Kevin's Watch

Tonight is the longest night of the year.

If I recall correctly, sunrise will continue to be later for a few days but the actual hours of daylight will lengthen. When I lived in Vermont, the winter days were so short, I cherished every moment of sun so I knew these things.

May we find the Light in the darkness.

Winter Solstice

that's really beautiful.



my favorite scene about needing more light
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpykA5WDgr8

Happy Yule!

A Paul Winter Solstice Concert

Ya kno,,every year we in Phoenix here, go thru the same thing with this solstice deal. Yea, around the middle of November folks start noticing that the Sun with every rise and set , goes further south. People say, " Hey! whats going on here!?" Its..Its leaving us!" So we have a big Thank You celebration hoping the Sun will be placated and turn around and come back to its adoring minions.

But , a few days later, we notice once again that the Sun just continues heading South for its vacation. I've always thought it was the pina coladas at Senor Froggs; the best ever I tells ya..but folks here in Phoenix start biting their nails and kicking the cat when the word gets out that the Sun knows Spanish. Its a most dreadful time of year when the rate of Road Rage increases exponentially the further south the Sun goes. I hate driving during these times.

Any way, with every new day,,and further and further south, thus less and less of our beloved Sun, folks get increasingly upset. They start screaming in public, pulling their hair out, grinding their teeth making their gums bleed. Not a good time for a teenager to be learning to drive. Yet we persevere and wake up the next morning and find that its dark out. The Sun hasn't risen yet. I hate Maalox for breakfast but it works. Better than egg nog. And chanting, group chanting . Thats another thing we do , some times door to door trying to get our neighbors to join in and put positive energy out during our darkest moments. It could work.

Then some few weeks later..after what has to be the longest dark..one of us notices the slightest change of mind by our Sun. Its kept on the down low in case the observation is more hope than real. But in a day or two its always verified by one then three then five: Then somewhere after about a week or so of holding our breath, we know for sure the Sun is coming back,,coming Back to the Valley of The Sun!,,and then we break out the champagne and cigars and party the night away.

I got lurch to post!!

Yes, although the sunrise is actually later, the sunset is later still; the daylight hours are actually longer. Which helps in the afternoon, anyway.

Hashi Lebwohl wrote:I wonder if we will ever reconfigure our annual calendar to begin on Winter Solstice rather than the arbitrary 1 January. Somehow I doubt it even though it makes more sense.

Arbitrary? Nah...

As SD pointed out a week or so ago in conversation, the church must have decided to honor JC's bris by starting the New Year with the day he was brought in to the Covenant...

January 1 became New Years Day in most countries with their adoption of the Gregorian calendar. Until 1752, when England and its colonies changed from the Julian calendar, the new year began on March 25 - around the spring equinox.

Thats rite Damelon. And that is why to this very day we here in Phoenix sing Gregorian Chant for the Sun to come back. ...

Fie and folly! Anyone who enjoys more daylight than 4-5 hours at present and yet bewails their lot, may find their toes in danger of getting trodden on by a granite-soled Giantish warboot.

We're currently getting 15+ hours of daylight, so no complaints here

Sunrise 5:30 - sunset 8:50pm