaking through and shedding that amber light it does before sunset. Then the pink color arrived and it was magic hour.

I had come to the marsh area, a place where beavers have built dams, creating a huge pond. It was so peaceful there and the birds were trilling back and forth. I could hear ducks, too. I just wanted to stay awhile, and the dog had run off on the scent of something, so I sat down. Then I laid down and just looked at the sky and the clouds moving and listened to the wind through the trees and the birds chittering in the brush around me. I could even smell deer nearby. Have you ever smelled deer? It's a distinct scent, sort of like really earthy wet fur. Difficult to explain unless you're there to smell it.

It was so beautiful just resting there, but then I heard this growling nearby. Turns out, it was only George, who had returned to see something out of place (that would be me), lying on the ground. He ran off when I called him and didn't come back until I was standing in an upright position and telling him it was ok. I was just chillin', pup!

Walking up our hill on the return home, I noticed our backyard trees with the skies brilliant and blazing behind them, so I made tracks to the house to get the camera. I took these photos looking up towards our backyard, standing between our home and the pond below. I didn't work on them in Photoshop because I like how they look just fine.

I still can't believe how warm it was today. Cold weather coming soon, though, so I'm glad I got to enjoy it while I could.

I'd like to take a moment to ask you to pray for the people in this country who have been affected by the record number of tornadoes on the night of Feb. 5, making it the worst one-day onslaught of weather seen in years. Across 7 states, 30-50 tornadoes were reported.