In the last couple of days it has really started getting chilly outside. For me chilly is below 60, and cold is anything below 50. Granted not a wide range there in my internal thermometer, but that is how I view the temps. We've been having a little bit of rain on and off for a couple days and now the weather is supposed to brighten up which means it will warm up too. I live in the Pacific Northwest and our weather for the most part is very mild. We may have 2 or 3 days of triple digit heat during the summer but we are so close to the Pacific Coast that marine air moves it out pretty quickly - thankfully! Because that internal thermometer that I was talking about? It works the same way for the heat. Anything above 80 is getting too warm, and anything above 90 is unbearable. The perfect temperature for me would be 65-75. Perfect for gardening, growing flowers, playing outside with the kids and dogs. Perfect for picnics and BBQ's.

Along with all those mild tempertures the Pacific Northwest enjoys, we also have our downside. And of course that is the rain. The state of Washington has it's very own rain forest! Just north of me is the Olympic National Forest which receives on average 140 inches of rain a year! Amazing isn't it? But it is still less than the Amazon receives. In southwest Washington, where I live, we receive about an average of 37" a year. Talk about a green state! So while you are shoveling snow, we are donning umbrellas for at least 6 months out of the year.

Regardless of where we live in this beautiful country of ours we are all blessed beyond our wildest imaginations.