Once we get to December 21st I eagerly await the moment that our time…the length of the day starts to grow visibly longer.
We are NOT at the point…yet! But it won’t be long now :)!
On December 21st our day was a SHORT 9 hours and 27 minutes.
(Yes, I know that day length is relative to where each and everyone lives, but for me and those who live close to me…this is our day length)
Gradually the day has added 5 minutes of time to the day! We now have 9 hours and 32 minutes of daylight. Rich, rays of sun, even if they must filter through frozen air.
On January 31st our day will consist of 10 whole hours and 12 minutes of daylight.
But, alas this is still winter…not only that it is January. From January we will slide into February…two of the coldest months of the year…
But here is the thing…I can handle the cold if I can see the sun! I can handle the knowledge of winds from the north, winds that tear your skin off your face—- if I know that in 59 or so more days winter will start to abate.
So while we are gearing up for more layers upon layers of clothing those of you enjoying summer will see the temperatures rise. You will walk along beaches, or in forests, you will sit outside on veranda’s an slip ice tea or a cola.
I used to be so selfish I only wanted to go right from Christmas to SPRING! Not any more. Now I have wonderful friends from all over the world from the top side of the equator and the bottom half of the globe… this knowledge makes me stop and whisper to myself—
“Share” They also enjoy summer! I can go and visit their blogs and see tropical gardens in bloom, I can watch others playing in the warmth and I can rejoice for their good.
The gift that now comes to all of us in the northern half of the world is the slowly, but surely shifting of the mighty earth as it swirls and twirls around the sun allowing more light into our long cold days!
Therefore, I rejoice for these longer day!
Your Friend on a farm in Western Colorado,
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 
then i wish you lots of days of sunshine to keep you going.
LikeLike
Oh yes, I am waiting patiently for longer days, too. January and February are emotionally the darkest days of the year for me. I am waiting to hear the first sounds of the Canadian geese as the seasons start to turn again. That is how I mark time.
LikeLike
I, too, like to see the days growing longer. Your picture of the icy tree branches against that blue sky is beautiful.
LikeLike
Hard to believe that the days are getting long, but I am glad too!
LikeLike
Minute by minute..I so appreciate the sunshine but we are stuck in the icebox and it will get worse over the weekend. We will have 8 hours and 38 minutes of daylight today:(
LikeLike
How incredibly beautiful. So many people talk about living in the moment, but it sounds to me as if you have actually learned how to really do it. Your heart is so big, Linda. We’re all lucky to know you, here. I love how grateful you are for exactly what you have. And I love how you count the minutes of light. (I’m like you on this. Light is good medicine!)
LikeLike
Summer will be here soon enough. Enjoy the seasons!
LikeLike
Colorado sounds a cold place to be. I have an old friend in Bolder who is 85 and she often tells me about the weather’ and the cold but she lives in a mobile home and they have thin walls. Here we are ok. It is not warm by any means and it getsto minus 10 at night but so far no snow which is most unusual.
stay warm my western col buddy, may the warmth of your wood burner keep your feet warm and may you slumber warmly in your bed xxxxxxx
LikeLike
As I shovel and shovel now in blizzard warnings I can not wait for the sun to come out on Sat and Sunday it will look so pretty and maybe it will not be 10 below with wind chill 🙂
I am with you rest enjoy the fire make some pretty things soon the work we do in spring will be here 🙂
Eunice
LikeLike
Your skies are so beautiful, Linda! Great pictures! I, too, am starting to notice that the days last just a few minutes longer….love it. If I was selfish, I would wish for spring or fall all year long, but, I probably would not like them so very much if we did not have the cold of winter and the hot heat of summer.
No snow here, just to get VERY cold the first of next week. Blessings!
LikeLike
You’re wise to be careful not to wish your life away. Spring will come. It always does. Here in NJ, we’re waiting for a snowstorm. Cupcake and I took a walk and the wind was biting our faces, no matter which direction we went. Brrrrrr…
LikeLike
I was tooling around town here in Denver this afternoon and saw a billboard advertising Rockies spring training starting in about seven weeks. Boy did that raise my spirits!
Debbie
LikeLike
Hi Linda, I don’t keep up with how much daylight we get —BUT I do know that it’s nice not to have to go outside and put up the bird feeders at 4 p.m. (which I was doing a month ago)… Now–I can wait ’til after 4:30 –and that will just continue to get longer. I don’t get up any earlier in the mornings –so the birds suffer when I can’t leave their food out longer.
I do love winter —but our weather now is a little too much even for me. We have some snow (not the pretty kind–but the kind which just blows around) and the temp tonight will get down to 12 degrees. That is COLD for us. AND–on Monday night, they say we could get below zero… Not sure we’ve had weather THAT cold since we moved her in 2003…. But—I’ll just layer and layer and stay inside!!!!! ha
Hugs,
Betsy
LikeLike
I wish plenty of sunshine for you over the coming months. I am looking for it also…gray days just wear me down.
LikeLike
Well said, Linda. Having friends all over the world makes our own little world seem so much bigger. Stay warm.
LikeLike
How nicely said…I truly enjoy winter…I like being tucked away in my little humble home nestled close to the wood stove…Taking Travis for sled rides or heading out snow shoeing or ice skating when the weather permits…I try to enjoy each and every day…and yes, the days are getting longer…
LikeLike
I agree Linda!!! And I’m counting those daylight minutes from here too!!!! :o)
LikeLike
Getting through the cold, dark time of the year is always a challenge. It sounds as if you have some good strategies to help you.
LikeLike
The day light is noticeable here to me. I cherish every minuet the sun is out longer! 🙂 As soon as it gets dark, I am ready for bed! Like you, I don’t mind the cold as long as the sun is out. And I have layers and layers on!
LikeLike
Beautiful post! Yes, the days ARE getting longer! I got eight eggs from the hens today, up from mostly two for the past month. I love the way they tell me that even though I’m still hunched over from the cold, spring will be here soon.
LikeLike
I am with you on the sunshine bit and we in Idaho have had very little although it is warmer. The longer days are embraced wildly by my chickens and myself. Winter is a time to restore the soul and look back to glean the lessons we’ve had and go forth boldly into the new year. We complain all year round cause there is no perfect climate anywhere. I am getting used to the cold by now.
LikeLike
Another beautiful post LInda, both the thoughts, the pics and your wonderful writing
LikeLike
No way to see the sun today – we just have to trust that it’s there 🙂
-15 windchill this morning, with tiny, sharp snowflakes. LOTS of them. Another Inside Day for the grandkids….
LikeLike
So TRUE! Our high in central Illinois is supposed to be in the negatives. I, too, look for, long for the longer days of sunlight!! They bring hope with them. 🙂
LikeLike
Beautiful post – words and pictures.
LikeLike
All stunning pictures, but the top one I just want to frame and look at every single day. It is simply beautiful and makes me miss the mountains of the west.
Still so cold for you and I’ve never experienced that, but I know what you mean about the length of days. I always thought of November and December as the worst of winter because of the days getting shorter. The holidays brighten things up and then the days start getting longer and life always seemed to be looking up.
LikeLike
I love winter as well. I got to visit Wisconsin for Christmas, and boy were they having a serious winter that week! It’s probably 70 degrees or so where I am now in Southern California, which is nice but I do miss the real seasons.
LikeLike
Definitely worth celebrating!
LikeLike