Welcome to December, Everyone.  And a warm December 1st and first week it is.  Temperatures should go into the high 50s or even hit 60 this weekend.  A bit cooler after Tuesday but still a good bit above normal.  We haven't seen 'normal' in so long I wonder if we would recognize it if it bit us.

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It is now Sunday, Dec. 2.  I didn't have much to say yesterday.  I got out and swept up the leaves on the patio.  Used them to mulch the roses and blueberries.  It may be my imagination but I don't think we got as many leaves as in years past.  I also checked the moisture levels in all of the beds--doing good.  No need to water anything.  We got a bit of rain--a very tiny bit--last night.  But no snow and none likely for the next week.  We bought a winter wreath last week--I think I mentioned that.  I said I would put it up at solstice or when the first snow fell.  Looks like solstice is most likely.  The weather person on the news this morning said that the latest date on record for a first snow is Dec. 16 and last year it fell on Dec. 9.  Looks like it will be late again.

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Monday, Dec. 3.  Another bit of rain last night and fog this morning.  Incredibly warm for December--even early December (low 50s).  You might wonder why I don't have much to say on the political row over the 'fiscal cliff.'  Well, I was bored and irritated by the first iteration during the campaigns and now I am simply bored with  the sequel.  Seen this before, boys and girls.  I was utterly unimpressed.  No matter who wins the debate (Damnocrats or Repthuglicans), we will have some form of austerity.  If you can't stomach what is happening in Greece don't console yourself that it can't happen here.  Steve Fraser's post on Tomdispatch should disabuse you of such a notion.  We have lived with increasing levels of 'austerity' for the last 40 years.

I don't know how often over the last several year I remarked, after hearing about union give backs and declining pay and benefits among non-union workers, that soon enough we wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 'something' and 'nothing.'  A parallel argument holds that those who have jobs--any jobs--are luck to have them and should be grateful.  Well, this Daily Kos post demolishes that argument.  Another article I read recently (sorry, didn't keep the link) cited stats which indicate two-thirds of the jobs lost were high-paying-with-benefits types while two-thirds of the jobs created were low-paying-no-benefits.  That doesn't sound like something to feel either lucky or grateful for.