In keeping with the brooding mood of yesterday, this strange, freakish storm happened last night.  Nothing like this (in E’s memory) has ever occurred here in January.

It was still 54 F at almost 10PM, weird in itself, and frequent lightning strikes kept lighting up the sky.  Then the thunder started. Wind picked up and loud hail-like things were crashing against all the windows at once, to the point that we were sure our thin panes would break. They didn’t, but you could still feel the wind blowing through the apartment.

This continued for a while, then it all simmered down, except heavy rain and wind.  It was the most bizarre, freakish weather for this time of year we’ve ever experienced here, or for that matter, anywhere.  No question climate change is mixing up the natural order.

This morning, dawn made a brave attempt, then yielded to the dark, glowering clouds moving in.  It’s like nature imitating the mood I’m trying to resist and not give in to.  So many changes going on right now, personally, in loved ones’ lives, in the world, and in nature itself, it’s easy to succumb to pessimism, but I have to hope that some good will come of it all.