Much of the country is dealing with nasty weather, or the threat of nasty weather, as we head into the last week of January with more of winter's triple threats of snow, sleet and freezing rain lurking in the months ahead.
And, of course, we are in the midst of an impeachment trial in Washington that seems to become more depressing as the days unwind. How has our nation come to this?
So, I thought I'd give you a little brain break with this bright and cheerful butterfly video that I created in early October. It was shot in our backyard perennial garden here in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Back to the weather
According to weather.com, two weak systems will bring showers to parts of the south through midweek, but a potentially stronger storm may hit the East next weekend. Light rain will spread into the Southeast tonight into Monday, and snowfall could mix with the rain in the higher elevations of the southern Appalachians.
Some light snow may fall on the northern fringe of this system from the Texas Panhandle into Kansas, southern Missouri, northern Arkansas, northern Tennessee and southern Kentucky.
In the northwest, a strong Pacific jet stream will push a series of storms into the Pacific Northwest through the week ahead, bringing days of rain that could trigger flooding and feet of snow to parts of Washington and Oregon.
In Wisconsin, it is so cold that a farmer has developed special earmuffs to keep her calves' ears warm. They're called Moo Muffs. That farmer, Holly Poad, says the cows don't seem to object. "They're just wondering what's going on," she says.
But it helps keep those tender calves' ears from getting frostbitten.
Fortunately, in Washington, DC, where the Senate is conducting its trial of President Trump, the weather will be mild for this time of year with no precipitation in sight. There will be some cloudy weather, however, hovering over the Capitol where the trial is taking place.
So with all of this in mind, take a few minutes and relax and enjoy this video of a Monarch butterfly set to classical music.
Happy Sunday!