The sun will rise at 10:54 this morning, stay above the horizon (even if I can’t see it) for 3 hours, 43 minutes and 35 seconds, and set at 2:39 this afternoon. We’re losing only a little over a minute a day now, and in only four more days we’ll be at the shortest day and the days will start getting longer! The sun at its highest is only 2° (4 times its own diameter) above the horizon, so it doesn’t get very light even at midday. At least the days never disappear here, as they do a little farther north.

South Yard

Looking right into the sun (it’s there, somewhere behind the trees) with a clear sky near noon yesterday.

We did get a storm with about a foot of snow all told, and the snow stake now reads 1’ 7”. Should help keep the ground from freezing quite so deeply, though I wish it had come earlier. Unfortunately my digital thermometer is back to LL (below -40°) and the warmest in the forecast for the week is below zero. Typical December weather.

The seed catalogs have started arriving! And with the solstice this week I can start thinking about spring. Hope the weather is a little more welcoming where you are, though I have to say we are certainly going to have a white Christmas. In fact, it’ll be white through most of April, at least.

Thermometer dial -48°

11 am this morning, 12/17/12

I’ve started to dig out my Christmas DVD’s. So far I’ve watched A Christmas Carol, How the Grinch stole Christmas, and two Nutcrackers (two to go if you count the Nutcracker Suite from Fantasia.) Then I need to find Hogfather. I might get a new one this year if the weather lets up enough I can go shopping. In self-defense I watch these on the stationary bicycle or the rowing machine while exercising, not sitting on the couch (unless my blood sugar goes too low.)