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Friday Favorite: The Sun in Winter

January 4th, 2013

Yesterday I was talking with a friend about how much how wonderful the sun is in the middle of winter. When you live in a northern climate, seeing the sun on a short winter day is cause for a small celebration. I’ve noticed here in Maine, seeing the sun on a winter day is more common than in was in NE Ohio. Northern Ohio has the reputation for being very gray in the winter and it truly is. We’ve been enjoying beautiful clear sunny days and LOVING them.
Sun and snow
Sun and snow 2
Sun and snow 1
Sun and snow 3
Sun and snow 4
I think the sun coupled with snow makes for a kind of brightness that you can’t achieve in the summer. There’s just something about the warmness of the sun and the coolness of the snow I find amazing!

What do you notice most during the winter in your area?

16 Comments to “Friday Favorite: The Sun in Winter”
  1. Canned Quilter on January 4, 2013 at 8:58 am

    What a beautiful way to start my morning! Great Pics : )

    Reply to Canned Quilter's comment

  2. GrafixMuse on January 4, 2013 at 9:08 am

    I love that the winter sun is lower in the sky during winter and shines brightly through my south facing windows all day. Just yesterday I noticed that it was still a little bright by 4:30. They days are getting longer now.

    Reply to GrafixMuse's comment

  3. gabe on January 4, 2013 at 9:54 am

    Rub it in… back here in NE Ohio, we did see the sun yesterday… for the first time since Christmas.

    Reply to gabe's comment

  4. SusieB on January 4, 2013 at 10:10 am

    I wish I could have taken pictures on my commute this morning. I drive from Albany to SW Vermont, which sometimes is a drag, but it was SO clear and nice today — with a great pink sunrise color coming up and blue skies and pretty clouds. Definitely makes the bleakness of winter a bit better! (What can I say, I do get sick of seeing snow everywhere after a while)

    Reply to SusieB's comment

  5. Misti on January 4, 2013 at 10:21 am

    I think the only way I could truly enjoy winter is if it involved the amount of snow that you have. I had winter here, just cold enough to be annoying with nothing to really appreciate (though I do like being able to grow things still)!

    Reply to Misti's comment

    • Susy on January 4, 2013 at 8:48 pm

      I’m with you – if it’s cold I want SNOW on the ground.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  6. Jennifer Fisk on January 4, 2013 at 10:25 am

    I didn’t think anyplace had as many gray days as Maine in the winter. It would be so much better if the sun was just a little higher in the sky in the depths of winter. I notice a huge difference when I visit my Dad in NY 35 miles north of Albany. At least we can count on daylight at 5pm by the second week of February.

    Reply to Jennifer Fisk's comment

    • Susy on January 4, 2013 at 8:49 pm

      Oh yes, NE Ohio is gray almost all winter long, it’s pretty rare to see the sun until mid February.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  7. KimH on January 4, 2013 at 10:32 am

    In the past, I noticed how often the road was wet.. which was often.. but the scenery is super green & lush most years.. Today, in NE Ohio, the sun is shining and its a beautiful day.. cold but clear blue skies. Love it! :)

    Reply to KimH's comment

  8. Joan on January 4, 2013 at 10:47 am

    You’ve had a very nice introduction to Maine winters this year. Maine in the winter when there is snow is wonderful! Then there are the winters when all we have is rain (usually freezing rain) and everything is gray and dreary. This is a great one though!

    What I love most in the winter is a nice snowy day, high teens or low 20’s so that the snow doesn’t stick to my cross country skis, gliding through the woods and across the lake. Or just after a blowing heavy snow when the snow all sticks to one side of the trees, and there is this incredible black and white contrast between the little you can see of the tree trunks and the snow. Or ice crystals hanging from branches. Or hoarfrost. I just can’t decide which is my favorite. They are all breathtaking!

    Reply to Joan's comment

  9. whit on January 4, 2013 at 11:06 am

    Amen! Seattle is dark and gray from what seems like Labour Day to 4th of July. This year has been a little different though. We’ve had two or three days of sunshine the past couple weeks.

    I love the snow days because we get so few here. The kind that would take a week’s worth of snow showers to accumulate an inch. Tiny flakes fluttering down, kissing your face…that’s the best.

    Reply to whit's comment

  10. amy on January 4, 2013 at 12:03 pm

    When it snows…..really snows…..I notice the stillness…..the tranquility…..I do not think that kind of quiet can be matched any other time of the year. Magic.

    Reply to amy's comment

  11. Rachel on January 4, 2013 at 1:18 pm

    Welcome to New England winter! It is so much more sunny during the winter than any other place I have lived – Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Northwest and Central Europe.

    My favorite part of winter is the quiet. The snow dampens sound and it can feel like you are the only person on earth. Then you hear a chickadee or a squirrel, and remember there’s actually a lot going on in winter.

    Reply to Rachel's comment

  12. Mich on January 4, 2013 at 4:05 pm

    Sadly this year….all I see is mud, mud and more mud! Epic rainfall has made the farm just so wet underfoot, most depressing. On a bright note no rain for 4 days. Woohoo.

    Reply to Mich's comment

  13. Eliza J on January 4, 2013 at 8:11 pm

    I have always loved what the sun does in Winter in New England. I look at the snow in the morning when the sun is coming up and marvel at the different shades of white and blue on the ground. The sun makes everything alive and with the angle at this time of year it’s absolutely beautiful. We see blue nights in the winter…not the summer. I miss Summer but am grateful for the down time from the growing season and always marvel at nature and the hand of God in what surrounds us. Looking forward to Spring for sure ~ so many seeds…so little time :)

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  14. Julia on January 5, 2013 at 10:07 am

    Although I live in Boston now, one of my favorite sights in winter is the Minnesota moon casting bluish light on a snowy backyard. The landscape looks like it is glowing, calm and peaceful.

    Reply to Julia's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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