Darkening winter days
Dark is a bit on my mind. Our days are getting shorter as they do all over the Northern Hemisphere this time of year. We're not far from the Winter Solstice after all, when we have the shortest day of the year.
A couple of years ago, I did an online class that followed the Celtic seasons. It was a fascinating journey and an interesting look into how myth and story followed the cycle of the seasons.
The instructor embraced the darker days in Ireland in winter as a time to regroup and dream. I need to think about how best to embrace that myself, I think.
I've got thinking that I have the cold down for our trip to Quebec in January. I have clothes that will keep me warm (base layers, snow pants, lined pants, snow boots, and my vintage Expedition down jacket, hats, and mittens and gloves) and my fingers and toes aren't prone to being cold, so I'm feeling confident there.
But the dark.
When I was a post-doc in Germany over 35 years ago, it didn't get light until around 8 am and was getting dark around 4 pm. I was pretty gloomy.
To be in our part of Quebec in January, it's a bit shifted -- more light in the morning (sunrise at ~ 7:25 with sunset at ~ 4 pm. So basically pretty similar, I guess. There's about 8 1/2 to 8 and 3/4 hours of daylight then.
OK, that's not too bad, I guess. We're just planning to be there for a month, with time up and back.
But it's dark, still. I really don't mind the dark; it's the idea of the early dusk that gets me, I think.
A couple of years ago, I did an online class that followed the Celtic seasons. It was a fascinating journey and an interesting look into how myth and story followed the cycle of the seasons.
The instructor embraced the darker days in Ireland in winter as a time to regroup and dream. I need to think about how best to embrace that myself, I think.
I've got thinking that I have the cold down for our trip to Quebec in January. I have clothes that will keep me warm (base layers, snow pants, lined pants, snow boots, and my vintage Expedition down jacket, hats, and mittens and gloves) and my fingers and toes aren't prone to being cold, so I'm feeling confident there.
But the dark.
When I was a post-doc in Germany over 35 years ago, it didn't get light until around 8 am and was getting dark around 4 pm. I was pretty gloomy.
To be in our part of Quebec in January, it's a bit shifted -- more light in the morning (sunrise at ~ 7:25 with sunset at ~ 4 pm. So basically pretty similar, I guess. There's about 8 1/2 to 8 and 3/4 hours of daylight then.
OK, that's not too bad, I guess. We're just planning to be there for a month, with time up and back.
But it's dark, still. I really don't mind the dark; it's the idea of the early dusk that gets me, I think.
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| I hope we'll have the afternoon light in winter, too. |
I don't like the long hours of darkness either. I suppose this is why so many cultures have festivals of light at this time of year.
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