It’s record-settingly official. The Chicago area just survived its cloudiest June on record.

If you were to read the entire post, you would find all the depressing statistics. If that sounds too gloomy to tackle, here are the highlights—or, should I say, lowlights:  Last month our total sunshine was only 46 percent of the possible sun, making it the cloudiest June since sunshine records were first kept in 1893. The previous record low was 48 percent, set in 1942. Our average sunshine for June, by comparison, is 65 percent.

But today, a new month begins. I have high hopes for July. And, at least for several hours this morning, we broke out of the clouds into glorious sunshine. I could feel my spirits rise to ridiculous heights as I walked the neighborhood. Everywhere I looked, I discovered beauty. Last month’s rains have produced spectacular blooms.

Our community garden has never looked lovelier, with such vibrant colors.

And our white flowers are so shimmery, they almost hurt the eyes.

Today, even the weeds in our not-yet-developed areas are beautiful. At least they are to me.

OK, I admit it. I might be a little high on sunshine at the moment. I hope you are too, wherever you are.