A dandelion flower

Amazingly, outside on the deck at lunch, on a very warm late-December day, I looked down, and saw a dandelion in flower.

It had become established in the mulch below the lower raised bed (and I hadn't rooted it out yet).

We were close to a record high on Christmas this year in Asheville, and the warmth has continued.

Cooler temperatures are ahead for the next couple of days, but 2016 is definitely on track for a warmest year record here, too.