The phone rings and I answer it. It is my daughter  from Maryland telling me it is freezing  and that there are winter weather advisories for her area. She tells me they may be getting a bit of snow followed by ice and then rain threatening to make her morning compute to the D.C. area a potentially dangerous one.  Listening to her concerns, I am glad that we moved from coastal New York to Florida for our retirement.

The next morning during a walk along Lake Tsala Apopka, I see golden flowers swaying in a light breeze. It is a group of burr marigolds growing in the shallow waters at the edge of the lake.  The temperatures here in Florida reach the lower 80s during the day and decrease to the low 60s at night, just the right conditions for these and other fall wildflowers to thrive. So for my friends and family up north I provide these pictures of this beautiful plant, not to rub it in, but to ….  O.K.  well really to rub it in! LOL Have a safe ride to work Candace!