Today being the Winter Solstice, I set out with the intention to photograph both the sunrise and the sunset.I’ve been starting work early these days, so I actually took my lunch hour (very) early and set out at 7:30 to catch the sunrise.The last several days have been completely overcast, so I felt so lucky that the skies were partially clear.The clouds were amazing!After work, I set out for my favorite sunset-watching spot, anticipating a crowd, it being Solstice and all.There was only one other dedicated sunset-watcher there (not just drifting by to take a selfie and then moving on).I said to this woman, “I’m so surprised there aren’t more people here for the Solstice!”She answered, “Yeah, Summer Solstice gets all the love.” Well, I love you, dear Winter Solstice. I love you with all my heart. Welcome back, dear Sun.
This is one of my favorite Mary Oliver poems (I apologize for the poor quality of the image – I haven’t figured out yet how to format poetry on this blog, so I have to resort to photos of poems). I’ve written here before that “Sun in My Face” was one of the names I considered for this blog. The sun makes me so happy – not just the fact that without it I wouldn’t exist, but whenever it decides to show its face it just makes my day.
I’m not what is typically considered a “sun worshiper,” although I was as a young person. I loved the deep tan – thought it made me look healthy, and let’s face it I thought it made me look more attractive. Oh well, the folly of youth. That particular habit is coming back to haunt me (hello, basal cell carcinoma), but that is an entire post in itself. No, I don’t sit outside in the sun unprotected for any significant length of time anymore, but I love the sun. It gives me such a feeling of well being even to look outside through a window and see that it is sunny outside. I know that this isn’t just me – we all feel better on sunny days than we do when it is dark and gray outside. Bright sun helps to regulate our circadian clocks, improves mood, and triggers our bodies to produce Vitamin D. It’s a good thing, as Martha says. Just don’t get too much of it.
I’m loving the weather we are having just lately here in northeast Ohio. Sunny, warm, but with an edge of coolness in the morning. To me, this is perfection. I am soaking in every one of these gorgeous days. Chris and I continue to walk three laps around the neighborhood every morning around 7, which is a highlight of my day. It’s quiet, except for the birds and the occasional cement truck (the city is replacing portions of sidewalk on our block that have been pushed up by tree roots, an endeavor which they undertook last year as well and which resulted in several trees dying).
We have put away the seed bird feeder for the summer and have put up a hummingbird feeder with the hopes of attracting some hummingbirds to our back yard. We’ve tried before – put up a feeder, hung out some red flowers we thought they’d like. That effort resulted in one very fleeting sighting of a hummingbird and a deer coming right up to our house in broad daylight to eat all the flowers. I could have shooed the deer away, I guess, but it was pretty hilarious. So, we’re trying again.
Sam and I have been on some bike rides around the neighborhood and through our little park. I love the incomparable feeling of freedom you get coasting downhill, but pedaling uphill reminded me that there are some muscles I haven’t used in a long time.
I hope you’re enjoying the weather where you are (sorry that it’s winter there, Chloe!) and that you have a wonderful weekend.
