Welcome, Winter, what's your wish?

At dawn, the fields surrounding our house were frost coated and more beautiful than usual, looking like ghostly reflections of last nights full moon light. That's appropriate because today is the official start of meteorological Winter. Astronomical Winter, as we know, begins in three weeks, on December 21, at about 4 o'clock in the morning, local time. Meteorological Winter will be 89 days long (31 in December, 30 in January, 28 in February). Astronomical Winter is slightly shorter (88 days, 23 hrs, 35 mins). But, as we learn all too often in our North Country, real Spring often arrives closer to the Summer solstice, rather than the Spring equinox. But, we're getting way ahead of ourselves. Let's talk about Christmas lists.

too many Christmas cookies? then share

Photo by J. Harrington

Here's what I'd like for Christmas or, if we must wait a bit longer, the New Year.

• President Joe Biden to have an outrageously successful inauguration and first year as president.
• Two Democrats to win the Georgia senate elections for US.
• COVID-19 to be vanquished.
• World governments to seriously and successfully respond to our climate weirding.
• A sincere and successful effort to close the urban-rural gap.
• Environmentalists to focus more on energy system change rather than mostly demanding we "keep it in the ground." (Can our existing building stock be totally converted to electric powered HVAC systems? How quickly?)
• A world economy that reflects Doughnut Economics and is much more heavily weighted toward localism than globalism.

Please note that we're intentionally not making unreasonable requests, such as wishing for world peace. Please further note that there are many additional wishes we have, but we don't want to appear greedy. We're sensitive to the fact that we currently have more than we need while others lack even the essentials necessary to survive, let alone thrive, in this cold season. That's as good a reason as any for us to suggest one last wish, that all of us in a condition of more than sufficiency can wish for the resources to build a bigger table, not a taller fence.

Winter Sun

By Molly Fisk

How valuable it is in these short days, 

threading through empty maple branches, 

the lacy-needled sugar pines.

 

Its glint off sheets of ice tells the story 

of Death’s brightness, her bitter cold.

 

We can make do with so little, just the hint 

of warmth, the slanted light.

 

The way we stand there, soaking in it, 

mittened fingers reaching.

 

And how carefully we gather what we can 

to offer later, in darkness, one body to another.

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