And the darkness turns to light

I spent the afternoon making a final batch of cheese straws and once the last ones were out of the oven, I pulled on my hiking boots for a walk around our fields. It wasn't until I was out in the late afternoon sun that I realized that today marks the winter solstice, with the sun having risen at Farm Dover at 7:56 this morning and setting just a few minutes ago at 5:27.

I always feel better knowing that the longest night is behind us and we can look forward to lengthening days. There is something uplifting about that amazing fact.

Today, our daylight was 9 hours and 30 minutes, which is 5 hours and 19 minutes shorter than on the June Solstice. I never paid much attention to the soltices when we lived in town, but out here I feel more connected with the natural world; more intune with the seasons. Perhaps I'm really turning into a farmer...