For a change there’s blue sky and sun breaking thru for a cold new year’s morning coffee muses.

It’s just above freezing and the wind is gusty from the north. The wind chill is at 27°. When the sun slips behind the clouds, I feel every one of those wind chilled degrees. But, there is a sun… something I wasn’t so sure of a few days ago.

The north wind is strong enough to get the oak leaves to dancing in the yard. Scampering here and there before swirling into the air in the fading joy allowed to last season’s discards.

When the sun pokes out the birds fly from one semi-protected spot to another trying to capture the warmth and hide from the wind. The wind in the pines I talked about yesterday has become a constant low roar… louder than the rumble of steel on the rails as a train goes down the tracks.

I am afraid the sun is losing it’s battle with the wind. The clouds are keeping the warmth from my almost secluded, almost protected, little alcove.

The seagulls are passing in review over the house this morning. I think they travel from one Wal-Mart to another. I call they the parking lot gulls. Whenever they pass over they do so by the hundreds… taking many long minutes to pass in multiple groups. They don’t flock really, just pass by in lose groupings.

Breakfast and warm hands are calling me indoors…