Most of January was damp and cold. We had a smidge of snow - enough to earn a snow day - but mostly we had endless grey skies and rain. I find January is a bleak month anyway, what with its late sunrises and early sunsets, but add in gloomy grey skies and my growing hip discomfort and the month had little to recommend it. February was less than 48 hours old when it delivered blue skies and sunshine. Though the cold persisted - it’s still Winter - the sun was welcome. It’s also true that our days are lengthening, with an extra minute of sunlight morning and night and that helps. Normally, Winter walks sustain my soul but my temporary disability has robbed me of that comfort. On Saturday, when I could sit out in the back deck and turn my face to the sunlight, for a still-chilly 30 minutes, I felt hopeful. I’m two weeks away from surgery and I am so ready for the return of walks in the woods. Until then, I've had some sunlight and it was glorious.
Monday, February 05, 2024
Thursday, January 05, 2023
Among the Trees: Winter Sunsets
Lately, I’ve been reading about stargazing and I came across an article that explained why Winter sunsets are so beautiful. It has to do with the arc of the sunset as compared to the position of North America relative to the sun in Winter months. There was plenty more science in the explanation but the real take-away for me was a reminder to check out the sky at twilight. We’ve had some lovely sunsets of late and pictures hardly do it justice, though this one will have to do.
As I wait for the sunlight in our days to truly lengthen, the daily sunset is my welcome companion for the Winter. It isn’t always be lovely to behold but that’s okay, because the daily sunset is a reminder to stop and look for the beauty around me. That’s happy at any time of year.