Happy New Year

 Happy New Year!  We are still new to the new year, and new beginnings.  We had two new moons in December 2024, and on January 3, 2025, the crescent moon and Venus were beautiful in the clear night sky.  

We welcome the first babies of the new year. the first marriages.  We hope for better things in 2025.  

But already, shootings and  truck explosions,  and still wars and plagues.  

We face the challenges of the first big winter storm---snow, blizzard conditions, ice and power outages in Missouri, Iowa, Indiana and Ohio, and southern and central Illinois. Further north,  along Lake Michigan, there is ice and lake-effect snow. 

Today is January 6, and  there are still some holiday lights for Epiphany--also known as Three Kings Day.  Sadly, there are already some Christmas trees in the alleys.

Today is January 6--- and 4 years ago, it was Insurrection Day, a  violent attempt to overthrow an  election. Donald Trump was dancing. We will  not forget that dark day.  But democracy prevailed! 

And today, Vice-President Kamala Harris,  Madame  President of the Senate, certified the Electoral College results.  Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States.  

This  is how it's done--a peaceful transfer of power. Flags will be flying half-staff for President Carter on January 20, Inauguration Day. 

 Here's to  better days in 2025.

 

Black Moon tonight!

 On December 30, there will be a new moon, the second new moon in December.  This is called a black moon.

 We call the second full moon in a month a blue moon.  And like blue moons, black moons don't happen very often--about every 32 months.

You can read  more about Black Moons here  at  Space.com.

There is nothing occult about black moons. It's a coincidence of our calendars and the cycles of the moon. but it's still a marvelous  thing.  And if you want to interpret the black moon as an energy shift, a new beginning, and a new year, that's also a good thing. 

We need the positive energy as we begin the New Year. 

Happy Black Moon, and all the best in 2025! 

December Solstice

 

December is here--Counting the days on the Advent calendars.  Some people put up  holiday lights and decorations over the weekend, when the highs on Sunday reached the mid-50's. There was much leaf-raking and leaf-blowing, too. The  trees are almost bare now.

Winter is here. Meteorlogical winter began on December 1. What we call meteorological winter begins at the December solstice on December 21.  Ideally, with some snow for Christmas.

But for those who use the really old calendar, the Celtic or pagan calendar, it's been winter since the first of November, and the December solstice marks the point of midwinter.  After the solstice, we gain a little more daylight each day. 

Sunday marked the earliest sunset of the year in Chicago, around 4:21 p.m.  Monday’s sunset will be roughly one second later. Not much, but it's a start!

You can read more about the December solstice from EarthSky, here.

 

Winter preview

Gray November sky--that hazy shade of winter. November is ending, and the ground is covered with fallen leaves. 

Most of the Halloween decorations are put away,  but there are still a few pumpkins on front porches. The election is past, but there are still some Harris-Walz signs.

It's Thanksgiving weekend, and there is much to be thankful for. Thank you for reading my blog posts! 

 I'm thankful for so many things----Friends, family, community. A roof over my head.  Running water, black sweaters.  Vaccines and bamboo rakes. 

The National Weather Service, and local weather reports, too.  

Yes, winter is coming. Sunset at 4:20 today. The streetlights are on as I write this, and there are already some holiday lights.  We've had some snow already--real snow, heavy and wet, about 3 or 4 inches here.

 It was mostly melted by the next day, but people shoveled it anyway.

This weekend, it's really cold!  Wind chills in the teens and even single digits. There's some snow in Carbondale, but not like Pennsylvania and New York!

November 30  is the last official day of the Atlantic Hurricane season. We will certainly remember Helene and Milton this year. 

December 1 marks the start of Meteorological Winter. The Winter Solstice will occur on December 21.

Yes, winter is coming...this may be the darkest part of the year, but lighter days are coming after the Solstice. And on the bare branches of the trees, buds of next spring's leaves...

November Now

 

 

November now, after the rain,  a rain of leaves. Clouds, then sun, then clouds again.

After the time change, it's dark at 5 pm.  The nights are long, but the quarter moon is beautiful. 

 

We've had a preview of winter winds,  not quite the gales of November that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald on November 10, 1975. 

Today is Veterans Day in the USA. We honor those who fought for our freedoms, in a world still filled with plagues and wars. Let us remember them.

Tomorrow, it will be a week since Election Day.  There were lines for early voting, and I wondered if there would be lines at the polling places. We cheered each other on. We voted. We waited. Now, we are facing a different and uncertain future.  What will January bring?

 

Yes, winter is coming. There is snow already in Colorado and New Mexico.  No snow here, yet, and no snow in the immediate forecast, but we're talking about it.  Yes, we are getting ready.

 

What will a La Nina winter bring? Will it be colder, and more snow than last year?

 

But for now, people are making plans for Thanksgiving .The Halloween decorations are still up, and leaves swirl around the Harris-Walz signs.

Cross-quarter days

We are part of nature and seasons, even if we have forgotten. The ambiance of October days, blue sky and colored leaves falling. The veil between the worlds is thin now.  The harvest is over, the light is decreasing, we are entering the dark time of the year.

 

Halloween decorations are on display--ghosts and witches, skeletons and grinning faces of pumpkins are everywhere.

 

Trick or treat, we say. An offering to the spirits. The old name Samhain, marked the beginning of a new year, the thinning of the veil between the worlds of living and dead. A time of magic and renewal.

 

Halloween, All-Hallows Eve,  Samhain  falls between the September equinox and the December solstice. This is called a cross-quarter day.

The other cross-quarter days are---

 

Feb 2--halfway between the December solstice and the March equinox--also called Imbolc or Groundhog Day.  Celebrate increasing light, and the start of the growing season.

 

May 1--Halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice--also called Beltane. Celebrate the spring planting.

 

August 1--halfway between the summer solstice and the fall equinox--also called Lammas. Celebrate the first harvest of the growing season.

So the Wheel of the Year turns, and we still celebrate the changing seasons. 

Fine Fall Colors

 

 

Why do leaves change color in the fall?

The green of summer leaves is the result of an abundance of chlorophyll. The chlorophyll masks the other pigment colors. As the days grow shorter in the fall, chlorophyll production diminishes. The green fades, revealing the underlying colors in the leaves

Carotenoids produce the yellow and orange colors in the leaves, and also appear in peppers, corn, carrots, daffodils, and bananas. 

Carotenoid production is not dependant on light so levels are not diminished by shorter days.

Xanthophyll is responsible for the yellow pigments in the carotenoids. The orange  comes from carotene. Xanthophyll plays a part in regulating the rate of photosynthesis by balancing the production of chlorophyll. It's also what causes the yellowing of leaves due to stress or disease.

Yellow leaves are characteristic of sycamores, birch,  ash and hickory trees. 

Anthocyanines  are responsible for the reds and purples and even blues of flowers and fruits. They are in cherries, cranberries and apples, grapes strawberries and plums. 

They are found in the reds of sugar maples, red maples, and dogwoods. 

Tannins are the browns in the leaves of some oaks and other trees, They are always present but only become visible as chlorophyll and carotenoids disappear. Tannins are also what gives tea its color and flavor. 

How does weather affect the intensity of leaf colors?

Anthocyanines are dependent on light and temperature. Sugars remain in the leaves on warm sunny days and cool nights, increasing anthocyanine production, creating the most intense reds.

Rain and/or overcast days decrease anthocyanine production, resulting in more yellows and browns.

A wet spring, normal summer rainfall, and warm sunny days and cool nights are the ideal conditions for the most spectacular fall colors!