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The Low Winter Sun

January 3rd, 2011

This time of year the sun is very low in the sky. I hate that the days are so short, but I love the golden light that bathes the front rooms of the house in the afternoon. Our porch roof keeps the sun out in the summer when it’s high in the sky, but this time of year the sun is low enough to come streaming in. I simply love it.

Often in the afternoon you’ll find me sitting on the sofa in the sun reading or doing some work. I take in as much sun as I can get this time of year. In the summer I enjoy the evening just as the sun is starting to set, this time of year mid-afternoon is my favorite time of the day.

Do you have a time of day that you love?

10 Comments to “The Low Winter Sun”
  1. Denise on January 3, 2011 at 9:39 am

    we are rearranging some furniture today just for this reason. to sit in the afternoon sun. I have noticed the days are getting longer – maybe only by a minute or so but every bit helps.

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  2. Nebraska Dave on January 3, 2011 at 10:09 am

    My favorite time of the day is during the summer right before dawn when the birds are waking up and sit outside my open bedroom window singing as if the rising sun depends on their song to rise. What better way to awake and begin the day.

    The second favorite time of the day is again during the summer as the sun sets to sip the final cup of coffee while relaxing on the front patio watching the birds, squirrels, and children play in the last rays of sun for the day.

    In the winter time, most any time during the day is a favorite time when I can curl up on a blanket in the recliner chair with either a gardening book or a seed catalog just know that the days are getting longer and the days until spring are growing fewer.

    Have a great New Year

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  3. Joshua on January 3, 2011 at 10:44 am

    While studying energy-efficient methods of heating and cooling a home, I learned of this technique and was really pleased with its simplicity and effectiveness. In the winter, the low sun hits the house and heats it. In the summer, the high sun is blocked by the porch. The same effect can apply with deciduous trees, which lose their leaves in the winter, letting the sun shine through.

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  4. Kathryn on January 3, 2011 at 12:41 pm

    Right now i think my favorite time and place is in our kitchen about 2 PM. We don’t heat the house a lot and because of its construction we don’t get a lot of direct sunlight. But at that time in the afternoon my kitchen seems to just glow with the very light of which you speak.

    I’m not much of a kitchen/cooking type of person, but i love being there when the sun lights the room. :)

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  5. MAYBELLINE on January 3, 2011 at 12:46 pm

    Bedtime, Sister. That’s the most wonderful time.

    Reply to MAYBELLINE's comment

  6. Morgan G on January 3, 2011 at 1:11 pm

    Beautiful shot, Susy.

    This time of year, the early afternoon really is the best. With all of the clouds and rain we’ve had, the sunsets have been breathtaking.

    In the summer, I love high noon! Sunshine everywhere and, hopefully, a cold beer in one hand and a fish taco in the other!

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  7. Missy on January 3, 2011 at 2:52 pm

    My favorite time (any time of year) is the gloaming—when the sun has set over the horizon completely, but you can still see everything. It’s also my favorite time to drive.

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  8. Stone Soup on January 3, 2011 at 5:25 pm

    Sunrise is the best time of day in Maine at this time of year. Our house sits up on a hill and on clear mornings the view of the mountains is magnificent! It is so calm with glistening snow across the fields and smoke rising lazily from chimneys in town. I love the peacefulness of it all. A warm cup of coffee and few minutes of quiet before the rest of the house awakens, that’s the moment I never get tired of!

    Reply to Stone Soup's comment

    • Susy on January 3, 2011 at 11:06 pm

      Sounds lovely, I wish I could see the sunrise, perhaps if I ever build a house I’ll make sure I orient for that view!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  9. Jennifer Fisk on January 3, 2011 at 6:57 pm

    I love the afternoon sun and then as it sets and dusk takes over. It is especially neat if the only other light is the wood stove rather than electric. Yes, the days will be noticeably longer soon but for now it is evening cocoon time.

    Reply to Jennifer Fisk'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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