It is almost time to put 2015 into the record books, and for North Texas we have some doozies when it comes to new weather records. According to NOAA, through the end of November, 2015 has had almost 6 inches more rain than what will now be the second wettest year on record. This does not include the flooding that occurred along with the tornadoes from this past weekend, so we have really broken that record to smithereens. It is even more impressive when you realize that over the summer we had the third longest stretch of no precipitation on record, 41 days from July 9 - August 18. According to the channel 5 weather report tonight, the 10 confirmed tornadoes from the storms this past Saturday makes 2015 also a record breaking year for number of confirmed tornadoes in North Texas. Good grief!
So much for looking back at occurrences that we can't control. What is within your scope of influence that you are hoping for during 2016? Many things will happen in our lives without active planning. However if there are specific goals that you would like to accomplish, taking some time to plan out the steps
to achieving them and then actively pursuing those steps will greatly increase your chances of completing your goals. One of my business goals is to gather together a team of local artisans who sell or wish to sell on Etsy for the purpose of supporting team members in their specific goals for their creations and connecting them with patrons of things handmade. I am in the planning stage for getting together our first meeting of 2016 in February. Hopefully this endeavor will be a success.
May your goals for 2016 come to fruition and have a Happy New Year in the process.
The butterflies are back! Their second week has begun at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens and they will be there through Sunday, April 3, 2016. Exotic butterflies are hatched out and released into the rain forest conservatory for visitors to view as they stroll along the pathways. Butterflies in the Garden comes to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens every other year so if you don't get by before they are gone, you won't be able to see them again until 2018. If you don't live close enough to visit this exhibit check with your local botanic garden to see if they have this or a similar one on their calendar.
What can you expect to see? You will see a wide variety of exotic butterflies from South America. There are a variety of colors and sizes. You will see butterflies, large and small, perching on foliage, drinking nectar from flowers and eating from feeding stations. You need to watch your feet so you don't step on any that land on the path. But don't look down all the time because there will be butterflies flying past and above you. They often travel in groups. It's ok if they land on you, just don't walk out with them. It is also ok to bring your camera but don't bring in any snacks and drinks.
