Friday, December 21, 2007

Solstice

My world is white outside this morning. Light snow has fallen, which I expect will be gone by noon.

It's the first day of Winter and, in a sense, the first day of the New Agricultural Year. The light, which has been waning since the Summer Solstice, will now increase by small increments each day. As a result, more eggs will be laid. The plants in the greenhouse will begin to put out new growth. All animals and plants respond to the light, despite all the technological advances we live with.

Hope and optimism are the watchwords of the Winter Solstice. I will light a candle in tonight's darkness to celebrate it.

Friday, December 07, 2007

Cold

We've had a little snow; just enough to make life a little more challenging. It will be gone in a day or two and the projection is for a warm-up.

Yesterday, the ducks and geese, who always enthusiastically dive into the pond when let out, crashed into ice instead. Since the ducks are under a year old, this was their first experience with an iced over pond. You could see their confusion as they "walked on water", their webbed feet sliding around as they tried to make their way back to the bank.

The edges of the pond melted by late afternoon, and they were all able to get a drink or two and do a little swimming.

I've been sick for the last couple of weeks, thanks to some germs picked up in a doctor's waiting room. Gee, you'd think Science 101 would have kicked in by now and that waiting rooms would be furnished with cleanable floors and furniture so they could be wiped down with disinfectant at the end of each day. I'm still mad about it, and will be until I stop hacking. Well, I guess it's an efficient way to drum up business.

Anyway, between the cold and the cold, it's been a struggle. I'll recover.