Weather - what else?

Flowering Quince in Floyd, taken three days  ago

 Grandpa used to say that "normal weather" was the delusional construct of a ivory tower statistician who didn't go outside very often. 2015 proved him correct once more. November was off-the-charts warm in the entire region:

In fact, the entire year was weird. February was the third coldest ever in Roanoke and December the warmest ever (Floyd has not had a weather reporting station since 1940 when the local weather observer enlisted in the Army). Note, too, that the first five months of the year had below average rainfall and since then, well above average, especially the final quarter of the year. [It was not precisely the same here in Floyd where June was also very dry].

After this amazing prolonged autumnal spell, winter finally closes in today. The low tonight is forecast at 17F, and that would be the coldest night of the winter thus far. The fireplace will be in steady use and the cats will be queued up for lap time. Mr. Fuzzy will be comfortably ensconced in a Windsor writing chair (made by George Matthews), reading through the 1822 thriller, The Three Perils of Man, by favorite author James Hogg, a horn beaker of Talisker within easy reach.

Stay warm and healthy my friends. Another post will follow shortly...