Winter Solstice....

With those North of us digging out of a massive snow storm that hit yesterday, it only seems timely and appropriate to stop this week and welcome in old man Winter. Today is the eve of the Winter Solstice, the time when those of us in the Northern Hemisphere officially welcome Winter. Tomorrow at 12:47 pm (ET) the earths axial tilt is at it's furthest away from the sun, hence shorter days and longer nights and the official start of Winter. The small bit of good news for you Winter-haters, is that starting Tuesday, the days will get longer and longer--even if it is a little bit--as we once again start the process toward the Summer Solstice which comes June 21st.

"Throughout history, solstices have been celebrated and heralded with cultural and religious traditions. Our ancestors, who believed in mystery and magic, gathered together to celebrate the miraculous return of the light after the longest night of the year and that’s how Winter Solstice festivals were born. Still to this day,people all over the world celebrate Winter Solstice as a time of rebirth, a new beginning and a chance to marvel at the power of transition from darkness into light." (Daily World Buzz)



Nature chose for a tool, not the earthquake or lightening to rend and split asunder, not the stormy torrent or eroding rain, but the tender snow-flowers noiselessly falling through unnumbered centuries.
~John Muir~