Shortest day

[Spot & Bubby]

I'm beginning to think we aren't going to see winter this year

Shhhhhhhh.... don't say it's name.

I'm hoping for Autumn Spring Autumn.

 

[Spot & Bubby]

It was 10 above when I went out to feed my calves this morning; it has been getting into the 40's during the day. There is a little snow in our forecast for Christmas day, but I don't expect to get much, but the mountains should fair amount. So far it has been a very dry winter, kind of like the winter of 2016/2017; I was creating dust when driving out to feed the cows. We didn't have any snow in December then either until after Christmas. The only difference between that year and this year is that I didn't take a second cutting because of equipment problems. I didn't get my first cutting in until 1st of August, and then more equipment problems when I was going to take my second cutting, so I decided just let the cows graze it. I am going to have to start feed soon. I think I can push it out until the first of the year unless we get a lot of snow between now and then.

We are feeding a bit now, but we didn't buy any this year. We just kept rolling it up. We've got some grass saved up to calve on. And some wheat and rye grass... if a little water will fall on it.

 

[Spot & Bubby]

I had to go to the grocery store next town over yesterday evening for a couple of last minute ingredients and I was rushing, not to catch the store before it closed at 6o, but to get there and get home to lock up the chickens when they went to roost. I was about halfway home when it felt like my brain and body exhaled for the first time in about three months. It was about 6:15 and it wasn't dark out yet. The chickens were likely already in the coop , but I was only about 15 minutes away.

Ever since the time changed I have felt like most of my energy has been spent racing the sun in the evening to get to my chickens. Racing to the point of near panic. The time change has never been as hard on me as it has been this year and I don't know why. I do know that I'm damn happy that the solstice has come and gone. I don't think my mental health was going to hold up much longer.

(I got home about 5 minutes after dark to find my dear Husband had locked up my girls for me.)

Merry Christmas, ya'll!!!

 

[greybeard]

I'm beginning to think we aren't going to see winter this year

Complaining?

 

[greybeard]

I had to go to the grocery store next town over yesterday evening for a couple of last minute ingredients and I was rushing, not to catch the store before it closed at 6o, but to get there and get home to lock up the chickens when they went to roost. I was about halfway home when it felt like my brain and body exhaled for the first time in about three months. It was about 6:15 and it wasn't dark out yet. The chickens were likely already in the coop , but I was only about 15 minutes away.

Ever since the time changed I have felt like most of my energy has been spent racing the sun in the evening to get to my chickens. Racing to the point of near panic. The time change has never been as hard on me as it has been this year and I don't know why. I do know that I'm damn happy that the solstice has come and gone. I don't think my mental health was going to hold up much longer.

(I got home about 5 minutes after dark to find my dear Husband had locked up my girls for me.)

Merry Christmas, ya'll!!!

It means ___age is slipping upon you.

 

[Dave]

It was about 6:15 and it wasn't dark out yet. The chickens were likely already in the coop , but I was only about 15 minutes away.

6:15 and not dark yet????? It is pretty dark here at 5:00 or earlier. Not light out until a little after 7:00 in the morning.

 

[Silver]

6:15 and not dark yet????? It is pretty dark here at 5:00 or earlier. Not light out until a little after 7:00 in the morning.

5:00 and not dark yet??? Must be nice, not light here until 9:00 am or so, dark by 4:30.

Now let's ask @Rancher how much daylight he has

 

[Mrcopier]

Complaining?

I do like some cold weather. Not sub zero where it breaks pipes but enough that having a fire in the fireplace is needed

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Dark before 5.00pm here and light after 8.00am.
When it's snowing sometimes it never really gets light. Haha

 

[Spot & Bubby]

Complaining?

Not really, but I much prefer winter to summer, and I KNOW that we're not getting out of summer. I would miss not having at least a few bundle-up days, complete with hot stew, chili, or chicken and dumplings waiting back at the house to take the chill off. It's comforting.

 

[Ouachita]

6:15 and not dark yet????? It is pretty dark here at 5:00 or earlier. Not light out until a little after 7:00 in the morning.

She's on the far west side of her time zone. You appear to be on the far east side of yours, plus you're a few hundred miles north of west Texas.

Sincerely,
Captain Obvious

 

[Spot & Bubby]

6:15 and not dark yet????? It is pretty dark here at 5:00 or earlier. Not light out until a little after 7:00 in the morning.

I'm a good 800 miles south of Baker County.

 

[Spot & Bubby]

It means ___age is slipping upon you.

That's fair.

 

[Spot & Bubby]

I do like some cold weather. Not sub zero where it breaks pipes but enough that having a fire in the fireplace is needed

I'm so sincerely in agreement with you that I thought @greybeard was quoting me and I responded to him .

 

[Spot & Bubby]

5:00 and not dark yet??? Must be nice, not light here until 9:00 am or so, dark by 4:30.

Now let's ask @Rancher how much daylight he has

I spent about a decade living in and around Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley. I'm no stranger to short days and longer than long nights. I can't say the brief winter days affected me dramatically in Alaska, or the summer, either. The shortest day in Texas is still over 10 hours long. That's the reason I'm so puzzled by the toll it's taken on me this year.

 

[Rancher]

5:00 and not dark yet??? Must be nice, not light here until 9:00 am or so, dark by 4:30.

Now let's ask @Rancher how much daylight he has

Fark here til 10am but still dim if cloudy. Dark again at 3:30. We gained 2 minutes of sunlite today

 

[Dave]

I worked one winter on Afognak Island. Next island north of Kodiak. Very short day light hours. Very little dawn or dusk light. As soon as the sun went down it turned dark real quick.

 

[Silver]

I worked one winter on Afognak Island. Next island north of Kodiak. Very short day light hours. Very little dawn or dusk light. As soon as the sun went down it turned dark real quick.

That's about a degree of latitude north of here. According to sunrisesunset.com we have 48 minutes from official sunset to official twilight.
I always found that the closer to the equator you get the faster it gets dark when the sun goes down.

 

[Dave]

That's about a degree of latitude north of here. According to sunrisesunset.com we have 48 minutes from official sunset to official twilight.
I always found that the closer to the equator you get the faster it gets dark when the sun goes down.

It sure seemed like as soon as the sunset it got dark. But that was in the timber walking up to the road. And foggy memory from 45 years ago.

 

[Dave]

Here the computer says I have sunrise at 7:29 and set at 4:17. It list twilight as 6:55 and 4:51. But that is sort of irrelevant because this time of the year the sun doesn't hit the house until 10:00 and goes back behind the hills at 2:00. On the longest days in June I might get to see a sun rise but I never see the sun set here. I sit in a hole with tall hills around me on three sides.