At 3:45pm today the sun slipped behind the mountains. It's not really dark at that time however we are losing about 7 minutes of daylight a day. More then that if you count how much time the sun is actually above the mountains. It's very noticeable. I find this time of year harder then winter. In winter there is snow and the reflectance of moonlight off of it. Now the trails are dark and invisible. My body wants to hibernate & I struggle my way out of my warm bed in the morning, clawing my way from the bottom of consciousness. I have little tricks I use to help me adjust to the darkness. I have a light star on a timer that goes on 15 minutes prior to my alarm. By the time my alarm goes off it has started to settle it's way into my subconscious, mimicking the rising of the sun giving off the false impression of warmth & heat.
This morning after my morning walk with the Disreputable Dog, during which I realized my layers were no longer suitable for the weather, I dug out the following necessary items from a box under my bed:
-down vests, down jackets, wool jackets
-my hats, each of a different thickness depending on the cold
-my ear band because no matter the hat it won't keep the cold air off the ears while bicycling in heavy duty wind
-my reflective suspenders for commuting
-my headlamps because it's easy to get stuck somewhere without light at this time of year
-quilted & flannel lined pants
-the 3 layered gloves
I'm ready now...the pockets of all of my coats contain headlamps and handkerchiefs and you will not find me anywhere in this state without a wool hat until May. Now the layer of skim ice on the ponds can freeze over and I will rejoice with my ice skates, the snow can come & I will rejoice with my skis.
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And yesterday it was 30 degrees (celsius) with a humidex of 35 or so.
ReplyDeletestrange to even think of snow stuff..
(toronto)
ReplyDeleteits just not supposed to be this warm....
Makes me want to knit you a scarf, sweetie!
ReplyDeleteSimulating a sunrise. Now that's clever~ :)
ReplyDeletePeace,
~Chani
http://thailandgal.blogspot.com
Just reading your post made me cold! But then I grew up in a country that has summer all year round.
ReplyDeleteand i in my flip flops salute you.
ReplyDeleteI will never complain of the cold again! Mind you, skates and skis sound fun...and that clever light to wake you up - I have a friend in Denmark who may be glad to hear of that idea....
ReplyDeleteI so want to knit you something warm and colorful and send it. Poor Wayfarer in the cold dark with no snow. I'll knit for you when I have time. Not so much right now.
ReplyDeleteI'm sending spring sunshine your way in return for thoughts of speeding across the ice.
ReplyDeletebeautifully written! it's gray and raining here in seattle, and though not to the same extent, we're loosing our daylight too. it seems to be fading more quickly this year than in years past, though I realize that this is really a result of me paying more attention to my surroundings.
ReplyDeletethis is just such a very very different world than I live in. I am now longing for days when I can wear shirts with SLEEVES.
ReplyDeletewow, you make the dark, cold, snowy, windy, bundled up bike riding sound completely appealing. which it is. bike commuting is at its best when it takes almost as much time to get ready as it does to get there! the ice skating and skiing sound great too.
ReplyDeleteLawsey Mercy! and a healthy Brrrr.
ReplyDeleteGood news...germs start gettin kilt.I found my box of hats and scarves and I'm ready. Snow is predicted up near Taos this weekend. We are stil having beautiful here.45-75F with sunrise 7:07-sunset6:35. Amazing the time difference.I know what you mean about the dark, that's why I put up my holiday lights in Nov.!
I always wondered about adjusting to the differences in daylight. Unfortunately most of my knowledge about Alaska was ill-gained by watching Northern Exposure in the nineties : )
ReplyDeleteI look forward to long sleeved clothes again. Wednesday was 88˚f and sticky humid. How far do you bike to work?
Wow.
ReplyDeleteToday is chilly here and it is in the 60's.
I just cannot imagine.
But reading this, I long for a woodstove, a warm blanket, and some hot cocoa.
sounds lovely...i have never seen winter like that, would love too. Maybe that's why it sounds lovely?
ReplyDeletecrazymumma ~ that does sound strange for toronto this time of year. What can I say? The climate is changing.
ReplyDeleteliv ~ awwww...thanks! I love scarves!
chani ~ that's what it takes sometimes.
mad hatter ~ the nice thing about cold is you can ALWAYS put more layers on (even if you can't move with them all).
jen ~ :)
hannah ~ hope it helps your friend in Dennmark!
orangeblossoms ~ awww!!! I am so touched that you would even consider doing that. Scarves are important to keep closed the important crak between the coat and the skin of the neck.
hel ~ thank you! I hope your spring is lovely.
froghair ~ thank you! Funny, I would have thought you were usually observant of such things but gardening certainly tunes you in more.
maypole ~ laugh! You know you live in a cold climate when you wear your tank tops more in the winter then in the summer (as an extra layer).
matte ~ true...sometimes I wish though that the wind blew in the opposite direction...hard work in the morning and blown home in the evening. I have more energy then.
doris rose ~ When I lived in Fairbanks I put up a row of holidays lights from my porch to the outhouse. As for the germs - I think at this time of year everyone is coming down with things because they a)haven't slowed down yet and b)they aren't willing to admit they need hats yet.
ms chica ~ well, feel free to ask me questions! Maybe I'll have to do a send me a question about Alaska post. I hear there is some new TV show about Alaska called "Men in Trees" but I wouldn't know how it looks as I'm without such a box.
tabba ~ ahhh....now you have it, a woodstove and a cup of hot chocolate, a dog at your feet and a cat on your lap, it's what makes winter worth it. :)
veo ~ it is definately something worth expereincing. And no, it really is lovely if you can look beyond the cold (which is mostly a matter of dressing right).