I have always claimed that the rainy fall days in Michigan are my least favorite time of year in our beautiful state. I hate the pervasive chill and the dreary skys. It can also be that way in the Spring, but it seems that Fall is always more rainy and in the Spring know that nice weather will soon be coming. In Fall, the weather that’s coming will be even colder.

Today was that kind of too cool, dark day.

I know my moods are weather dependent. Give me a lovely sunny day, and I’ll feel up-beat. If there’s gloom in my world with skys that are dark, that’s what you get from me.

I guess that’s why I so love Florida. January and February are generally cool, but by cool I mean 70’s. March-June it’s becoming very warm with temps 80-90. July and August it’s dern hot: 90+ degrees. September you’re back into the 80-90’s and by December it’s cooled down to the low 80’s or 70’s. But through it all, there never seems to be a really gloomy period. Yes, we’ve had to endure a week or two of rainy cool temperatures, but I can take that. In fact, it’s been rare when we haven’t been able to go to the pool and soak up some rays any time of the year.

How can I combat the problem? Pray for an early winter. Surprisingly when winter truly hits with white snow which sparkles, I generally cheer up. But when it’s like this, I have a rough time.

So today I looked forward and did what I could to plan for the future. I’ve been going through my packing list, and making sure I know just what I need to do before we take off in December for Florida. Of course, with John’s health so shakey, it’s possible that we’ll have to postpone or even cancel our trip. If we find that we just can’t go to our condo this year, I’ll make the best of it. I’m actually very “flexible” and I’ll take it all in stride.

But I hope we know by mid-late November for sure that we are going (or not). That way I can organize my Christmas plans. At this point, I think we’ll be in Florida for nine days before Christmas Day. It would be fun to plan a holiday party about the 23rd. We’d need to decorate for the season. Figure out some good food, and have a bottle or two of wine.

I left most of my favorite holiday decorations in Florida last year.

Actually I’d love to take a small “real” tree with us from Michigan down there, but I’m realizing that with my allergies it’s probably not wise. (My eyes burn horribly when I’m in the same room with a real tree.) I wouldn’t mind buying a quality artificial tree to have in the corner of our condo living room. I don’t know how John would feel about that, but one-way or the other, I want us to enjoy a Christmas tree this year.

Here are the average numbers for Florida’s temps:
Month; high; low; precipitation; record high; record low
Jan 72°F 49°F 2.79 in. 86°F (1990) 18°F (1981)
Feb 74°F 50°F 3.13 in. 90°F (1961) 24°F (1996)
Mar 77°F 54°F 3.02 in. 92°F (1961) 29°F (1996)
Apr 81°F 59°F 2.05 in. 95°F (1968) 36°F (1987)
May 86°F 64°F 2.98 in. 98°F (1962) 41°F (1999)
Jun 89°F 70°F 7.09 in. 101°F (1985) 51°F (1984)
Jul 90°F 72°F 7.57 in. 99°F (1968) 62°F (1978)
Aug 90°F 72°F 8.67 in. 101°F (1998) 64°F (1984)
Sep 89°F 72°F 7.45 in. 99°F (1998) 57°F (1991)
Oct 85°F 65°F 2.78 in. 97°F (1959) 43°F (1964)
Nov 79°F 58°F 2.31 in. 92°F (1959) 25°F (1970)
Dec 74°F 52°F 2.25 in. 89°F (1961) 20°F (1962)
Sun City Center, FL Weather Facts:
The average warmest month is July.
The highest recorded temperature was 101°F in 1998.
On average, the coolest month is January.
The lowest recorded temperature was 18°F in 1981.
The maximum average precipitation occurs in August.